On freestyle, I generally try to breathe bi-laterally every 3 strokes, and begin my exhale as soon as my head enters the water.
However, sometimes when I am doing sprints or laps with little rest in between, I find myself holding my breath instead of beginning the exhale immediately. When I do this it feels that my body is able to get more oxygen.
Its seems like my body is craving oxygen, and beginning the exhale immediately gets rid of some of that precious oxygen before I have a chance to process it.
Of course, I realize that delaying the start of my exhale means that I will get able to get more fresh air on the next inhalation, unless I can manage to get rid of all my air very quickly (which seems impossible).
So is it best to just force myself to keep the same breathing pattern (every 3 strokes with exhale starting immediately), even when I am feeling tired or out of oxygen? Or are there times when it is safe, or even better, to hold my breath for at least a second before beginning the exhalation? Maybe at the end of a race (or timed lap)?
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Former Member
Breathing, for the sake of this thread, is always related to C02 buildup in blood, which drives you to breathe more often or not. The control of this urge is purely mental and some can hold their breath longer. Oxygen does not enter the equation here, as Jim said. You WILL breathe before you need oxygen. The exception is a free diver (apneia) who is doing okay at depth but as he comes up his partial pressure of oxygen drops and the same oxygen that was sufficient at depth will not be so when he reaches around 6 feet and he will pass out right before he reaches the surface. So taking a breath before doing the turn or taking more breaths on the way back on the 50 will make you "feel" better, although the feeling is all in your mind, because your body will not benefit immediately from the breath. Your excess C02 is released into your alveoli from your blood and from there it exits through your breathing. If you hold your breath a little longer more C02 will leave the blood into the alveoli. If you exhale too fast, there will be less alveolar area to make the exchange. The amount of C02 in the lungs has no effect on your urge to breathe. Training with a snorkel would help you swim with more C02 in your blood because the snorkel makes your dead space (the space between your trachea and your mouth) bigger and that is why it feels funny to go fast with snorkels.
But I digress. Here is the deal: suppose you are to do 25 meters or yards under water; if you go fast, you build up C02 and want to breathe, if you go slow you won't reach the other side, and will want to breathe. So you have to dose your effort over time to reach your goal. billy fanstone
Breathing, for the sake of this thread, is always related to C02 buildup in blood, which drives you to breathe more often or not. The control of this urge is purely mental and some can hold their breath longer. Oxygen does not enter the equation here, as Jim said. You WILL breathe before you need oxygen. The exception is a free diver (apneia) who is doing okay at depth but as he comes up his partial pressure of oxygen drops and the same oxygen that was sufficient at depth will not be so when he reaches around 6 feet and he will pass out right before he reaches the surface. So taking a breath before doing the turn or taking more breaths on the way back on the 50 will make you "feel" better, although the feeling is all in your mind, because your body will not benefit immediately from the breath. Your excess C02 is released into your alveoli from your blood and from there it exits through your breathing. If you hold your breath a little longer more C02 will leave the blood into the alveoli. If you exhale too fast, there will be less alveolar area to make the exchange. The amount of C02 in the lungs has no effect on your urge to breathe. Training with a snorkel would help you swim with more C02 in your blood because the snorkel makes your dead space (the space between your trachea and your mouth) bigger and that is why it feels funny to go fast with snorkels.
But I digress. Here is the deal: suppose you are to do 25 meters or yards under water; if you go fast, you build up C02 and want to breathe, if you go slow you won't reach the other side, and will want to breathe. So you have to dose your effort over time to reach your goal. billy fanstone
