Getting in shape for freediving can be straightforward for those who are already largely fit and healthy. You should be able to swim and hold your breath for an average length of time, and should complete a training course which teaches important freediving techniques such as ear equalization and effective apnea practice.
Freediving is a good form of exercise with both aerobic and anaerobic elements, which can help you get fitter and stronger, while burning excess body fat. You can still freedive if you’re overweight as long as you are otherwise in good health.
Freediving is a demanding sporting discipline, drawing on both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, and requiring both mental and physical fitness. For the greatest safety in the water, and highest performance, freedivers should therefore give themselves a broad program of training which includes static and dynamic apnea exercises along with strength, cardio and mental resilience practice.
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If you’re new to freediving, you may be wondering about how to get in the best shape to stay safe and become competent in your sport. Our article tells you more about the level of fitness which freediving requires and the best training and exercises for freedivers.
Do you need to be fit for freediving?
As a beginner attempting supervised freedives ranging from a meter or two up to 10-15 meters, you will need a basic level of physical fitness and should certainly be able to swim comfortably underwater and hold your breath for an average length of time (e.g. 30-60 seconds).
You do not need to be an elite athlete to start freediving but to participate safely in deeper freediving and achieve a high performance level, you will need to be physically and mentally healthy and well-trained.
If you have any heart, lung or other relevant medical issues, you should consult your physician before attempting freediving. It is dangerous to freedive with a cold or other respiratory infection as these could hinder your ability to equalize pressure in your ears while descending, causing pain and/or internal ear damage.
Best exercises for freediving preparation
Freediving is a demanding sporting discipline, drawing on both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, and requiring both mental and physical fitness. For the greatest safety in the water, and highest performance, freedivers should give themselves a broad program of training which includes static and dynamic apnea exercises along with strength, cardio and mental resilience practice.
Dry Static Apnea
Dry static apnea exercises are often the first apnea exercise which beginners learn. You will need freediving carbon dioxide and oxygen breath-hold training tables. These tables set out timings for breath-holding and resting between holds, enabling you to train your body and gradually increase your apnea capability in a safe and controlled way.
Dry static apnea training requires only a safe place to lie or sit (couch, yoga mat, bed) in case you become dizzy or black out. Begin with a standard freediving ‘breathe-up’ (the same breathing process used for preparation immediately before a dive). This involves breathing in a calm and relaxed way for around two minutes, while making sure that you exhale for twice as long as you inhale.
Once the breathe-up is complete, exhale completely in order to empty your lungs. Then, take a full inhale using the segmented breathing technique to ensure you fill up your lungs from the bottom to the top for maximum oxygenation.
With lungs full of air, you then hold your breath and start your timer, guiding yourself with the numbers in the training tables.
Wet Static Apnea
While dry static apnea exercises are good for building physical and mental tolerance of apnea conditions, they do not replicate the conditions found when diving underwater and are not a substitute for wet apnea exercises.
Practicing breath-holding underwater where the body experiences higher water pressures and the mammalian dive reflex (MDR) is activated, is a necessary element of freediving training if you really want to improve your competence and extend your diving depths and timings.
Both wet and dry apnea exercises get the body used to working under apnea conditions. With regular practice, your body should become more efficient in use of oxygen and more tolerant of high carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.
Apnea training also builds psychological familiarity and comfort with breath-holding. Being relaxed during a freedive makes divers less likely to panic and more likely to enjoy the dive.
Dynamic Apnea
Dynamic apnea training involves movement under apnea conditions, whether in the water or on land. In either case, you should complete dynamic apnea exercises with a buddy in case you black out, which could pose the danger of falling or drowning.
Dry dynamic apnea exercises could involve strength training while breath-holding, walking apnea exercises where you try to get as far or fast as you can on a single breath, or other cardio work. Wet dynamic apnea exercises involve movement through the water while breath-holding, usually either swimming or diving.
Any of these dynamic apnea exercises can help your body learn to operate more efficiently under apnea conditions where oxygen levels are low, carbon dioxide levels are high, and anaerobic metabolism is powering at least some of your muscles.
Cardio
Regular cardiovascular exercise (cardio) can help ensure robust heart and lung function, while strengthening key muscles (e.g. leg muscles while jogging or cycling) and honing your brain’s ability to concentrate in a calm way.
In fact, we’ve written a full article on why running can help with freediving (opens new tab) which you can check out.
Whether running, walking, HIIT or other cardio, all can potentially be a useful addition to a freediving training program. Cardio exercise might be carried out normally or while breath-holding, training the body to work efficiently through anaerobic respiration.
Mental resilience
Remaining calm under physical and mental pressure is important for a safe and enjoyable freediving experience. The urge to panic or struggle while breath-holding is something which beginners must work to overcome, by becoming familiar with this sensation and by becoming physically competent in breath-holding over longer periods.
Yoga, meditation and mindfulness practices can all help to build better mental resilience for freediving.
Is freediving a good workout?
Freediving is good workout for building a broad level of both physical and mental fitness. As well as improving lung function, and burning a high number of calories (anywhere from 400-1200 calories per hour), regular freediving can adapt your body to make more efficient use of oxygen. It also improves mental focus while boosting relaxation ability and psychological resilience.
It’s a great way to lose weight too, for more details on that check out our full article on how freediving can help you lose weight (opens new tab).
Is cardio good for freediving?
Cardio can be beneficial for freediving as part of a broad training and exercise program. Freediving is both aerobic and anaerobic in nature, with the heart, lungs and mind under great pressures and stress. Cardio strengthens the heart and lungs while boosting aerobic fitness, all of which which could enhance freediving performance.
Cardio alone is not enough to enhance your freediving abilities. Alongside cardio, apnea, strength and mental resilience training are all essential for freedivers.
How can I improve my breath hold for freediving?
You can improve your freediving breath-hold abilities by practicing dry or wet static and dynamic apnea exercises. For dry static apnea training, oxygen and carbon dioxide training tables can guide you gradually to higher levels of breath-holding competence. Dynamic apnea exercises can be varied and tailored to include activities which suit you (e.g. walking apnea, weight-training apnea).
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3590872/
https://williams.eeb.ucsc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1-s2.0-S1095643304001515-main.pdf
https://www.deeperblue.com/training-recreational-freediving/