Stretching For Freediving: A 4-Week Beginner’s Training Plan to Increase Flexibility, Dive Deeper & Hold Your Breath Longer

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STRETCHING FOR FREEDIVING A 4-Week Beginner’s Training Plan to Increase Flexibility, Dive Deeper & Hold Your Breath Longer.

By Gert Leroy

Copyright © 2020 Gert Leroy All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

CONTENTS Cover Copyright INTRODUCTION WHY STRETCH? WHAT TO STRETCH? WHEN TO STRETCH? HOW TO STRETCH? MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WARM-UP 0.1. Shoulder rolls 0.2. Arm swings 0.3. Neck side bends 0.4. Hip circles WEEK 1 1.1. Side bends arms down (dynamic) 1.2. Shoulder stretch horizontal 1.3. Standing spinal twists (dynamic) 1.4. Knee hugs 1.5. Hanging (optional) 1.6. Backbends on gymball (hands on chest) 1.7. Seated uddiyana bandha WEEK 2 2.1. Side bends 1 arm up (dynamic) 2.2. Shoulder stretch arms behind back 2.3. Seated spinal twist

2.4. Child's pose 2.5. Hanging + twist (optional) 2.6. Backbends on gymball (arms sideways) 2.7. Standing uddiyana bandha WEEK 3 3.1. Side bends 1 arm up diagonal (dynamic) 3.2. Shoulder stretch arms up, hands together 3.3. Lying spinal twist 3.4. Cat/cow pose (dynamic) 3.5. Hanging + feet backwards (optional) 3.6. Backbends on gymball (arms extended) 3.7. Lying uddiyana bandha WEEK 4 4.1. Side bends 1 arm up diagonal + push hip (dynamic) 4.2. Shoulder stretch arms up, hands together + lift shoulders 4.3. Lying spinal twist press knee down 4.4. Cobra pose 4.5. Hanging 1 arm (optional) 4.6. Backbends on gymball (arms extended, legs extended) 4.7. Lying uddiyana bandha arms extended CONCLUSION About The Author Gert’s Freediving Gear Guide Let’s Get Connected!

INTRODUCTION

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hat’s up guys? Great to see you have decided to commit to this 4-week training plan!

For those who don't know me, my name is Gert Leroy. I help you master freediving. This document is a training plan to stretch the muscles that are responsible for our breathing. The more flexible they become, the better you’ll be able to control your breathing, hold your breath longer, and dive deeper. This training plan is the result of my own experience as a freediving instructor working with students. It puts emphasys on simple but effective stretches that will make you considerably more flexible in a matter of only a couple of weeks. Just follow the program outlined and go through each week as described below and the results are yours. Good luck and enjoy!

WHY STRETCH? k, so why should you stretch for freediving? Well, first of all, stretching for general purposes is always a good thing. Stretching increases flexibility, increases range of motion, increases blood flow to the muscles & helps to heal and prevent back pain. It’s also a great stress reliever and a perfect way to start your day.

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So what are the specific benefits of stretching for freediving? When your respiratory muscles become more flexible, you’ll be able to: ✓ control your breathing better ✓ take a bigger breath ✓ equalize better (yes that’s right!) ✓ cope better with the pressure as you dive deeper Sounds good right?

WHAT TO STRETCH?

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k, so now you get the idea. So which are the respiratory muscles that have to be stretched?

First of all you want to make sure you stretch the body for general health, overall flexibility, and good functioning. That includes stretching of the back (spine), the hips, legs, shoulders and arms. Here are the body parts we want to specifically stretch for freediving: ✓

Diaphragm: controls the volume of air we take into our lungs: When you breathe in, the diaphragm lowers to make space for the lungs to expand. When the diaphragm goes back up, we exhale air out of the lungs. The more flexible the diaphragm, the more range of motion, and the more air we can take into the lungs.

✓ Ribcage / intercostal muscles (thoracic stretching): The ribcage is a container for the lungs. The more it can expand, the more the lungs can expand, and the more air they can contain. A more flexible ribcage will allow you to take a bigger breath. In order for the ribcage to be flexible, we want to stretch the intercostal muscles, which are the muscles in between the ribs. ✓

Spine / lower back: A healthy and flexible spine is the core of a healthy body. In modern life, we are constantly bent forward, looking at our screens, or sitting at a desk. A healthy spine will result in good posture and prevent injury. Spine twists will stretch your ribcage, and open up your chest and shoulders.

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Shoulders: In disciplines like constant weight with monofin or bifins, and even in the no fins discipline, freedivers hold the arms extended above the head. This requires good shoulder flexibility. If you have rigid shoulders, you’ll have a hard time keeping your arms extended, in one line with the body. The more flexible the shoulders, the more streamlined your position.

