New job and some family stuff prohibited me to write anything serious for some time over here. Still very busy with a lot of things, so I decided to put some Shark.nu tasks in the closet and concentrate on the urgent and good stuff first.

With regards to Sharkbait the most important task for me is to be in the water myself and have fun! And this is going perfectly the last few months, so from now on I try to up the level a little bit and sometimes even hold my breath for an extreme period of 3 contractions instead of coming up after the first contraction I receive.

Coaching Sanne is still a lot of fun because we have some clear goals defined and we’re entering new territory every trainings session. The main goal we’re still working on is the mental part I wrote about earlier. As we ended the second phase project 13 end of December, I took all the data from the preceding 13 weeks and lay them out and found some interesting stuff to work on. Breaking mental barriers isn’t easy but we’re getting there!

This weekend it’s time for the 7th Coupe des Dauphin in Geneve, Switzerland, and we will drive over there with our crew to have some fun. That means Sanne is tapering down on the fitness and intense freediving specific exercises and focusing more on technique. Tomorrow is dynamic without fins training sessions again and at the same time the last pool training before the competition, so we take it easy. The body is ready, the mind is better then ever, so I’m pretty confident that Sanne will reach his set goals.

On Saturday evening he must do at least a dynamic without fins with a distance of 95 meters, which should be no problem. The fun part is that we decided that Sanne will never come closer then 5 meters from the end of the pool in training and competition. This to break the turning-mental-breakpoint. So if he decides to go further then 95 meters, he has to do at least 105! Hehe, funny me…

Next day is time for static, and as it’s been a long time since he has done serious static work, I don’t know what to expect. Furthermore we’re going to do an experiment during that official attempt, so I’m very curious what will happen. As you have to set goals, we set his static to 5:34 minutes. More about the experiment later.
After that it’s time for dynamic with fins and after last Friday’s training we decided to put the goal distance at 110 meters. Last Friday we went to the pool to find out that our training pool was being used as a warm up pool for the swimming competition that was going on in the Olympic pool. So the pool crew decided that all the people who came for their recreational swim could use only 1 lane instead of the normal 4. That was not exactly what we had planned for! So while everybody was preparing to jump in the water, Sanne grabbed his fins, jumped in the pool and started preparing.

While taking his last breaths, standing at the end of the pool, around 5 people jumped from the start block over him into the water. So with a total of 1 minute preparation during a very busy jump in, he started his dynamic with an end goal of reaching 105 meters (remember: he could not stop less then 5 meters from the end). Confident start and swim made a very easy 107 meter dynamic with fins which he recovered from within 2 breaths. Clearly there is much more in there, but let just put the goal for next week at 110 and be satisfied with a clear and conscience decision to do a certain distance that is in reach. Mental training, remember!

I guess the other freedivers, who were still preparing on the side of the pool, didn’t even notice that Sanne did this dive… fun stuff as usual!

All in all I look forward into going to Geneva and have some fun and see Sanne do what he does two times a week in our own pool.

After Sanne’s original post about his new training we got quite some response. For sure the method we use is different than what freedivers are used to do. But that makes it interesting as well! Everybody is always in search of the holy grail on how to achieve best performances in sport and in the Sharkbait philosophy we have chosen to use a work-ethic approach with a get-in get-out mission mentality that is working very well.I’ve written already many articles about our way of training so it’s no use to repeat the general idea behind the whole philosophy. In this article I will focus only on the packed 30’s approach we’re currently using.

So in short, to recap Sanne’s post, packed 30’s is nothing else then a near-maximum physical and maximum mental training schedule which lasts for 30 minutes, if you can finish the schedule. Let’s just start with answering the questions Sanne put in his post.

Why would you want to train that kind of mental endurance?

After the first project 13 I learned a lot about Sanne his physics, but this was more a confirmation on what I already knew for some time. What was completely new during that project is the mental picture I got from him. For the the first time it really came out how big of a mind game this whole freediving thing was for Sanne. It was perfectly clear that his body was ready for some big performances, like I already told you in earlier articles, but the actual performances during competition were not even near his maximum performance he could do every week in training.

So of course we started discussing and talking about how we could solve this. And if you start talking about mental barriers and overcoming them you start to poke in some deep personal stuff very fast! Every top athlete is not only a master with his body, but even more with his mind!

The natural thing of course happened after some failed performances. Outsiders said Sanne did too much work and hard training and now his body was over trained. Well, that’s of course the easiest thing to say. But if you know what you’re talking about and have all the data, you know that that wasn’t true. Far from it! His training results were improving week after week. Even after the project 13 and with some big resting time in between.

Where the first project 13 was the ultimate program to train every cell in Sanne his body how to cope with low o2 and high co2 grades, the second project 13 would be completed molded around Sanne his brain and to slowly elevate stress level and tension to get him used to freediving competition stress, but even more to grow mental power in general.

