Learning how to extend the time you hold your breath can be valuable in a number of circumstances. Learning the fundamentals of proper breathing is a critical step before trying to hold your breath for considerable amounts of time, especially if you are a beginner.
Understanding How You Breath
The diaphragm, located directly under your rib cage, is the most important muscle to consider when breathing. Learning diaphragmatic breathing is essential before moving on to more challenging exercises. Doing so provides you with more energy by improving circulation, slowing heart rate, and lowering blood pressure because you are providing your cells with more oxygen. Your shoulders and chest should stay still; you should only see your belly rising. Otherwise, you are not filling your lungs to full capacity. During this exercise, take a deep breath in through your mouth. You should be able to feel your diaphragm expanding first, then your lungs filling from the bottom to the top with oxygen. This deep inhalation should last approximately twenty seconds. If you intend on holding your breath for a long time, you need to be able to use the total volume of your lungs.
Oxygen Depletion
Becoming familiar with the stages your body undergoes when reacting to oxygen depletion is important for training. The first stage is when your body urges you to take a breath and refusing to will cause your diaphragm to convulse. In stage two, your spleen releases oxygen-rich blood into your system which causes your body to relax, some even report feeling a surge of energy. The last stage involves your body to shut down and black out. It is critical to understand these cues when training to hold your breath for extended periods of time. The most important thing to remember is that you only have a few minutes once your spleen releases new oxygen before you black out.
Steps to Holding Your Breath Longer
CO2 static apnea training is an effective way to condition your body to withstand CO2 buildup for lengthened periods of time. This exercise involves sitting still while alternating between periods of holding your breath and resting. If you are a beginner, you can start by holding your breath for a length of time that is comfortable, for example, 30 seconds. However, you should try to add more time each day. An example of a session is as follows:
Round 1: Hold 30 seconds then breathe for 1 minute
Round 2: Hold 30 seconds then breathe for 45 seconds
Round 3: Hold 30 seconds then breathe for 30 seconds
Round 4: Hold 30 seconds then breathe for 15 seconds
It is important to note that it is normal for your lungs to burn and that you should not do more than one session back to back. Doing six rounds is typically the standard for this particular exercise.
O2 static apnea training conditions your lungs to store increased amounts of oxygen while simultaneously operating with oxygen depletion. An example of this type of session is as follows:
Round 1: Hold 30 seconds then breathe for 1 minute
Round 2: Hold 45 seconds then breathe for 1 minute
Round 3: Hold 1 minute then breathe for 1 minute
Round 4: Hold 1:15 minutes then breathe for 1 minute
Where to Train
It is extremely important that you never conduct these training exercises in the water. You can do both exercises in the same day as long as you wait a few hours before starting the next. Your breathing should be as relaxed as possible during the rest sessions. Another tip is to stay as still as possible. Any extra movement is using up valuable energy. Most importantly be safe!
