Final breath after breath-up

[Yogaman]

Hey everyone, any advice on what to do with your final exhale and then inhalation breath after your pre-dive breath-up?

Do you exhale fully (actively exhale your lungs) and then take the final inhalation? Or is it more of a passive exhalation (to tidal volume?) and then a full inhale?

Would be keen to hear any thoughts..

Thanks!

[trux]

The full exhale is called "purge". It washes out some CO2 from your lungs, hence it is a mild hyperventilation. Most freedivers I know do it. Some divers, who prefer diving on normal level of CO2, try avoiding it. There is for example the following thread discussing advantages, risks, and disatvantages of hyperventilation, so reading it can help you understanding the impact.

http://forums.deeperblue.net/freediv...ntilation.html

[Yogaman]

Okay thanks Trux. Now, how's this for a breath-up pattern from 2 minutes to official top?

...been breathing about 1 to 2 ratio of inhale versus exhale (steady, controlled inhale, followed by steady, controlled exhale of about double the time of inhale), then carry one for the last two minutes before top time... then full, steady exhale (or 'purge') ...followed by slightly quicker maximum inhale for dive...

I'm just having trouble with my final breath - it sometimes feels I'm not getting maximum potential of air in the lungs! I think it also could be a relaxation thing where I'm tensing my lung muscles so they're not able to perform to their potential..

??

[trux]

It rather sounds you hyperventilate too much (you call it controlled breathing) - one of its consequences is a muscle tension or even muscle tetanism. Competitive freedivers mostly "pack" their lungs, often far above the physiological lung capacity. That technique bears some risks too, so be sure to enter "packing" into the search box above to get more information about it. Especially, if you hyperventilate during 2 minutes of your breath-up, and then strongly pack, you can black out at the very beginning of the breath-hold.

[Bill]

Here's one to try...
Max forced exhale, 75% inhale, relaxed exhale and full inhale (diaphragm, chest, shoulders and head) or pack instead of the shoulders and head. If you pack a little slow with big mouthfulls, there is a calming affect that carries over into the hold. Even if you only pack to the same level that you could achieve with the shoulder and head movement, it seemed to give me an extra 10-15 seconds. It probably takes less energy and allows you to get fully relaxed a little sooner. I recommend anyone starting out to make a few packs to establish a rhythm, even if they don't put air in the lungs.