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Head / neck: As equalization of the ears requires total relaxation of

the body, and especially of the muscles in the neck area (where are the eustachian tubes responsible for equalization), you want to gently stretch those muscles as well.

WHEN TO STRETCH? o now that you’ve got that figured out, you want to know when is the best moment to stretch. Well, i recommend you doing this first thing in the morning (on empty stomach) or before going to bed (also on empty stomach).

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The duration of a session is about 10 minutes, so it’s a small investment into your daily schedule. Please stick to your routine on every day of the week, except on sundays you can take a break from stretching. If you have a dive session scheduled, you can stretch before so your muscles are already warmed up when you go into the water. A good point to remember is that flexibility is a result of consistent daily stretching, and a single stretch session right before a dive session isn’t gonna make the difference.

HOW TO STRETCH? ou want to be gentle to your body, especially in the first week, when you still have to get used to the different stretches. Don’t go to the point of feeling pain. The idea is to enjoy the session, and apply mild to moderate stretching. Pay attention to how it feels.

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Each stretching exercise comes with a duration. E.g. 15” means 15 seconds continuous. And 2x30" means 2 sets of 30 seconds, with a pause in between the sets. All stretches are “static”, unless it is indicated as “dynamic”. Static means you keep on holding the stretch for the given time. E.g. 2x30” shoulder stretch means 2 sets of 30” holding the shoulder stretch. Dynamic however means we’re not gonna hold the pose. We’re going from left to right and back in a continuous mode. E.g. side bends arms down (dynamic) 1’ means 1 minute of continuous left and right bending. Keep on breathing with regular pace during the stretches. Your breathing should be calm and controlled at all times. Give you body and mind the necessary time to adapt throughout the program. The last 2 exercises of each session are always a variation on the backbend with gymball and the uddiyana bandha. Those two could be described as “most specific” stretches for freediving, so your daily 10 minute session is build in such a way that you are finishing off with the cherry on the cake.

Equipment: For this training plan you’ll need: ✓ a yoga mat ✓ a gym ball (stability ball) ✓ a bar to hang on (optional)

For stretching equipment please click here: https://kit.co/gertleroy/stretching-equipment

MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE t requires dedication and discipline to start (or finish) your day with a workout routine. Some people skip a couple of days, and then make up by doing an extra long or hard session. Consistency is always better than sporadic maximal efforts. What makes you succeed is sticking to the plan, not making up for the lost days.

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Doing extra long stretch sessions right before your dive session won’t benefit your diving. Flexibility comes over time, and by stretching for too long right before diving you are only making your muscles tired. Stick to the plan, and do 10 minutes per session. When you want to see results too soon, you’ll only hurt yourself. Injuries are to be avoided at all costs, cause they can put a halt to your workouts, and even stop you from diving at all. Especially on the gymball you should be careful not to overstretch. Keep on breathing with constant pace, nice and gently. On the exhalation you will feel an even bigger stretch, so be mindful about this and don’t stay in the exhalation for longer than necessary. Always keep on breathing in and out.

WARM-UP (before each workout)

1 minute warm-up is to be done at the start of each session, from week T his 1 to week 4. 0.1. Shoulder rolls: 15" 0.2. Arm swings: 15" 0.3. Neck side bends: 15" 0.4. Hip circles: 15"

0.1. SHOULDER ROLLS

0.2. ARM SWINGS

0.3. NECK SIDE BENDS

0.4. HIP CIRCLES

WEEK 1 (all days except sunday)

that you are ready to begin your journey to a more flexible body, get N ow started on week 1. Start gently. Keep on breathing during the stretches. The goal of this first week is to understand the different exercises, and gradually go a little deeper into them as you go towards the end of the week. 1.1. Side bends arms down (dynamic): 1' 1.2. Shoulder stretch horizontal: 4x15" 1.3. Standing spinal twists (dynamic): 1' 1.4. Knee hugs: 15" L, 15" R, 30" both knees 1.5. Hanging (optional): 3x10" 1.6. Backbends on gymball (hands on chest): 1' 1.7. Seated uddiyana bandha: 3x

1.1. SIDE BENDS ARMS DOWN (DYNAMIC)

1.2. SHOULDER STRETCH HORIZONTAL

1.3. STANDING SPINAL TWISTS (DYNAMIC)

1.4. KNEE HUGS

1.5. HANGING (OPTIONAL)

1.6. BACKBENDS ON GYMBALL (HANDS ON CHEST)

1.7. SEATED UDDIYANA BANDHA

WEEK 2 (all days except sunday)

