FishWhisperer
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Found this litle gem while doing a bit of internet research. Anyone know of any more tip/tricks?
How to hold your breath like Daid Blaine
Written by Tim Ferriss
Last night, world-famous magician and endurance artist David Blaine taught me how to hold my breath.
For four months, David held the Guinness world record for oxygen-assisted static apnea (holding your breath after breathing pure oxygen): 17 minutes and 4.4 seconds. His record was then surpassed by Tom Sietas on September 19, 2008. David’s record for doing what I’ll describe is between 7 and 8 minutes.
I was born premature and, unlike David, I couldn’t then remember the last time I held my breath for more than one minute. It has always been my physiological Achilles heel.
What were the results of his training?
My first baseline test: 40 seconds.
15 minutes later: 3 minutes and 33 seconds (!!!).
Out of roughly 12 TEDMED attendees he also taught, all but one beat Harry Houdini’s lifelong record of 3 minutes and 30 seconds. One woman held her breath for more than 5 minutes. Here is a photograph of the session. I’m sitting in the vest, four people to the right of Roni Zeiger, MD, Google Health product manager.
Here’s how we did it…
The David Blaine Method DISCLAIMER: THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. DO NOT ATTEMPT IN WATER OR WITHOUT PROPER SUPERVISION.
First and foremost, this is not a joke. David himself has almost died on several occasions. See 2:15 forward for a warning: H
Moving onward to the method, which we did seated.
These notes were taken on a scrap of paper while performing the exercises. Much of it was written after I lost almost all sensation in my hands following the purging exercises, and after colors began to morph. After 3:20–I really, really wanted to beat Houdini’s record–I was shaking. Needless to say, this means these cliff notes are a bit shaky and may not be 100% accurate.
FYI, the above side-effects are common.
Definitions:
Deep breathing: “Deep breathing†involves taking a big breath in through the mouth, holding for one second, and then exhaling for 10 seconds through your mouth through your almost-closed mouth with tongue pressed against your lower teeth. It should be a hissing exhalation and make a “tsssssss…†sound. All breathing and exercises are performed though the mouth.
Purging: “Purging†involves a strong exhalation as if you were trying to blow a toy sailboat across a pool, followed by a big but faster inhalation. David’s cheeks were puffed out as he demonstrated the exhalation (imagine the big bad wolf blowing the pigs’ homes down). Be careful not to heave or rock back and forth, which wastes oxygen. Keep as still as possible.
Semi-purging: Breathing between the above two. More forceful than deep breathing but less forceful than full purging. Used for recovering after each time trial.
The Steps:
1:30 deep breathing
1:15 purging (if you feel like you’re going to pass out, do it less intensely)
Hold breath for target 1:30, no more
After 1:30:
Take 3 semi-purge breaths
1:30 deep breathing
1:30 purging
Hold breath for target 2:30, no more
After 2:30
Take 3 semi-purge breaths
2:00 deep breathing
1:45 purging
Hold breath for as long as possible
After exhalation:
Take 3-10 hard semi-purge breaths until your recover
Other Observations David’s record using the above method: 7:47. His heart rate dropped below 20 beats per minute
He had us move our right index finger slightly every 30 seconds or so while holding our breath to indicate we were alright. More motion would waste O2.
He also suggested, and this was incredibly useful, going from A to Z in your head during time trials, visualizing a friend for each letter whose name starts with that letter. Use celebrities or historical figures when needed. This serves to distract you from the fact that you’re holding your breath.
If you continually check your time, it seems you hold your breath for less time. It is the opposite of the above. Too much focus on the time creates tension. All of the test subjects, myself included, had a harder time holding their breath when David announced the time every 5 seconds vs. 30 seconds. If I do this a second time, I will have someone else watch the time for me.
Do not let any air out whatsoever after taking your big inhalations for the time trials. This is important protective training for water-based breath holding. Why? If you pass out in the water (not good), you want the uncontrolled release of bubbles to indicate to those supervising that you’ve passed out.
It is easier to hold your breath if you haven’t eaten for 4-6 hours. It is also easier to hold your breath if you have less body mass to support. David will purposefully lose 30+ pounds during serious training to improve his lung-to-body volume ratio.
And here is another article on how to increase your lung capacity:
How to increase lung capacity
www.physiotec.ca
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Hope that helps.
How to hold your breath like Daid Blaine
Written by Tim Ferriss
Last night, world-famous magician and endurance artist David Blaine taught me how to hold my breath.
