How long can you hold your breath?

The average human can hold their breath for about 2 minutes.

With this breath hold training, you will be able to do it for 5+ minutes.

This training focuses on how to hold your breath longer underwater. In the Survival Fitness Plan, you combine it with an efficient swimming stroke. Your aim is to swim 50+ meters underwater.

This post is stages 1, 2, and 3 of long-distance underwater swimming training. It will teach you how to hold your breath longer. Start with increasing your current breath holding ability. You then advance to static apnea training. Static apnea training is what free-divers use to increase their lung capacity.

Important! Breath holding training is dangerous! Read, understand, and follow the following safety guidelines.

Practice holding your breath for longer periods of time while on dry land.

In the Survival Fitness Plan, we use minimal preparation for breath holding. This is so you know how far you can get in emergency situations. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, then go.

Take these breaths slowly from deep within your diaphragm. This is to rid your lungs of low-quality air (CO2).

Tip: You know you’re using correct breathing if your belly is moving up and down rather than your shoulders. When your chest and shoulders move it means you’re breathing with only the top part of your lungs. This deep breathing is also useful for recovery after a workout.

Here are more detailed instructions for the inhale, exhale, inhale, sequence.

Whilst doing the following, relax your muscles and remain as still and as calm as possible. This includes not “clock watching” which will make you anxious. The more relaxed and still you are, the less oxygen your body will consume.

Stage two is the same as stage one, but underwater. The point of this stage is to get you comfortable holding your breath underwater.

Inhale, exhale fully, inhale to 80% capacity, then hold and submerge.

Keep your mouth and nose closed while underwater. Use your fingers to hold your nose shut if you need.

Stay relaxed, and once you are near your limit, resurface. Blow out any extra air as you rise so that you can take a fresh breath immediately.

In this stage, you will use static apnea training. This conditions your lungs and body to withstand the effects of prolonged breath-holding.

This stage is ongoing. You can move on to stage 4 while doing it.

IMPORTANT: This is a dry land activity. DO NOT try it underwater!

There are two separate programs for static apnea training. One conditions your CO2 tolerance. The other increases the amount of oxygen your lungs can store.

Each program has its own training table. The recovery stage is when you can breathe — breath normal for the allocated time. During the breath hold stage, hold your breath for the allocated time.

Only start O2 tolerance training once you can hold your breath for at least 90 seconds.

You can do both CO2 and O2 sessions on the same day, but do not do them immediately after one another. Do one in the morning and one at night.

Do not do more than one training session of each per day.

CO2 tolerance training consists of a series of alternating breath-holds and rest periods. Your breathing time gets less and less while your breath holding stays the same.

Start off with a breath-hold period that you’re comfortable with. 50-70% of your capability is good. Add 5 or 10 seconds each day.

In O2 tolerance training, your recovery period stays the same. Instead, you increase your breath holding.

Only start O2 tolerance training once you can hold your breath for at least 90 seconds.

There are some other things you can do to increase your breath holding ability:

Important! This is for informational purposes. DO NOT practice/experiment with it.

When you hold your breath for an extended period of time your body goes through three response stages.

Make no mistake, breath hold training is dangerous. If you are going to do it, follow the safety guidelines!

That being said, if you want to be able to swim underwater for 50+ meters, then this training is a must. But please do not push yourself, especially in the water. Follow the progression in this article, training first on land.

When you are ready, move onto stages 4 and 5 of this training. These last 2 stages will teach you an efficient underwater swimming stroke.

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