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Your first workout

This guide takes you from a fresh install to your first finished table in about 20 minutes.

Train on dry land only. Do every exercise lying down or sitting, never in or near water, and never while driving. If you train in the pool, a buddy must watch you the whole time. Read Safety first! before you start.

1. Get comfortable #

Lie on your back on a mat or a bed, arms relaxed along your body (the “dead man’s pose”). Put the phone within reach and turn the volume up: STAmina tells you when to breathe and when to hold, so you can keep your eyes closed.

Relax for 2–3 minutes before any breath-hold. The calmer you are, the longer and easier your holds will be. More on this in Basics.

2. Measure your personal best #

Your personal best (PB) is the longest comfortable breath-hold you can do today. STAmina uses it to size your tables.

  1. Open the menu (☰) and tap Personal Best.
  2. Tap Set New Record.
  3. Breathe calmly while the screen says Breathe. Get yourself ready for the apnea.
  4. Start the hold. When you want to stop, tap anywhere on the screen to stop the timer.

Don’t push to your absolute limit on day one. A relaxed hold gives tables you can actually complete.

3. Generate your tables #

  1. Open the menu and tap Generate.
  2. Your personal best is filled in. Pick a difficulty: start with Easy.
  3. Check the preview and tap Generate.

STAmina creates two tables that match your level:

  • O2 table: breathing time stays the same while holds get longer. It trains your tolerance to low oxygen.
  • CO2 table: holds stay the same while breathing time gets shorter. It trains your tolerance to carbon dioxide and the urge to breathe.

Both appear on the Tables screen. Apnea tables explains them in detail.

4. Run the table #

  1. On Tables, tap the CO2 table, then start it.
  2. Follow the voice and the timer: breathe during breathing intervals, hold during holds.
  3. Feel a contraction (an involuntary diaphragm spasm) during a hold? Double-tap the timer to record it. Contractions are normal, and tracking when the first one appears is one of the best ways to see progress.
  4. Use Pause if you need a break. End the hold early whenever you feel you should. Stopping is always the right choice.

5. Review and rate the session #

When the table finishes, STAmina asks for a short self-evaluation: how hard it felt, how you felt, and an optional note (#hashtags work). Your session is then saved to History, where you can review times, rounds and contractions.

What next? #

  • Alternate the O2 and CO2 tables, one table every other day.
  • When the tables feel easy (usually after 1–2 weeks), measure a new personal best and generate new tables.
  • Have a heart-rate monitor or pulse oximeter? Connect it to see your heart rate and SpO₂ during every hold.
  • Want a structured plan? Follow the Training plan or the 6-week program.