Freediving is a sport discipline of breath-holding scuba diving. The ability not to breathe underwater for a long time can be beneficial not only for a professional swimmer or dive, but also for any other person, since training for holding your breath has a positive effect on the development of the lungs and the entire respiratory system.
The benefits of holding your breath
Breathing is the most important factor in maintaining health and achieving sports results, by controlling breathing, you can effectively speed up or slow down the metabolism and the general tone of the body.
The main period, we control the inhalation unconsciously, but sometimes we consciously monitor the frequency. When the body is normal, impulses from the brain cause the diaphragm and chest muscles to contract. So, air enters the lungs.
When the release of carbon dioxide through the lungs is blocked, it accumulates in the blood, as happens during the process of stopping the movement of air in the lungs. The activity of oxygen consumption by tissues increases, and as a result, progressive hypoxia. Usually, the time for which a person, without special training, can consciously hold his breath while inhaling, is up to one minute. After this time, the brain will force you to inhale. An increase in this time may result in dizziness or fainting.
Holding your breath as you exhale, you provide stimulation of metabolism for a long time, and at the same time the body receives the energy it needs so much. This practice is useful for relieving stress, depression, and excessive aggression. It will help improve digestion, regulate the work of sweat and sebaceous glands. But, the main thing is that this technique helps to open up the reserve capabilities hidden in the body, literally renews the nervous system.
There are many different delay techniques and they are performed in different ways. Each of them is aimed at achieving a specific goal:
- A delay on exhalation up to 20 seconds will help the body to optimally absorb oxygen. This technique has no contraindications, it is available to everyone.
- A delay for a longer time, up to 90 seconds, has an enhanced effect on the entire body, bringing significant improvements in its functions, is safe for a healthy person, however, it can pose a danger for people with vascular diseases, heart, circulatory disorders, and similar diseases it should only be done under the supervision of an experienced mentor.
- Holding on an inspiration for more than 90 seconds, helps to renew and activate the capabilities of the body and psyche. Its consequence is the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood and increased absorption of oxygen by all cells of the body, which leads to an acceleration of regeneration, metabolism and general recovery of the body. But you need the strictest control over your condition and preliminary preparatory workouts with a gradual increase in the duration of the cycle.
Such breathing exercises lead to an acceleration of metabolic processes in the body, all cells, including stem cells, divide more actively.
The harm of holding your breath
Training to the limit, including for the maximum time, can be dangerous.
- Bad habits. If, in the process of mastering the techniques, you take various stimulants, tea, coffee, tobacco or alcohol, even rarely and a little, or have other addictions that affect your health, then you are not in danger of unpleasant consequences for the body or difficulties in performing the practices. In the process of training, without any struggle, any desire to accept all of the above disappears, the functions of the body are normalized, and psychological relief from addictions occurs. Only excessive efforts at the limit of their capabilities can do harm, observing the smooth and gradual increase in the load, you will ensure your safety and only positive results.
- Diseases. Long delays are not worth practicing if you suffer from heart disease or cerebrovascular accidents. If you have recently suffered an illness and have not yet recovered, do not force events, progress smoothly and gradually. It is also worth refraining from practice in case of diseases of the organs of internal secretion, so as not to harm oneself.
- Pregnancy. Supporters of the use of practices during pregnancy, as an opportunity to prepare the body of the mother and baby for childbirth, are at risk. But even the slightest inaccuracy in the dosage - and the harm from the use of techniques will more than override the benefits. You can never know exactly at what point the positive effect of the practice will change to the destructive one. The maximum time can be dangerous not only for the mother, but also for the child. So, if you are a mother-to-be, exclude any extreme loads until 12-14 weeks so as not to harm your baby.
- Sleep. During sleep, an involuntary stop may occur. It is good if this happens for 20-30 seconds. But it happens that the duration of such a stop reaches three minutes. If you snore at night, you often (up to 400 times) stop breathing during sleep. Such delays can be difficult, and even very dangerous. Headaches, irritability, memory impairment are just some of the problems that await you.
Freediving technique
Lovers of water depths improve their results not only through systematic training, but also by using various psychological techniques, and also, as already mentioned, by practicing yoga.
Since 2009, breathing exercises in water have been included in the training system for instructors and trainers of yoga gymnastics of the YOGA23 methodological system.
Distribution of attention and concentration also play a huge role during immersion. They are necessary in order to control the position of the body in the water space, timely equalize pressure and relax - physically and mentally.
It's also important to remember that water doesn't like fuss. This is a substance that requires relaxation, merging with it, you need to live in its values in it - and, therefore, be fluid and relaxed.
It helps, especially at first, the immersion visualization, which allows you to move in the water in a balanced and harmonious way. It is not uncommon for novice divers to have moments of panic due to lack of air, when they are overwhelmed by the desire to emerge as soon as possible. But these feelings are often deceiving. It is in such cases that you need to relax as much as possible, and then the delay time will increase.
