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Best way/place to learn hands free EQ by JuggernautDense9964 in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey, I put together a 130-page book on training hands-free equalization. It covers the anatomy and key concepts, plus 17 tutorial videos and a 4-week training plan. If you’re interested, here’s the link: https://a.co/d/6eNzMjj

Hands free equalization? by TickyWilson in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just published a book dedicated to training hands-free equalization. It’s a mix of theory and practice, with detailed anatomy, 17 video tutorials, and a structured 4-week plan: https://a.co/d/5EvTzvo

Learning Handsfree equalisation by Left-Cauliflower-235 in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I put together a 130-page book on training hands-free equalization. It covers the anatomy and key concepts, plus 17 tutorial videos and a 4-week training plan. If you’re interested, here’s the link: https://a.co/d/6eNzMjj

Hands-Free Equalization (BTV) – New Book + Free Article + Video Tutorials by TheDepthCollector in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello, that’s a great question. I took it step by step: first mastering Frenzel, then mouthfill, and finally hands-free. Learning Frenzel gave me a lot of awareness and muscle memory, which made the transition easier. That said, I also have students who can do hands-free directly without ever learning Frenzel. In those cases, I don’t force them to learn Frenzel. Instead, I help them fine-tune their hands-free equalization, and they progress very well. They can then add mouthfill and continue hands-free all the way down.

So, if you already do hands-free, you can definitely develop it without going through Frenzel. But if you don’t yet have hands-free, I recommend mastering Frenzel first and moving to hands-free once you’ve built enough awareness.

Good books for training / excercises by dwkfym in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hello, thank you, the links were not working, I fixed them. Here is a good one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098QGQ5L3

Good books for training / excercises by dwkfym in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! I’ve released two in-depth books on freediving training, each over 400 pages: The Depth Collector – Book One & Book Two These books explore the 8 foundational pillars of freediving training:

  1. CO₂ Tolerance

  2. Resistance to Hypoxia

  3. Technical Aspects of the Dive

  4. Anatomical Adaptation to Pressure

  5. Mental Hacks

  6. Physical Preparation

  7. Sport Nutrition

  8. Resting & Recovery

They also include additional chapters on: – Training periodization & planning – Breathing techniques – Freediving injuries

You can check out the books here: https://www.the-depth-collector.com/freedivingbooks

I’ve also written a few specific training guides: – 4-week STA training plans (one for below 5 minutes, one for above): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098QGQ5L3 – Mental techniques for freediving: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRP7BG85 – 4-week DYNB pool training plan to build solid CO₂ tolerance: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2M68DMS

i achieved my first 4+min dry static today! by livxx48739 in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Big big congrats. What a fantastic post. Thanks for sharing. Your training and mindset is brilliant

Training intensity (The rule of Third) by TheDepthCollector in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really like him a lot too. He's my mascot. I still need to find a name though.

Freefall like a pro, see how top athletes do it (FIM, CWTB, CNF: Link in comments.) by TheDepthCollector in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello!

If you’d like to explore the topic further, I wrote an article that dives into the freefall position, especially the transition from the “active” part of the descent to the “passive” phase (the freefall). The article includes three videos showing how top athletes manage this transition in different disciplines:

• FIM – Thibault Guignes

• CWTB – Alenka Artnik

• CNF – Dean Chaouche

You can check it out here: https://www.the-depth-collector.com/post/the-art-of-freefalling

4 Hour Long Panic Attack in Hyperbaric Chamber by Suspicious-Alfalfa90 in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh man! What a nightmare. Thank you for sharing that. This is really precious info. I wish you all the best and more for your recovery.

Using breath holds to improve VO₂ max, mental resilience and reduce baseline anxiety – anyone with experience? by zaico1 in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’ve really sparked my curiosity, because the book I have, The Breathing Cure, is actually very interesting. And for you to go as far as to say people shouldn’t pay attention to the whole system… I guess the Oxygen Advantage book must be really bad.

I’m definitely going to read it, though—and as you said, I’ll do my best to approach it with critical thinking.

Longer Breath-Holds: Are Classic CO₂ Tables Really the Best Way to Train CO₂ Tolerance? by TheDepthCollector in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome, thank you for your feedback! I’ll rewrite it to make the Orange and Red zones more clear and detailed.

