Iafd Breath-up Routine

[Jon]

I was surfing on the IAFD site and saw that Karoline Delaote is now training with Pipin. Funny thing is that she was teaching at the Performance Freediving clinic I attended in June with Kirk Krak.
It talks about a "new" breath-up routine that she is now doing. I don't know much about it except that it raises your heart rate quite dramatically.
Does anyone have any knowledge of this routine, or how and why it is suppossed to work better?

Thanks for any input.

Jon

[Erik]

Hi Jon, look at www.freedivehawaii.com under the pages about Pipin's training session in Hawaii. I'm sorry I don't have the proper URL, but it's there. Basically, it's 15 or 16 breaths a minute, which will keep your heart rate up. Once I start diving and breath holding, my heart rate(and most likely yours) will beat very fast during the inhale portion, (for me around 120 bpm) as your body is trying to uptake oxygen in preperation for the next dive, or as a result of the last dive. Kirk's method is to shorten the inhale, hold slightly, and extend the exhale, which will keep the heart rate low, help you relax, and avoid hyperventilating. 3 to 6 breaths a minute, approximately, depending on the person. Divers using Pipin's method report large time increases in there dives, as will anyone who hyperventilates, so I don't understand the surprises. Hyperventilating at a competition,with safety everywhere, and a good knowledge of what one can do time and depth wise is somewhat acceptible, but I don't think that it's right to teach rec divers and spearfisherman to hyperventilate for 2 or 3 minutes before they dive.
We all know that breathing fast fools the body, and sidesteps the awareness we need while freediving.
Cheers,
Erik Y.

[Cliff Etzel]

I have a video tape presentation done by Peppo Biscarini three years ago and he gave some excellent information about breathing techniques that I have been using that seem to work for me as part of my daily training.

It entails this pattern: 5-5-5-5

5 seconds to fully inhale, 5 second breath hold, 5 seconds to fully exhale, 5 second breath hold from the exhale - repeat. I do this for 5 minutes and then go to a 10-10-10-10 routine for another 5 minutes.

Feels like I have had a mini-vacation.

Have tried to go 15-15-15-15 - so far I can't make it through one cycle without gasping on the second inhale.

[Jon]

Eric,

I have read the Pipin stuff on the Hawaiin sight, as well as on the IAFD site. The whole thing still seems so counter-productive to me. I can understand how a new diver can double, or triple, their static by hyperventilating; but, these are people with incredible static times to begin with, 6:13!, I would think at their level of training, and fitness, this would be counter productive.
Reducing oxygen consumption, or learning to work at incredibly high lactic acid levels, would seem to be more "appropriate".
Sorry, but I am still a little "boggled" by the whole idea. I have read how they get incredible gains in their heart rate, and maintain them, through-out the breath hold. It appears that Audry is the master at this from the stories that they post.
I have used the slow and deep breathing methods to bring my heart rate down- inhale for 4, hold it, and exhale for 8.

Jon