Training tips | how to control sets and repetitions

Training within your limits is an essential aspect of improving as a freediver. Often, this means managing very short recovery windows between dives, ensuring you're fully prepared before the next one. When training with fixed top times or decreasing top times, having a reliable way to monitor and control your breath-holds is crucial.

Thankfully, there are tools available to make this easier. I’ve discovered particularly useful applications that can help you manage your training sessions effectively, but sometimes it’s tricky to set it up for complex training plans.

A Workout Management App for Freediving

One of the best tools for planning your pool freediving workouts that I used is the Stamina app. With this app, you can predefine your workout in detail, ensuring it matches your training goals.

First, you need to know how long it takes you to complete a dive—for example, how long it takes to swim 50 meters (or any other distances that you plan to swim). For instance my 50m DNF dive takes 55seconds.

Split your training workout table into breath hold time and recovery time and put your dive time into the app, along with your desired rest interval. The app will guide you through your session, ensuring you stick to the plan.

This is particularly helpful for controlling your breathing and making sure you’re prepared for each dive. The app provides auditory signals, so you can listen to it while relaxing in the pool, making your session smoother and more focused.

Stop-and-Go Training with Stamina

If your training involves a mix of static and dynamic exercises—such as a static hold followed by a 50-meter swim—you can easily adapt the app for these sessions. For this type of training:

• Set the breath-hold time to the combined duration of your static hold and your dynamic dive.
• If you’re increasing either the static duration or the distance in your workout, adjust the breath-hold time accordingly.

This flexibility makes Stamina a versatile tool for all levels of freedivers, especially when training to improve both endurance and control.

You can stay relaxed during this type of training—your buddy will check breath hold time and ping you when you will need to swim.

25m Sprints with STAmina

Performing 25m sprints with very short recovery times (~22 seconds) and brief dive durations (~26 seconds) can be challenging to manage. The STAmina app offers flexibility with recovery and dive intervals, allowing you to set durations in increments of 5 seconds (e.g., 5, 10, 15) or even set them to 0. If you choose 0, you’ll need to manually tap to start each repetition, which isn’t the most efficient approach for sprint training.

Instead, I recommend setting the recovery duration to its minimum value (5 seconds) and allocating the remaining time to the breath-hold duration, ensuring the total time matches your desired "Top Time." This setup allows you to perform multiple sets seamlessly. A buddy can help by calling out the remaining time, or you can simply increase your phone’s volume to hear the app’s cues more clearly.

Why Use Apps in Training?

Using an app like Stamina allows you to focus on your performance without the distraction of counting seconds or managing time yourself. This can improve the quality of your training, help you stay consistent, and make it easier to recover effectively between dives.

Give Stamina a try during your next pool session—it might just become your favorite training companion!

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