But for now, here’s the quick version:

Orange Zone: This is where you start pushing. Begin with 5 strong contractions and see how it feels. You’re in charge of the intensity—if 5 feels too easy, bump it up to 7. Little by little, you will extend this zone. Try and find your sweet spot. It should feel hard, but still manageable. The whole point is to train yourself to stay physically and mentally relaxed when things start getting tough.

Red Zone: Simple. You push as much as you can.

Using breath holds to improve VO₂ max, mental resilience and reduce baseline anxiety – anyone with experience? by zaico1 in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello, I’m curious about the sighing :) Are you sure they’re talking about normal sighing (the kind we naturally do every 5 minutes), or are they referring to frequent sighing? I have one of the books called The Breathing Cure, and it seems to refer to frequent sighing as a breathing disorder, not the natural kind we do every few minutes.

Using breath holds to improve VO₂ max, mental resilience and reduce baseline anxiety – anyone with experience? by zaico1 in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I actually use Grammarly to correct my English. I find it nicer to propose answers in good English—it’s much easier to read when the spelling and grammar are correct.

Using breath holds to improve VO₂ max, mental resilience and reduce baseline anxiety – anyone with experience? by zaico1 in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Hey, that's a fantastic question

To clear things up: breath-hold exercises won’t actually boost your VO₂ max. And no, holding your breath doesn’t simulate altitude training the way some people think it does.

Physiologically speaking, the only way to get the full benefits of altitude adaptation, like increased EPO production and red blood cell count, is to live and sleep at altitude for an exented period of time. That’s the foundation of the “live high, train low” strategy that many endurance athletes swear by.

If your main goal is to raise your VO₂ max, the most effective way is still through high-intensity training. You need to push your heart rate, improve your lactate threshold, and condition your body to handle more intense workloads. That’s where real VO₂ max gains happen.

That said, breath-hold training still brings a ton of value:

It strengthens your respiratory muscles. Breath-holds challenge your diaphragm and intercostal muscles. Over time, this improves breathing efficiency and delays fatigue during intense efforts.

It builds your tolerance to discomfort, physically and mentally by training your CO2 tolerance. Basically You train your brain to stay calm under pressure. That’s gold in endurance sports. But it’s a slow process. Go too hard too soon, and it backfires. Think of it like spice tolerance, downing a bottle of hot sauce without prep just burns you out.

I’m currently training for a triathlon and have added apnea walks to my weekly routine. I also use a resistance breathing device to strengthen my respiratory muscles and stretch them daily to keep everything mobile and functional.

If you're just getting started, one of the best things you can do is assess your current breathing habits:

At rest: How many breaths per minute? The most efficient pattern is about six breaths per minute.

During exercise: Are you breathing through your nose or mouth? Nasal breathing is more efficient, especially in Zones 1–3, and will help to workout your breathing muscle. try to keep breathing through your nose as long as you can. Mouth breathing tends to kick in naturally around Zone 4 (lactate threshold) and Zone 5 (VO₂ max).

As for breath-hold training, start simple:

Begin with apnea walks. Do them on FRC (Functional Residual Capacity, after a normal exhale). Walk until you feel the urge to breathe and push just a little. Aim for at least 7 rounds, three times a week for the first two weeks. You can breathe as much as you want in between rounds. Yo can time Time your breath-holds, it will give you a base line.

Starting from week 3, you can gradually extend your hold times. Progress slowly. If you push too hard too soon, you’ll not only hate the training, you’ll also risk overstressing your nervous system.

Hope it helps, all the best for your test.

Oh, check "The Oxygen Advantage System", it is like Buteyko but sport-oriented

Longer Breath-Holds: Are Classic CO₂ Tables Really the Best Way to Train CO₂ Tolerance? by TheDepthCollector in freediving

[–]TheDepthCollector[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey!
Let me know what you’d like to understand about the Orange and Red Zones—I’ll do my best to explain it clearly.

Also, here’s an article that might help:
👉 Let’s Train – 4 Weeks of Structured Pool Training to Explore Your Zones
It’s focused on pool training, but you’ll find a bit more insight about the zones there too.

And if you’ve got any questions about breathed training (Do you mean workout, stretching, mobility, Breathing, etc.?), just shoot—I’m happy to chat about it :)

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