As both Sanne and I have pretty busy personal and work lifes, our few sport hours we can spend each week have to be filled with efficiency. The only way to do this is to know what to do in a set time. We don’t have time to hang around the pool for 3 hours at a time. Talk with everybody and then do some laps underwater. 19:00 we start the show and 19:30 we stop the show. Which doesn’t mean we get out of the water immediately after that. We buddy some new freedivers who are also there, and help them with training. But in those 30 minutes… If there was a fire, we would still continue (we are in a pool anyway!

Those 30 minutes are filled with a grueling schedule that will give your body a kick so that the physique is triggered to respond and improve itself. But besides that I set up the schedule in such a pace that every lap or exercise Sanne does makes it more difficult to relax and to keep at ease. Bringing a sensation were he knows he can make it with his body, but were his mind is just so tired that his body wants to quit. To simplify, every end of an exercise will feel mentally as if he has to turn at 125 meters. Questions in his head for example; why should I continue, what am I doing, if I go up everything will be easy and painfree again. If I quit here it’s enough for today. Stuff like that. If you’re a freediver you probably recognize some of the questions.
By bringing him sensations like that during training and by bringing him the sensation of living up to a training from which he knows it will be heavy again, he learns how to deal with this kind of stuff. And from what I already saw, it’s working big time!

Is there a relationship between O2- & CO2-schedules in combination to these packed 30’s ?

Good question. Not really if you compare it to the regular o2 and co2 cycles we know from Apnea Academy. Of course we repeat and keep a certain resting period between each set. But it’s not like the normal stuff were you say; we’re going to do 8 laps of 50 meter underwater and between each set we make the resting period shorter each time (co2). Or we keep the resting period the same but increase the distance (o2).

With the normal schedules for freediving the whole thing is geared into reaching a certain time or distance, where as our schedules are optimized to reach mental exhaustion and still keeping technique okay.

In the last year we’ve developed around 15 exercises we use cross wise to keep each training interesting. So maybe 2 sets of exercise number 8, then 4 laps of exercise number 3, etc. Keep in mind that we in general never do any of the known freediving disciplines in the pool. Only special developed surface work that can be easily done alone, or for some serious schedules with the help of a buddy.

Can you use this approach over an existing training, which results in a packed 30-variant of the exercise?

No! This kind of training only works if you use the complete philosophy we use. This is not for wussies! This asks for complete dedication and faith in yourself that you can reach the end of a schedule. It’s just hard work! It has nothing to do with meditation, relaxation, etc. It only has to do in training your body and mind with these high levels of stress. And that’s why we don’t train in the water for more then 1 hour a week.Is this approach usable for any freediver?For sure not! We tried with other people this approach and for them it just didn’t work out. You just have to find people who are willing to train, suffer, and enjoy a hard time in the pool. You can’t improve without some pain at a certain moment. Ever seen those housewives using the stairmaster year in year out without sweating and puffing, just reading a book and still being fat? Well, no pain no gain!

As Sanne also reported earlier, we found some other people willing to do what it takes. If you see what kind of progression they are making with our beginner schedule it’s just amazing! We never tried a maximum in one of the known freediving disciplines yet, but it’s very clear that they can do triple digit dynamics already.

Want to join us?

If you’re interested in our methods and want to join us we are going to offer two options to you. Only to the really dedicated! We talk about that next week and we’re going to start with this program January 1st!

1. Always use a buddy!

Especially important if you try to hold your breath in the water! Better yet; follow a freediving course that will teach you and a friend how to look out for each other during breath hold attempts. But at the minimum let your buddy check you every 15 seconds or so by tapping on your shoulder. You can then give him an okay sign, and if your buddy sees an okay sign then it’s time for some rescue techniques. Even when you’re doing a breath hold on land, it’s wise to have a buddy. Best position is sitting on a nice sofa, so that if you pass out you don’t fall on the ground. Lying on the bed is not wise, as it’s possible, if you’re in bad luck to swallow your tongue. So, never ever try it alone and if possible educate yourself by following a course. That being said…

2. Relax

If you want to hold your breath for a long time it’s best to relax your body and mind before trying. So first of all take your time for this and don’t try it between lunch and coffee. Just sit down on your knees in the water or sitting down relaxed on the sofa. Take your time just sitting there, calming your body and mind. And after a few minutes it’s time to…

3. Breath!

Do 2 minutes of breathing with a 5 second interval breathing in, and a 5 second interval breathing out. Just do it slowly and find a nice rhythm. Make sure that after inhale you will fully…

4. Exhale

Remember, exhaling is so much more important than inhaling. Just push in your belly to push out every bit of air out of your lungs, so when you inhale you have the maximum amount of fresh air in your lungs. Remember, used air has to get out, fresh air has to go in. After those 2 minutes of breathing just take a nice full…

5. Inhale

The trick, especially for beginners, is not to fully inhale so that you have blown cheeks and are ready to pop. It’s important that you only breath in for 80-85 percent of your maximum. This way you can still be relaxed during the breath hold itself. Just try it! Breath in as much as you can and feel how tense you are. Breath in only for 80 percent of your maximum and you can still relax. After your last inhale you only have to…

6. Hold Your Breath

That’s the easy part, just hold it. Close your mouth and if your in the water let yourself float. After this just…

