Overweight and freediving

[apnearevOlution]

how will this affect my freediving and training?

is it dangerous? I am overweight, but in shape so to speak, i can run about a 8-9 min mile or so, and i have no blood pressure problems.

im curious as to how much different my brain will react to holding your breath for 3+ min, than a guy who is in top notch shape and can hold his breath for 3+ min.


will this just affect the training to where its slower paced and slower results, or can it really be something that would not be reccomended doing.

[efattah]

Extra adipose tissue burns oxygen, every minute of every day, in 'basal' metabolic functions. This means that your 'baseline' oxygen consumption rate will be slightly higher than for a 'thin' person, and the actual difference would be based on how much extra adipose/fat tissue you are carrying around.

However, the extra fat also gives thermal insulation. This means you can get by with no wetsuit or a thinner wetsuit, compared to a thin person. This gives you a mild advantage which would somewhat make up for the disadvantage of your metabolism.

If you have no blood pressure problems, I see no reason you can't excel in the sport....

Keep in mind that seals are excellent divers, and they carry around a lot of fat! Some overweight freedivers have achieved pretty amazing results. Dieter Baumann of Austria dived to 57m with bifins in constant weight, and he is very overweight (probably weighs 275lbs+).

[jome]

I'm curious, how big is the difference in metabolism? I've heard this before, but it would make sense that pure fat in it self does not increase your oxygen comsumption that much, especially at rest or minimal movement (diving). Of course it makes a difference when moving around.

But does it actually affect, say, static performance? How big is the difference?

Just asking, no reason

To the original question, without knowing what your definition of over weight is, it's hard to say. But if you're talking about some extra insulation while being reasonably fit, I'd say it's propably more of an advantage, especially if you train in cold conditions. If we're talking about BMI over 30 I'd say I have no idea, but if you have no other apparent health condition preventing you from diving, as Eric said, I see no reason you couldn't excel.

[efattah]

I read some studies on medline, and in people who were severly overweight, their resting oxygen consumption rate was up to twice that of 'thin' people.

I have noticed that if I lose 6-7lbs of fat, my static apnea increases by a noticeable amount (15-20 seconds).

[Polorutz]

Originally Posted by efattah

I read some studies on medline, and in people who were severly overweight, their resting oxygen consumption rate was up to twice that of 'thin' people.

I have noticed that if I lose 6-7lbs of fat, my static apnea increases by a noticeable amount (15-20 seconds).

oooookkkkkk diet reason!!

[jome]

Just don't extrapolate that Ie 60-70 lbs weight loss does not mean 150-200 seconds in static...

Otherwise I should have seen a pretty "significant" increase in static in the last 6 months...

[perow1]

Would it not matter HOW you lose the fat? If you do i fasting for a long period or if you do it with exercise. If you do it fasting what does that tell you? You gain seconds by losing weight or by adjusting your metabolism over a longer period of time? Maybe it is the same since fat is not a passive tissue, but an active "organ/gland" releasing a lot of hormones.

If you do it by exercise ist more interesting. Increased physical activity gives you a higher basal metabolism, and if you STILL manage to increase static time the fat must be a big reason. Or may it just be a lovering of heart beat and thus resting oxygen consumption?

I find it VERY hard, like Jome said, to extrapolate weightloss and static times. When I am physically very active (the time when i tend to loose weight) my static times seem to drop.

[jome]

Interesting point.

Ok, here's some actual numbers. I've lost about 15kg during the last 6 months, with a combination of exercise and dieting. My current static is at about 95% of the best times I used to hit about a year ago. I can come withing 10-20 seconds of my pb, but never quite reach it.

However, I'm still very much physically active and hardly ever go to the pool fully recovered, so I expect I can do similar performances, or hopefully even slighlty more, than I used to as I prepare for an event and stop cardio.

But at least there is no dramatic jump, as 15kg of fat lost would maybe suggest.

[perow1]

That is interesting data, still I find it hard to say if your gain in static would be from a decrease in body mass or a increased cardio-fitness. Maybe both. I find it almost impossible to design experiments to isolate one factor in static apnea..
...it is so complex just lying there and holding the breath.

[apnearevOlution]

yea, your body is doing so many different things in that period of time you are not breathing, and its working under harder circumstances. This makes your blood pump slower, and with more stress, reason why im asking if being "fat" will affect me.

[Polorutz]

Originally Posted by apnearevOlution

yea, your body is doing so many different things in that period of time you are not breathing, and its working under harder circumstances. This makes your blood pump slower, and with more stress, reason why im asking if being "fat" will affect me.

if you're worried bout' being fat just lose weight!

[apnearevOlution]

i will


go on AIM i need to ask you somethin

[seaman]

Apnearevolution, I was just wondering, What in the world is overweigth? You don't have health problems, and no cholesterol and no trigs, so you are not overweigth, is just your body type. Michel Foucalt a french Philospher, has stated that the body is a "normative regulation" ( Surveiller et Punir and La histoire de la sexualité 1,2,3,) Wich means that the body is not a static thing, even more is not a thing at all!!! we make the body as an object as it rather belongs to a subject!! the matter of the body conforms to the discursive practices of a particular culture in a certain time in history. From the barbie (wich is a "Beauty Freak") to Summo Wrestlers, there is no such a thing as an ideal body type valid universally. So, don't worry, keep diving and eat healthy, cheers my friend ...

[apnearevOlution]

i have unbalanced cholesterol, not high

[seaman]

Oh, that`s an issue, but don`t worry at all, just go to the net and order a fine speargun, dive more frequently and start to eat more fish, you will see ...