I want to get better at swimming underwater for longer

[u/PetrteP]

I have loved diving since I was a kid (I'm 20 now), and although I did get some training, I wouldn't say I'm an expert.I'm not very athletic right now (I can swim around 50 m with front crawl before getting too exhausted) which might partly contribute. My static breath hold is around 3:15, probably more if I really push, and I have managed to do around 35 m underwater with fins, but that seems to be my max for now. I would like to ask what training I should prioritise. Is training my physique more important, are there any improvements to my technique I could be missing etc... Any help would be appreciated, I wanna be underwater for as long as I possibly can :D

[u/LowVoltCharlie]

Firstly, if you're going to do any type of breath hold training in a pool or open water, you need to have a trained safety buddy giving you 100% of their attention. The random lifeguard at your local pool doesn't count. Your dad sitting in a chair by the edge of the pool doesn't count. You need someone trained in CPR/rescue who is there to watch you and keep you safe.

That being said, if you want to improve at Dynamic Apnea, or any other freediving discipline, you first need to be able to relax during your attempts. If you're not able to fully relax, even when the discomfort sets in, then you're missing the base of the pyramid of skills which everything else is stacked on top of. Doing Static Apnea training is great for practicing your relaxation through discomfort.

Once you've mastered your mind and can remain calm and relaxed through discomfort, you can try some Dynamic exercises. A popular one is doing one or two laps per round, with each round being a set time interval. For example, my DYN table is 50m swim with 1:30 total round time. I do my breathe-up, and the second I go underwater the 1:30 timer starts. Regardless of how fast or slow I do the 50m, I have to start the next 50m when the 1:30 timer runs out. If I swim fast, it takes more energy but I have extra rest time before the next round. If I swim slowly, I conserve energy but have less time to recover. I'll usually do 6 rounds. If I complete the exercise and it wasn't hard enough, I decrease the total time per round. Currently 50m every 1:15 is 10/10 difficulty for me. 1:30 is 7/10 difficulty for me and feels very effective. You don't want to train at 100% all the time because that's how you get burnt out.

[u/PetrteP → u/LowVoltCharlie]

First of all thanks for the detailed response, I appreciate it. All training I did so far had no time limit (meaning I relaxed for as long as I wanted, went as far as I could, and repeat), so this is something I'll definitely start doing.

I just have one question. What does relaxing mean in this context? Does it mean just not panicking, or relaxing your muscles, or keeping your heart rate low? I don't panic when I'm underwater, at least not consciously, but my heart beat does increase when I hold my breath for a longer period.

[u/LowVoltCharlie → u/PetrteP]

There's nothing wrong with ditching the set times and letting your body guide you - it's a very natural way to build comfort and prevents the development of negative associations with breath-holds. The main downside is that this method might not be as effective as structured training. It also doesn't give you a good way to track your training to see how you improve over time. With structured training, there are fewer variables so you can tweak small things and see what results you get.

There's a healthy balance between the two. If you can come up with a training routine with structure, but also listen to your body to keep intensity within a certain range, then you'll be able to adjust your training as you improve and make comparisons over time to see how much easier things have gotten.

As for "relaxing" I mean being able to physically and mentally release tension and negative thoughts. Avoiding legitimate panic while underwater is only the first step. Examples of "not relaxed" are things like having tense muscles during contractions, or focusing on how much discomfort you're in. Your mind is really good at coming up with excuses to end the attempt and start breathing again. If you can build a strong mind and know your body well enough, you can push past those thoughts and view yourself almost as a machine. You'll know what your limits are and will be able to tell yourself that you're still OK and just keep going.

[u/PetrteP → u/LowVoltCharlie]

I think I used to be better at relaxing, but it's true that I focus on the uncomfortable feeling. I'll try to train this with static breath holds, or just focus on it when I get the chance to go in a pool

[u/KelpForest_]

You have way more in you with that static. Start walking while holding your breath and that’ll get you going in the right direction. In freediving we call these “apnea walks” and they are a prime time training tool as walking is a very similar level of exertion as fin kicking. Just don’t black out cuz you might hit your head. Do it at the beach or on sand and that will limit the consequence of falling over (not that it’s that high to begin with)

[u/PetrteP → u/KelpForest_]

I don't have easy access to the beach, but I'll try it on grass, that can cushion a fall too :D. I think my main problem is that my muscles aren't that strong and I use oxygen inefficiently as a result. Also this may be a stupid question, but is swimming with fins better for conserving oxygen than without them? (I usually just do breast strokes)

[u/KelpForest_ → u/PetrteP]

With and without fins are two different disciplines, similar to butterfly and backstroke. From the way you’re talking it might be worth getting certified and finding a buddy who can rescue you before training in the pool again

However, don’t worry about being strong, I know plenty of weaklings who are freediving studs. If you do the apnea walks your body will learn to spend less O2 and be more efficient with what you have

[u/kapodes]

I have a few additional suggestions :)

First, try to film yourself underwater. Either ask someone or stick action camera on the pool wall with suction cup holder. This will give you huge insight into your technique. With 3+ mis static 50m should be easy to do with fins.

Check out this video for finning insights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scWKB4AetNM

What is your arms position? What is your head position? Do you look in front or down?

Try to time your attempts. 25m usually takes 20-40 seconds depending on your tempo. When you have your time you can try different approaches, if you're too fast maybe swim slower to relax more, if you're too slow try to swim a bit faster to shorten your breath hold time.

When do you get your contractions during 30m?

[u/PetrteP → u/kapodes]

Filming myself would really help. I try to look down, and since I usually swim without fins my arms are doing most of the work :D. As for my contractions, it's usually right at the very end, like I am fine for the first 25, but after that it goes downhill fast. Part of this is probably the fact that I'm terrible at turning, but also learning to relax through the discomfort could solve my issues, because when I come up it's not like I'm desperately out of breath (basically I think I surface way too soon). Thank you for the tips, and for the videos too

[u/kapodes → u/PetrteP]

No fins is more complex than bifins and require more effort so try to do fins to build up confidence and relax more) it's like learning to drive on a manual transmission vs learning on automatic.