I’m overweight and wanting to get into freediving

[Tyler najib]

I’m over weight and trying to loose weight, if you have any suggestions please help me thanks!

So I really love swimming and I can honestly only hold my breath for 5 sec how do I improve?

 

[tursiops]

Eat less, eat better, exercise more. No magic, just self-discipline.

 

[Zef]

Realistically, without knowing more about you and where you are right now physically/fitnesswise, and what your daily routine and diet looks like it is difficult to make recommendations beyond the basics of general conditioning.

How is your swimming technique?

For breathheld dives increasing your cardiovascular fitness is a good first approach. Lap swimming if you have access to a pool is an excellent activity. Start slow and build up a base. Focus on technique and work towards being able to swim 4 laps (lengths) of crawl/freestyle without stopping. Once you can do that you can work on expanding your workout routine in the water. If you dont have them already then get some swimming goggles, they will make life in the pool better. Kicking drills are good to introduce early on to increase your workout base if you cant yet swim a minimum of continuos laps.

For weightloss other rhan general cardio conditioning you can incorporate some basic weight training into your life routine as well.

In addition to being retired navy, I am a divemaster, an alpine ski instructor (PSIA certified), a master bike mechanic (if that certification were to genuinely exist), and i am an accredited swim coach under the American Swim Coaches Association. I put myself through college back in the early 90s by, among other things, teaching group and private swim lessons. I am an official in the Belgian national swim federation, and have worked with local teams as a technique develoment coach.

-Z

 

[Scraps]

Your answer is in your question.

You love swimming? Do it three times a week for half an hour. Stop to catch your breath when you need to, whether it's after each lap, after each length, or after just a few strokes. Don't get discouraged by how many rest stops you need. Just spend 30 minutes in the pool and do as much work as you can do in that 30 minutes. Eventually, the stops will become less frequent and shorter. The pounds will come off and your cardio endurance will improve.

If this is a significant change to your activity level, see a doctor first.

If you don't have a coach-developed stroke, make every effort to hire someone like Zef. A good swim coach is absolutely worth the money, even if you can afford just one or two lessons. I hired one to prepare for my divemaster swim test--made a huge difference.

Let us know if you do it and how it goes.



Best wishes,

 

[Tyler najib]

Your answer is in your question.

You love swimming? Do it three times a week for half an hour. Stop to catch your breath when you need to, whether it's after each lap, after each length, or after just a few strokes. Don't get discouraged by how many rest stops you need. Just spend 30 minutes in the pool and do as much work as you can do in that 30 minutes. Eventually, the stops will become less frequent and shorter. The pounds will come off and your cardio endurance will improve.

If this is a significant change to your activity level, see a doctor first.

If you don't have a coach-developed stroke, make every effort to hire someone like Zef. A good swim coach is absolutely worth the money, even if you can afford just one or two lessons. I hired one to prepare for my divemaster swim test--made a huge difference.

Let us know if you do it and how it goes.



Best wishes,

I have a very small pool above ground I would have to go to the ymca, I heard of zef but how would he teach me? I suck at swimming and never really learned how to properly and I’m only 14 and I honestly don’t have the best job, I just work on my bosses farm that’s about it. I come home and just swim every day. Maybe I should go to the ymca and do laps on the pool

 

[tursiops]

I’m only 14

?? Your profile says you are 20.

 

[Tyler najib]

?? Your profile says you are 20.

Yeah I asked someone to change it, I noticed it was way wrong. Still waiting for a response from him

 

[Zef]

Your other post where you discussed wanting to be a SEAL, being a mechanic, etc. Had me mistakenly thinking you were a few years older. Sorry.

At 14 years of age....if you have a YMCA membership then take advatage of it and use their pool. If you have friends who are competitive swimmers have one watch you swim and offer some advice. There are tons of videos on youtube to use to your advantage.....no need to delve too deep into technique at the start, just t find some videos and begin by trying to emulate what good smooth swimmers are doing. Slowly look deeper into technique and make small changes incorporate those changes into what you do. The life guards are usually bored out of their skulls, so chat them up and seen if they can watch you and give you some tips.

If you dont have access to a pool to swim laps then you can walk, jog, ride a bike, skip rope, rollerblade, etc, to work on cardiovascular fitness.

Bodyweight exercises are good to do and dont require any specialized equipment. Here are a few to develop a routine out of....strive for perfect form:
Pushups
Crunches
Planks
Leg lifts
Jumping jacks
Hop and pops
8 count body builders
Burpees
Wall squats
Single leg squats
Calf raises
Lunges without weights/lunges with weights (use old milk our laundry detergent bottles filled with water...water weighs 8pounds per gallon)
Pullups/chinups (eventually)

Look up T,Y,I shoulder and upper back exercises.

Develop a routine of a few exercises, don't over do it at first, for body weight exercises start with 1 set of 10 to 15 reps....if you can do that with perfect form then add an additional set.....slowly increase your number of sets to between 3 to 5.

I highly recommend keeping a journal of your routine and particularly write down how you feel before, during, after the workouts....does not need to be detailed l, just some simple notes about the exercises how many reps, sets, how your form was, and how you felt.

Throw a bathing suit or shorts on and take a selfie. Take another 4 weeks later....dont bother with scales as they dont tell you much.