Correct breathing technique
Sequence and elements of full breathing:
1. Using the diaphragm - bottom. Belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing is one of the most important steps in developing the skill of breathing correctly. In this type of breathing, we learn to work with the diaphragm located under the lungs. This type of breathing is very natural, think of small children. Developing diaphragm skills is a way to make breathing efficiently.
2. Chest breathing - middle part. In this breathing, we use the muscles of the chest and intercostal muscles. Only chest breathing is not effective, because the physiologically largest part of the lungs, the lower, is not involved. But being able to work the intercostal muscles and develop their strength and elasticity in the thoracic region is another way to breathe correctly. When preparing for a dive, we mainly use these two types of breathing: abdominal and chest.
3. Shoulder breathing - upper part. This shallow breathing, which is often unconsciously used by modern humans, is the most ineffective way of supplying our body with oxygen. When diving, at the last stages of the training cycle, we can intensively use shoulder breathing when making 2-3 forced breaths, as well as when “packing”.
Training methods
- Distance swimming - continuous swimming with reduced breathing. Aimed at improving the supply, transport, and utilization of oxygen.
- Interval training - swimming short stretches with holding your breath and with a short rest interval. It is aimed at increasing the functional capabilities of the heart, and the products of anaerobic decay formed during work serve as a powerful stimulator of respiratory processes. Therefore, in the 1st 10-30 seconds of rest, oxygen consumption and heart performance are increased. If the repeated load at a time when these indicators are still high, then oxygen consumption increases from repetition to repetition.
- Repeated swimming of 50-meter segments with a breath holding in a rigid mode or with a decreasing rest interval, which is determined by the dynamics of glycolysis (energy production takes place in an oxygen-free environment, using muscle glycogen). It is judged by the content of lactic acid in the blood, and its maximum content is determined a few minutes after work, from repetition to repetition the maximum time approaches the end of the distance. Consequently, the rest interval decreases, the repeated segment swims in the underrecovery phase, against the background of fatigue from the previous one.
It is necessary to take into account the phase development of the sports form, which serves as a natural basis for the periodization of the training process. Hence the choice of training influences. The use of repeated training methods at the beginning of the season without appropriate basic training will lead to disappointment in oneself, and at the same time in everyone, as well as in everything, due to the breakdown of adaptation mechanisms.
Freediving equipment
Freediving equipment can be such devices that differ significantly from equipment for diving and snorkeling, in that it is more improved in shape, focused on ergonomic parameters and takes into account hydrodynamic qualities. It is also worth noting that it has less weight and volume, the absence of parts that, when diving, can catch on to something and lead, and in an emergency and dangerous situation.
- One piece of freediving equipment is a weight belt, or collar, which provides positive buoyancy to the freediver. It can be easily reset if necessary.
- Specialized freediving suits are different from others in that they have a more tight fit and elasticity. They have little thermal conductivity, but they cannot boast of strength, and are completely uncomfortable to wear.
- Fins are distinguished from others by their long and greater rigidity, which allows you to develop speed with little effort. A monofin is also used, which is fastened to each other and represents a fin, allowing the development of high speed.
- The diving mask has a minimum interior space to conserve air when diving. It is wide and allows a good panoramic view.
- Diving tubes are also used, without a corrugated insert in front of the mouthpiece, without valves and a wave breaker. It should be said that many freedivers do not always ventilate before diving with a snorkel, it often interferes and creates additional resistance during a quick ascent.
How the world record for holding your breath is set
Respiratory physiology to achieve records
Holding your breath implies oxygen starvation. This is the first thing to remember when starting your freediving training. Assess risk and prioritize by understanding the basics of respiratory physiology.
What happens to the body when diving? Muscle loading during a dive quickly burns oxygen, leading to hypoxia (O2 deficiency). The calculation of the rate of oxygen loss is very complex and individual - taking into account the depth, speed, duration of the dive, water temperature, pulse and volume of the diver's lungs.
Every organ in the diver's body reacts to the slightest change in pressure, blood vessels spasm, blood flow is redistributed and blood pressure carries oxygen to the most important organs - the heart and brain. Interestingly, the heart rate begins to slow down immediately after submerging only one face in water.
But all the fun begins when the central nervous system gives an impulse to inhale. This sensation is familiar to everyone - the concentration of carbon dioxide reaches a critical level and we reflexively inhale. The trained diver is able to control this reflex to a certain extent.
The main rule for achieving records is not to rush into the pool with your head. Don't set impossible goals without risk calculation. Life and health are more important than any achievement.
World record
Goran Kolak
The ambitious Croat has many awards to his credit and is ready to continue to improve for new achievements. He is already a nine-time gold winner in world competitions and his best time is 22 and a half minutes. Now the Croat is over thirty years old, but he is going to amaze him in the future.
Alex Segura
On February 28, 2016, the Spaniard set the world record for holding his breath in water - 24 minutes 03 seconds. This record was entered in the Guinness Book of Records.
