The Myth of Hypoxic Swimming

Thinking about it somewhat logically, if hypoxic drills were good for you physiologically during swimming, then they should also help your running and cycling, right?  Don't seem to remember any running or cycling coaches advocating holding your breath during training. 

Used to do hypoxic drills when I was swimming competitively way back when.  Coach always liked to do them at the end of practice and anybody who could do 50M the first time got to leave practice early (I was actually pretty good at it, which is probably why my kids sometimes think I'm brain-damaged today).  Of course that was also back the days when we were forbidden to drink water during 90⁰F summer football workouts lest we get cramps.  

Mark

I have to echo this post.  While not necessariily supporting the title, because I am not a coach, the risk of hypoxia and shallow water blackout is very real and very dangerous, especially if swimming alone.  Do a quick search on hypoxia, swimming and shallow water blackout.  It's not something to be taken lightly.  While most of what I've read involves underwater drills, seems it translates easily to being on the surface, expecially since hypoxia comes on without any warning.

[edit - to be clear, yes, i know that shallow water blackout usually involves deliberate hyperventilation, but I still think it applies and believe that people, simply by breathing heard during the rest, can approach a type of hyperventilation]

thanks adventure - so why do coaches recommend it?

also, any thoughts on how i can improve my lung capacity? gym bunny recommends chest press to open the lungs up, others recommend power breathe thingy, coach obviously likes hypoxic...

btw i do my preventative inhaler as directed and my curative (is that even a word??) as and when, and see my asthma nurse regularly. blah blah... 

I agree and would not advise breath-holding drills for any triathlete. 

Even the shortest outdoor sprint is still mostly an aerobic, not anaerobic effort.  And for rec/masters/competitive lap-swimmers, it seems pointless to torture one's own breathing.

Pink skin, happy lungs, and bright red O2-rich blood is good.

thanks adventure - so why do coaches recommend it?

also, any thoughts on how i can improve my lung capacity? gym bunny recommends chest press to open the lungs up, others recommend power breathe thingy, coach obviously likes hypoxic...

btw i do my preventative inhaler as directed and my curative (is that even a word??) as and when, and see my asthma nurse regularly. blah blah... 

Regarding Lung Capacity...Total Lung Capacity---this is the number (or actually volume) of air your lungs can hold. This cannot be measured without special equipment. There is NO device, NO excercise or special technique to improve your lung capacity.  Basically once you have grown to your adult height..it is set...and if you dont cause any injury or are prone to developing emphysema, you lose about an ounce (30ml) of TLC a year due to aging.

FEV--This is Forced expiratory volume and FEV1 is Forced expiratory volume in 1 sec..This is a measure of how much air you can exhale in total or in 1 second. This is a much easier number to measure and is much more practical to apply.. In Asthma this is affected.  Inhalers (bronchodilators) and other asthma meds can attempt to normalize or maximize your potential FEV and FEV1.  Again Devices, Machines, excercise cannot help this.

And back to the original point of the thread....there is no role for hypoxic training. I urge anyone to really question their coach regarding this if they reccommend it as part of your training.

 JT

Actually, Emile Zatopek (Czech runner that won the 5,000 m, 10,000 m, and marathon titles at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki) used to experiment with holding his breath while running short intervals.  Not sure how extensively he used the method though.  You don't hear of any modern coaches advocating it.

So then, what is the optimum number of strokes between breathing to keep your stroke efficient, without endangering yourself?

I know I try to breathe every 4-5 strokes, but when I get tired after the first few laps, I always resort to every 2-3 strokes.

Point taken from the abstract suggesting that hypocapnic is a better word for the breath exercises than is the misnomer hypoxic. A true hypoxic state is not what any swimmer ought to be trying to achieve.

On the other hand, I can see how there is a practical use for exercises that teach you to hold your breath without panicking (let's call them hypocapnic).  Certainly in open water swimming.  During a race, a swimmer might have her breathing rhythm interrupted by waves, splashing of other swimmers, getting temporarily pulled under, or any other number of disruptions.  I know I certainly want to have at least a little practice in swimming at times where my regular 2-beat or 3-beat breath is interrupted.

My coach has us occasionally practice altering our breathing rates during slow swimming. We'll do a 25 breathing every 3 strokes, 25 breathing every 5, then 7, then (theoretically) 9.  I have felt that I've benefited from the few times I've done this exercise.  After this exercise, my breath uptake is deeper and more efficient during my regular swim.  I'm also working at desensitizing myself to the feeling of fear I associate with missing my normal breathing rhythm.

Just come to my pool and try sharing lanes with some of the people there.  Some of them do such weird things with their stroke or kick that they will send a wave of water up and over my head.  I know when I am sharing a lane with any of them and when we are passing each other to hold my breath a few extra strokes.  LOL!

I think this varies.  A lot of people breathe every 2.  Me, I feel like I get more oxygen when I breathe every 3.  If 4 or 5 works for you, then stick with it.   I think the point is that you should breathe when you need it.   You body should be telling you when you need air.  

Great post AdventureBear!

She's not kidding folks, I know someone who died as a result of (it's assumed) doing hypoxic exercises in a pool.

Want to use less oxygen/energy when swimming? Swim more. Do some drills and become more efficient in the way you interact with the water. That you can improve.

One more minor point not touched on yet.  If your goal is to improve speed and efficiency make sure your technique for breathing is something you work on.  I thought I was doing ok at this and then learned how to do it better.  I'm a long way from perfect, but I have prioritized proper breathing technique over breathing less often in order to increase efficiency.  It seems to me that this should be the triathletes priority until we start doing tris with 50M or 100M swims.

That's because she is a doctor, is smart, and knows those things.