I highly recommend picking up an inexpensive heart rate monitor. If you cant find one for $25 or less then let me know and I can help you buy one...we can work something out via paypal but there is a sporting good store here where I live that sells basic models for th equivalent of $15 to $20. A heart rate monitor is like a personal coach on your wrist.....your heart rate is a direct reflection of the intensity your body is working at.

Start slow, journal what you do, make whatever you do a lifestyle change, and periodically look back at your journal to help you gauge your results.

-Z

 

[tursiops]

Your other post where you discussed wanting to be a SEAL, being a mechanic, etc. Had me mistakenly thinking you were a few years older. Sorry.

At 14 years of age....if you have a YMCA membership then take advatage of it and use their pool. If you have friends who are competitive swimmers have one watch you swim and offer some advice. There are tons of videos on youtube to use to your advantage.....no need to delve too deep into technique at the start, just t find some videos and begin by trying to emulate what good smooth swimmers are doing. Slowly look deeper into technique and make small changes incorporate those changes into what you do. The life guards are usually bored out of their skulls, so chat them up and seen if they can watch you and give you some tips.

If you dont have access to a pool to swim laps then you can walk, jog, ride a bike, skip rope, rollerblade, etc, to work on cardiovascular fitness.

Bodyweight exercises are good to do and dont require any specialized equipment. Here are a few to develop a routine out of....strive for perfect form:
Pushups
Crunches
Planks
Leg lifts
Jumping jacks
Hop and pops
8 count body builders
Burpees
Wall squats
Single leg squats
Calf raises
Lunges without weights/lunges with weights (use old milk our laundry detergent bottles filled with water...water weighs 8pounds per gallon)
Pullups/chinups (eventually)

Look up T,Y,I shoulder and upper back exercises.

Develop a routine of a few exercises, don't over do it at first, for body weight exercises start with 1 set of 10 to 15 reps....if you can do that with perfect form then add an additional set.....slowly increase your number of sets to between 3 to 5.

I highly recommend keeping a journal of your routine and particularly write down how you feel before, during, after the workouts....does not need to be detailed l, just some simple notes about the exercises how many reps, sets, how your form was, and how you felt.

Throw a bathing suit or shorts on and take a selfie. Take another 4 weeks later....dont bother with scales as they dont tell you much.

I highly recommend picking up an inexpensive heart rate monitor. If you cant find one for $25 or less then let me know and I can help you buy one...we can work something out via paypal but there is a sporting good store here where I live that sells basic models for th equivalent of $15 to $20. A heart rate monitor is like a personal coach on your wrist.....your heart rate is a direct reflection of the intensity your body is working at.

Start slow, journal what you do, make whatever you do a lifestyle change, and periodically look back at your journal to help you gauge your results.

-Z

Great post!

 

[Tyler najib]

Your other post where you discussed wanting to be a SEAL, being a mechanic, etc. Had me mistakenly thinking you were a few years older. Sorry.

At 14 years of age....if you have a YMCA membership then take advatage of it and use their pool. If you have friends who are competitive swimmers have one watch you swim and offer some advice. There are tons of videos on youtube to use to your advantage.....no need to delve too deep into technique at the start, just t find some videos and begin by trying to emulate what good smooth swimmers are doing. Slowly look deeper into technique and make small changes incorporate those changes into what you do. The life guards are usually bored out of their skulls, so chat them up and seen if they can watch you and give you some tips.

If you dont have access to a pool to swim laps then you can walk, jog, ride a bike, skip rope, rollerblade, etc, to work on cardiovascular fitness.

Bodyweight exercises are good to do and dont require any specialized equipment. Here are a few to develop a routine out of....strive for perfect form:
Pushups
Crunches
Planks
Leg lifts
Jumping jacks
Hop and pops
8 count body builders
Burpees
Wall squats
Single leg squats
Calf raises
Lunges without weights/lunges with weights (use old milk our laundry detergent bottles filled with water...water weighs 8pounds per gallon)
Pullups/chinups (eventually)

Look up T,Y,I shoulder and upper back exercises.

Develop a routine of a few exercises, don't over do it at first, for body weight exercises start with 1 set of 10 to 15 reps....if you can do that with perfect form then add an additional set.....slowly increase your number of sets to between 3 to 5.

I highly recommend keeping a journal of your routine and particularly write down how you feel before, during, after the workouts....does not need to be detailed l, just some simple notes about the exercises how many reps, sets, how your form was, and how you felt.

Throw a bathing suit or shorts on and take a selfie. Take another 4 weeks later....dont bother with scales as they dont tell you much.

I highly recommend picking up an inexpensive heart rate monitor. If you cant find one for $25 or less then let me know and I can help you buy one...we can work something out via paypal but there is a sporting good store here where I live that sells basic models for th equivalent of $15 to $20. A heart rate monitor is like a personal coach on your wrist.....your heart rate is a direct reflection of the intensity your body is working at.

Start slow, journal what you do, make whatever you do a lifestyle change, and periodically look back at your journal to help you gauge your results.

-Z

Thank you I’m going to keep you updated with my notes and I’m going to do research on these excersizes and try doing some of them. Thank you so much. I needed some help. I’m probably going to pick up a heart monitor on eBay. What should my heart beats per minute goal be on average while working out?