Breaking Free from Stagnation: Strategies to Propel Your Freediving Progress Forward

Every athlete, regardless of their sport, faces the challenge of hitting a plateau at some point in their journey. Freediving is no exception. While these moments can be incredibly frustrating, they also serve as invaluable learning experiences that can shape you into a more skilled athlete and coach.

Plateaus may seem like an inevitable part of your freediving progression, yet understanding their causes and knowing how to either prevent or overcome them can make all the difference.

Understanding Training Dynamics

At its core, training across all sports, including freediving, follows a fundamental principle: it involves a series of exercises designed to stimulate improvements. These stimuli can be physical, mental, technical, or neural. However, it's crucial to remember that improvement isn't just about the stimulus itself; recovery plays a vital role. Without adequate recovery, you risk the breakdown of your body, mind, and nervous system, which can hinder your performance.

The equation is simple: Adaptation = Stimulus + Recovery. This applies to all facets of training, emphasizing the need for rest even after technical or skills training.

One helpful concept in training science is the Stimulus, Recovery, Adaptation (SRA) curve. It illustrates how training initially reduces your performance below baseline, followed by a recovery phase that not only brings you back to baseline but can elevate you above it during the supercompensation phase. Ideally, your training sessions should align with this supercompensation phase to maximize improvement.

Identifying the Causes of Plateaus

Plateaus can stem from three main issues: undertraining, overtraining, and overstimulation.

1. Undertraining

Undertraining is a common pitfall where athletes simply don't engage in enough training to elicit necessary adaptations. This doesn't mean pushing harder but rather ensuring a consistent and adequate volume of training. It's about finding a sustainable pace and focusing on areas you may have neglected, which can hinder your overall progression.

2. Overtraining

On the other end of the spectrum, overtraining occurs when you don't allow enough time for recovery between training sessions. This can lead to a host of issues, including fatigue, mood swings, and a noticeable drop in performance. Listening to your body and ensuring full recovery before reintroducing similar training stimuli is crucial.

3. Overstimulation

Overstimulation happens when you're engaged in too many types of training simultaneously, which can confuse your body and prevent it from adapting properly to freediving. Streamlining your training focus, especially in the weeks leading up to a competition or personal best attempt, can help prevent this issue.

Strategies for Overcoming and Avoiding Plateaus

The solution lies in refining your training structure. If you're undertraining, you might need to increase your training frequency or focus more on neglected areas. For those overtraining, reducing the frequency or intensity of apnea sessions could be beneficial. And if overstimulation is your challenge, consider cutting back on non-Freediving activities during crucial periods of your training cycle.

The key indicator of effective training is consistent improvement. If you're not seeing progress, it's a sign that something in your training regimen needs adjustment. An experienced Freediving coach can offer personalised insights and adjustments to help you break through plateaus and continue your upward trajectory in Freediving.

Seeking Further Guidance

An adept Freediving coach can not only help identify the root causes of your plateau but also restructure your training regimen to address these issues. Opting for professional guidance can expedite your progress and help you avoid the frustration of hitting a standstill.

Remember, while plateaus are challenging, they are not insurmountable. With the right approach and mindset, you can navigate through these still waters and emerge a more accomplished Freediver.

In Freediving, as in life, plateaus are merely stepping stones to greater achievements. By understanding the underlying causes and implementing strategic changes to your training, you can overcome these hurdles and continue to excel in your Freediving journey.