You’ve made it through the first week. You now have a basic C ongrats! understanding of the exercises: how they feel and what muscles they target. Now it is time to move on to the second week and introduce small variations on the stretches you did last week. 2.1. Side bends 1 arm up (dynamic): 1' 2.2. Shoulder stretch arms behind back: 2x30" 2.3. Seated spinal twist: 30" L, 30" R 2.4. Child's pose: 2x30" 2.5. Hanging + twist (optional): 3x10" 2.6. Backbends on gymball (arms sideways): 1' 2.7. Standing uddiyana bandha: 3x

2.1. SIDE BENDS 1 ARM UP (DYNAMIC)

2.2. SHOULDER STRETCH ARMS BEHIND BACK

2.3. SEATED SPINAL TWIST

2.4. CHILD'S POSE

2.5. HANGING + TWIST (OPTIONAL)

2.6. BACKBENDS ON GYMBALL (ARMS SIDEWAYS)

2.7. STANDING UDDIYANA BANDHA

WEEK 3 (all days except sunday)

You’ve made it through the second week! I’m sure you can feel C ongrats! the progress already compared to the beginning of the first week. Now it is time to dig a little deeper into the different stretches, and add again small variations that will make you feel the stretch even better. 3.1. Side bends 1 arm up diagonal (dynamic): 1' 3.2. Shoulder stretch arms up: 2x30" 3.3. Lying spinal twist: 30" L, 30" R 3.4. Cat/cow pose (dynamic): 2x30" 3.5. Hanging + feet backwards (optional): 3x10" 3.6. Backbends on gymball (arms ext): 1' 3.7. Lying uddiyana bandha: 3x

3.1. SIDE BENDS 1 ARM UP DIAGONAL (DYNAMIC)

3.2. SHOULDER STRETCH ARMS UP, HANDS TOGETHER

3.3. LYING SPINAL TWIST

3.4. CAT/COW POSE (DYNAMIC)

3.5. HANGING + FEET BACKWARDS (OPTIONAL)

3.6. BACKBENDS ON GYMBALL (ARMS EXTENDED)

3.7. LYING UDDIYANA BANDHA

WEEK 4 (all days except sunday)

is the final week in your training plan and by this point you should be T his more used to the provided exercises, so now you can get the best out of them. Again we are fine tuning the existing stretches so you can finish out strong. 4.1. Side bends 1 arm up diag. + push hip (dynamic): 1' 4.2. Shoulder stretch arms up, lift shoulders: 2x30" 4.3. Lying spinal twist press knee: 30" L 30" R 4.4. Cobra pose: 2x30" 4.5. Hanging 1 arm (optional): 2x5" L, 2x5" R 4.6. Backbends on gymball arms ext, legs ext: 1' 4.7. Lying uddiyana bandha arms ext: 3x

4.1. SIDE BENDS 1 ARM UP DIAGONAL + PUSH HIP (DYNAMIC)

4.2. SHOULDER STRETCH ARMS UP, HANDS TOGETHER + LIFT SHOULDERS

4.3. LYING SPINAL TWIST PRESS KNEE DOWN

4.4. COBRA POSE

4.5. HANGING 1 ARM (OPTIONAL)

4.6. BACKBENDS ON GYMBALL (ARMS EXTENDED, LEGS EXTENDED)

4.7. LYING UDDIYANA BANDHA ARMS EXTENDED

CONCLUSION ou have now finished 4 weeks of stretching! Congrats! I’m sure you learned a lot, and i hope with this training plan i have set you up for further improvement not only for your flexibility, but also for equalisation and deeper diving. Enjoy the new skills you've learned!

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Thank you for engaging in this plan. If you got value out of it, please show your appreciation by reviewing this plan on Amazon, or sharing the link to this plan on social media.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gert Leroy

Gert is passionate about helping people reach a place of peace – a place which is increasingly difficult to find in our busy and modern lives. Too often, our senses are bombarded by social media, the ever-present horror of the news, crowds and traffic. We’re under so much pressure. Freediving gives you a space, a way to relax your mind and let go of all your tension. Gert brings to you the experience of peace through the practising of free diving.

GERT’S FREEDIVING GEAR GUIDE Freediving Training Plans: https://kit.co/gertleroy/freediving-training-plans

Stretching Equipment: https://kit.co/gertleroy/stretching-equipment

Freediver Starter Kit: https://kit.co/gertleroy/freediver-starter-kit

Freediving Books: https://kit.co/gertleroy/freediving-books

Gert’s Underwater Video Kit: https://kit.co/gertleroy/my-underwater-video-kit

LET’S GET CONNECTED! Join Gert’s private Facebook Group! LEARN TO MASTER FREEDIVING (for beginning to intermediate freedivers) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1448135905351821

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