Exercises to enhance my diving

[johndiver999]

Of course 3 days per week of leg work outs is possible. Some might say it is too often, but others have done it for years with good success. What is healthy is going to vary with the individual and of course volume and intensity are also relevant.

 

[BlueTrin]

Doing 3 days of legs work out isn’t possible nor healthy.
I think you mean pull, push, leg, rest, pull, push, leg. This I agree with.

Thank you that’s a great idea that I will add to the list.

I would say it depends what’s your goal and what’s your strategy.

In summer when I work on lowering my body fat I do actually a double training day. It can be done if you focus on proper recovery.

When you train more times, you do for example a session more strength based in the morning and one more bodybuilding based (or endurance if your goal is endurance) in the afternoon/evening. It becomes even more important to be strict on your diet and focus on recovery meals and get proper rest.

For example this guy explains a routine:
Why You Should Do Two-A-Days

To get back to your original question, I am not an experienced diver, but I imagine when you walk with a weight on your back, the most efficient exercises would be the ones you mentioned. I.e. deadlifts, squats, stiff legs deadlifts. Then make sure you get a strong core by doing abs, and lower back ? For carrying cylinders you can do grip exercises by pulling yourself with a towel.

The cylinders are in your back when your kit is on, so normal squats should be the best squat variant.

IMHO you are probably strong enough to carry everything efficiently if you have done callisthenics and bodyweight exercises. Added muscle probably mean that you’ll use more air compared to someone leaner.

 

[tarponchik]

Of course 3 days per week of leg work outs is possible. Some might say it is too often, but others have done it for years with good success. What is healthy is going to vary with the individual and of course volume and intensity are also relevant.

Considering the PO original message, this is not a question of whether one can work out 3 or more times per week but a question of "do you have to?"
I've known some exercise freaks who worked out every day; one guy in particular would ride mountain bike after work for couple hours, then he'd go to gym for another hour. But this was just a warm up for his daily ice hockey game. God bless his soul, but is this really the life you'd want?
Just to be a better diver, you only need some strength to demonstrate every once in a while. Like to lift tanks and gear, to climb the boat in high surf when the ladder does its best to shake you off, or maybe even carry a double load of tanks and gear plus your wife/GF sometimes.
To achieve this, all you need to do is lift weights twice a week. Do 4-5 sets of squats or deadlift (your choice) and 4-5 sets of bench press, both large weight, low repetitions (3-6 reps, best of all in "reverse pyramid" order i e 1 set 8 reps 100 pd as a warm up; 1 set 3 reps 125 pd; 1 set 4 reps 120 pd; 1 set 5 reps 115 pd; 1 set 6 reps 110 pd) etc. As for the pull-ups, best of all make them part of your daily routine. Install a bar at home and do for example 1 set before breakfast, 1 after breakfast, and 1 before dinner. This is all you need, plus your morning warm up, of course (crunches etc, maybe 10-15 min).

 

[Geobound]

My personal trainer was always key on..........oh crap!! I just dropped my chilli cheese dog onto my desk, and when reaching for it I knocked over my pint of Guinness into my large order of fries!!

Sorry I'm going to have to clean this mess up, good luck with your exercises.

 

[Marie13]

Not to hijack, but does anyone have any lunge/squat modifications for those of us with bad knees?

I’ve put swimming to the side as I wanted a more intense workout. Doing 45 minutes on the recumbent bike st the gym 3x a week. Sometimes as much as 11 miles in one session, although that aggravated my sciatica so I need to dial it back.

 

[Efka76]

At least for me it seems that heavy training 6 days a week is overtraining as it is very important to let you muscles to recover. I see that you are "DIR practitioner". GUE in their on-line store sell book "Fitness to divers". It includes many advice and exercises specifically designed to divers. In summary, stretching, swimming and cardio exercises are especially good. Also, weight training is beneficial to you as your weight is 75 kg only. Also, book describes how you need to lift gear properly (you can easily damage your back if you do lifting of heavy gear improperly).

 

[The Chairman]

Swimming is the very best exercise you can do to improve your scuba diving. Get in the water and do lots of laps. If you have specific issues, like hefting doubles, then do exercises to increase your core. But the biggest deficiency among divers is their lack of conditioning.

 

[johndiver999]

I agree, nobody dies from weak biceps. First priority is cardio, then core (back and abs) then leg strength. For men arm strength is probably not a concern, for women maybe somewhat.

 

[EireDiver606]

At least for me it seems that heavy training 6 days a week is overtraining as it is very important to let you muscles to recover. I see that you are "DIR practitioner". GUE in their on-line store sell book "Fitness to divers". It includes many advice and exercises specifically designed to divers. In summary, stretching, swimming and cardio exercises are especially good. Also, weight training is beneficial to you as your weight is 75 kg only. Also, book describes how you need to lift gear properly (you can easily damage your back if you do lifting of heavy gear improperly).

Yes you are right that 6 days a week of heavy training is overtraining. I have read Fitness to divers, it doesn’t mention anything I didn’t know already.
Weight training is beneficial as I’m 75kg only? What does that mean? I’m in the category for Body Mass Index of 25.

 

[flyboy08]

Bicycling, spin....best for legs/cardio. Swimming, great overall workout....squats, the absolute worse thing one can do to their back and knees unless your in your 20s.

Hire a trainer or sign up for CrossFit if your serious about getting in Aone shape.