7. Relax

Probably one of the most important things. You have to relax your body as much as possible. This way your heartbeat will go down as well, also one of the reasons why you shouldn’t inhale to your maximum. If your in the water, just float on top of the water, and don’t use any weights to put yourself on the bottom. Floating at the surface with your face down is an excellent way of relaxing. If you’re in the water on the sofa, just try to relax your complete body. Start with your toes and work you way upwards. Try to relax everything, from legs to your fingers. One of the most common problems is the inability to relax your neck and shoulders. And last but not least, try to relax your mouth and your tongue, so that you don’t have a forced breath hold. Keep a continues feel to your body if you’re relaxed and remember to…

8. Concentrate

You’re lying or sitting there while holding your breath. If you want to make sure that it is a short time then start counting in your head or looking at your stopwatch! Don’t do such a thing, you main goal is to forget time! Remember that when you’re doing something pleasant times go by very fast, and if you’re doing something awful time goes by so slowly… So don’t look at your watch, it’s time to have nice thoughts going on in your head and try not to think about the fact that you’re holding your breath. Guys, just don’t think about all those great bed stories, because then the blood goes to the wrong place and your heartbeat goes up. Try to think of something calming. Nice vacation, a good experience, some music, etc. Be creative with this. And when you can’t relax or concentrate yourself anymore it’s time to…

9. Distract

At one point while your hold your breath, relaxation is over and you can’t think about anything else then the fact that you have to breath and why oh why you’re doing this. Then it’s time to distract yourself. Use a small physical movement to distract. So don’t start swimming around, or walking around, just slowly move your fingers together and make small figures with them, touch each finger with the opposite finger, just play around. This way time passes by like crazy and makes you forget about the horrible pains your enduring. It’s fun to hold your breath, or so they say. And when you can’t hold your breath anymore, just hold a little longer and then…

10. Recover!

Before you start cheering about your new record, first you need to recover. You’ve hold your breath for a long time, so first things first; get all the used air out of your system by blowing out a little bit of air (20%) and then quickly fill it again to maximum. This makes sure that you give oxygen to the most critical parts again fast! After that you can exhale completely and for at least three times make a complete deep breathing cycle. Then you look at your watch and you can cheer about your time!

Remember, there a literally hundreds of methods to increase your time, but the most important part is that you’re safe! So always obey rule number 1 and never train alone. If you got some additional questions you can leave them in the comments.

What’s this? Another project 13? Well, yes and no. It’s another 13 weeks of training but it will be completely different then the first project 13 we did this year. We ended project 13 unofficially on June 28th with some in-water tests and I was pretty pleased to see the results of that.

So what happened after that June 28th test? Sanne did try some dry statics, but truth to be told while his body still could continue, his will to do so was empty. And that’s exactly why we decided that he would continue his dry statics after his vacation to the Dominican Republic.

But even after his wonderful and relaxing vacation it was clear that it was better to hold of from statics a little longer and in the end, because of a lack of a real training program, he didn’t do anymore dry statics at all until now!

So what did we do in the month August and September? Actually not much at all with regards to freediving training. We did around 6 outdoor freediving sessions and a few pool sessions for the fun of it. And that’s really about it. No dry freediving exercises, just having fun.

So 2 days ago we had a freediving competitions in Wiesbaden, which Sanne will tell you more about in a few days. It was a fun and good competition but not for the reasons most people will think of. It really confirmed some of the things we already found out in the two weeks preceding the competition and only strengthen the ideas and blueprint I already set out for the next 13 weeks.

I’m not going into full detail about it yet, but general goals for the next 13 weeks is for sure lactic acid work, max performance training, the monofin and especially mind game tricks! Like I told you in my conclusion of the last project 13, Sanne his body is in tremendous shape so that is for sure not the problem. We’re going to tackle the rest of the stuff that we didn’t reach yet. With the first project we learned how to fine tune the body and now we have to learn how to fine tune the mind.

So today is the first day of week 1. What does week 1 consists of? To be honest? Not that much! The first week is only there to get used to the new exercises and to train with a training program again. So no freewheeling anymore. Dedication and intensity is once again the thing that will drive Sanne through his exercises. And this week it consists of 2 pool sessions and a few fitness sessions and that’s about it.

See you next week, where I will talk more about some of the different aspects of the new program. And if you want to support Sanne with his new program, then leave a comment on the site! It’s always great to see support from people.

It’s nice to see so many questions being asked to me about Sanne’s schedule and how to make such a schedule for other people. After answering some of the same questions several times I just thought about our great forum and how easy it would be to just ask questions over there so that I or Sanne could answer them. So, instead of emailing me, sending me private messages or even call me, it’s better to put your question in the Team Sharkbait Training forum here. There are already some interesting questions and comments over there, so have a look.

If you have a question of your own about training, the only thing you have to do is a very easy registration on the site and put your question down. And to make it more interesting; as we speak we are talking to some high level freedivers (who also competed in the world championship) to include them in our training program. This way we will gather even more data and can be even more specific with creating training programs for freedivers. And of course we will also publish this data on our blog or forum for everybody to read, so that others may learn from it as well.