How to Train for Freediving Without Overtraining!? 🤔 Use Resting Heart Rate and HRV 🏊‍♂️

To be good at freediving, you must know how to balance hard training with rest. This blog will take you to see how freedivers can optimize their training and prevent overtraining by using Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as indicators!

What is Overtraining?

Overtraining is when we train and instead of the body improving, performance gets worse 😓 because we train too hard until the body stays fatigued and cannot repair itself in time.

How to Train effectively? 🏋️‍♀️

The best freediving training is finding the balance between challenging your body’s limits to improve yourself and resting so your body isn’t too exhausted. Training should take us out of our comfort zone, but not be so grueling that the body needs a long recovery time or risks injury.

Why are Resting Heart Rate (RHR) and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Important for Training?

Resting Heart Rate (RHR) ❤️

Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is the number of times your heart beats in 1 minute while resting. It is a simple and effective indicator of cardiovascular efficiency and overall health. For many athletes, including freedivers, the lower the RHR, the better, indicating a strong heart!

How to measure RHR?

• Measure in the morning: The best time to measure RHR is immediately after waking up in the morning, before getting out of bed.
• Use equipment: You can use a heart rate monitor, smartwatch, or count your pulse at your wrist yourself.
• Measure consistently: Measure RHR at the same time every day for accurate results.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) 📈

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the time interval between each heartbeat. It represents the balance between the Sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and Parasympathetic (rest and digest). The higher the HRV, the better, showing that our body is flexible and adaptable, which is beneficial for recovery and diving performance.

How to measure HRV?

• Use apps or devices: There are many apps that help measure HRV, such as:
  1. Download App HRV4training
  2. If you want accuracy, try buying a Polar H10 Chest strap. Very accurate.
  3. If you want a Smart Watch to do other things too, Apple Watch and some Garmin models can measure HRV.
• Measure in the morning: Like RHR, measuring HRV in the morning is best.
• Measure consistently: Measure every day at the same time for reliable data.

Why Check RHR and HRV?

Warning Signs! Body is in Trouble ⚠️

Both RHR and HRV can be early warning signs that our body is overtraining. If RHR goes up or HRV goes down, it shows our body is stressed and might need more recovery time.

• High RHR: If after hard training you wake up finding RHR higher than normal, it shows your body is still in recovery. Recommend resting or training lighter.
• Low HRV: If HRV drops suddenly, it shows the nervous system is working too hard. Reduce training intensity.

How to Train to Peak! 🏋️‍♂️

Checking RHR and HRV regularly will help us plan training appropriately.

• Adjust Training Plan: If RHR is high or HRV is low, try adjusting the plan to light recovery like jogging or chilling cycling.
• Track Progress: Recording RHR and HRV every day helps us see our development and adjust the training plan better.

Create a Daily Routine for Freedivers 🌅

Morning Routine

Having a daily routine helps make training and recovery more effective. Here is an example of a 15-minute morning routine for freedivers:

1. Measure HRV: Use an app or device to measure HRV.
2. Breadth-hold 1 time while measuring oxygen: Record breath-hold time and blood oxygen saturation level (SaO2).
3. Meditation or Yoga Breathing 5 minutes: Helps calm the mind and body.
4. Side and Back Rib Stretching 5 minutes: Helps increase rib flexibility.

Simple Home Morning Routine Example

1. Drag yourself out of bed
2. Measure HRV immediately
3. Eat breakfast
4. Stretch for 15 minutes

How to Train Effectively? Balance is Key! ⚖️

Training Intensity

The best training intensity should be between comfort and challenge. It should be challenging enough to stimulate the body to improve, but not so heavy that the body recovers slowly. The important thing is to always vary the training intensity and give the body enough recovery time.

• Frequency: If training every day, train at moderate intensity. If training infrequently (e.g., twice a week), training intensity can be higher.
• Gradually Increase Intensity: Gradually increase training intensity little by little so the body gradually adapts and improves.

Periodization and Tapering

For serious athletes or those wanting to train at a higher level, Periodization and Tapering might be beneficial.

• Periodization: Systematically increasing and decreasing training intensity to give the body alternating periods of hard training and recovery.
• Tapering: Reducing training volume before competition to let the body fully recover and be ready for competition.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 🚫

Training Too Hard, Watch Out for Burnout!

Overtraining is a common problem among athletes. It can lead to fatigue, overtraining syndrome, reduced training efficiency, and risk of injury.

• Symptoms: High RHR, Low HRV, chronic fatigue, and lower tolerance to hypoxia.
• Prevention: Regularly check RHR and HRV, eat all 5 food groups, get enough sleep, and adjust training intensity according to body condition.

Fatigue, Like Battery Running Out

Fatigue makes us less tolerant to hypoxia. It can be caused by overtraining, insufficient rest, incomplete nutrition, or lack of sleep.

• Management: Adjust training according to body condition, eat all 5 food groups, and get enough rest.

Conclusion 🏁

Checking RHR and HRV helps us know how our body reacts to training and how much recovery it needs. Measuring both as part of a daily routine will help us train effectively, prevent overtraining, and improve freediving performance. Remember, our goal is to train smart, not train hard until the body breaks. Listen to our body, adjust training appropriately, and enjoy the journey into the deep ocean 🌊