Apnea tables

What is an apnea table #

There are various methods to develop breath-holding skills. Some of these methods are built around a series of breath-holds (apnea) and recovery (rest) intervals, with specific lengths to pursue different goals — so-called apnea tables.

There are two classic types of exercises: an O2 (Oxygen) table and a CO2 (Carbon dioxide) table. Despite the fact that in modern freediving schools there are far more different kinds of tables, most of them are variations of these two.

O2 Table #

The O2 tables are meant to help adapt a body to low oxygen levels. During an O2 table training, a trainee is holding his/her breath for a longer time each round with a constant rest time. Here is an example:

Apnea: 1:00, Rest: 1:30

Apnea: 1:30, Rest: 1:30

Apnea: 2:00, Rest: 1:30

Apnea: 2:30, Rest: 1:30

Apnea: 3:00, Rest: 1:30

Apnea: 3:30, Rest: 1:30

Apnea: 4:00

In the table above there is a constant rest time of 1:30, and the apnea time starts with 1:00 and increases each round by 0:30.

CO2 Table #

The CO2 tables build a tolerance to high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. A rest time in this kind of table decreases with each round while an apnea time stays the same:

Apnea: 2:00, Rest: 1:45

Apnea: 2:00, Rest: 1:30

Apnea: 2:00, Rest: 1:15

Apnea: 2:00, Rest: 1:00

Apnea: 2:00, Rest: 0:45

Apnea: 2:00, Rest: 0:30

Apnea: 2:00, Rest: 0:15

The apnea time is constant: 2:00, the rest time starts from 1:45 and decreases by 0:15.