For four months, David held the Guinness world record for oxygen-assisted static apnea (holding your breath after breathing pure oxygen): 17 minutes and 4.4 seconds. His record was then surpassed by Tom Sietas on September 19, 2008. David’s record for doing what I’ll describe is between 7 and 8 minutes.
I was born premature and, unlike David, I couldn’t then remember the last time I held my breath for more than one minute. It has always been my physiological Achilles heel.
What were the results of his training?
My first baseline test: 40 seconds.
15 minutes later: 3 minutes and 33 seconds (!!!).
Out of roughly 12 TEDMED attendees he also taught, all but one beat Harry Houdini’s lifelong record of 3 minutes and 30 seconds. One woman held her breath for more than 5 minutes. Here is a photograph of the session. I’m sitting in the vest, four people to the right of Roni Zeiger, MD, Google Health product manager.
Here’s how we did it…
The David Blaine Method DISCLAIMER: THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. DO NOT ATTEMPT IN WATER OR WITHOUT PROPER SUPERVISION.
First and foremost, this is not a joke. David himself has almost died on several occasions. See 2:15 forward for a warning: H
Moving onward to the method, which we did seated.
These notes were taken on a scrap of paper while performing the exercises. Much of it was written after I lost almost all sensation in my hands following the purging exercises, and after colors began to morph. After 3:20–I really, really wanted to beat Houdini’s record–I was shaking. Needless to say, this means these cliff notes are a bit shaky and may not be 100% accurate.
FYI, the above side-effects are common.
Definitions:
Deep breathing: “Deep breathing†involves taking a big breath in through the mouth, holding for one second, and then exhaling for 10 seconds through your mouth through your almost-closed mouth with tongue pressed against your lower teeth. It should be a hissing exhalation and make a “tsssssss…†sound. All breathing and exercises are performed though the mouth.
Purging: “Purging†involves a strong exhalation as if you were trying to blow a toy sailboat across a pool, followed by a big but faster inhalation. David’s cheeks were puffed out as he demonstrated the exhalation (imagine the big bad wolf blowing the pigs’ homes down). Be careful not to heave or rock back and forth, which wastes oxygen. Keep as still as possible.
Semi-purging: Breathing between the above two. More forceful than deep breathing but less forceful than full purging. Used for recovering after each time trial.
The Steps:
1:30 deep breathing
1:15 purging (if you feel like you’re going to pass out, do it less intensely)
Hold breath for target 1:30, no more
After 1:30:
Take 3 semi-purge breaths
1:30 deep breathing
1:30 purging
Hold breath for target 2:30, no more
After 2:30
Take 3 semi-purge breaths
2:00 deep breathing
1:45 purging
Hold breath for as long as possible
After exhalation:
Take 3-10 hard semi-purge breaths until your recover
Other Observations David’s record using the above method: 7:47. His heart rate dropped below 20 beats per minute
He had us move our right index finger slightly every 30 seconds or so while holding our breath to indicate we were alright. More motion would waste O2.
He also suggested, and this was incredibly useful, going from A to Z in your head during time trials, visualizing a friend for each letter whose name starts with that letter. Use celebrities or historical figures when needed. This serves to distract you from the fact that you’re holding your breath.
If you continually check your time, it seems you hold your breath for less time. It is the opposite of the above. Too much focus on the time creates tension. All of the test subjects, myself included, had a harder time holding their breath when David announced the time every 5 seconds vs. 30 seconds. If I do this a second time, I will have someone else watch the time for me.
Do not let any air out whatsoever after taking your big inhalations for the time trials. This is important protective training for water-based breath holding. Why? If you pass out in the water (not good), you want the uncontrolled release of bubbles to indicate to those supervising that you’ve passed out.
It is easier to hold your breath if you haven’t eaten for 4-6 hours. It is also easier to hold your breath if you have less body mass to support. David will purposefully lose 30+ pounds during serious training to improve his lung-to-body volume ratio.
And here is another article on how to increase your lung capacity:
How to increase lung capacity
- Breathe deeply. Be sure to do the following as you practice deep breathing in order to maximize your lung capacity and take more air with each breath.
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www.physiotec.ca
- Exhale completely. Don't let any air linger in your lungs. This allows more new, oxygen-rich air to come in. You can ensure the complete evacuation of your lungs by counting out loud. When you can no longer count out loud, you can expel no more air from you lungs.[/*]Expand your lower ribs and allow your diaphragm to descend by keeping your abdominal muscles relaxed. Your abdomen will expand as your diaphragm descends making more room around your lungs, allowing them to fill with air.[/*]Widen your arms, holding them farther away from your body, to help open up your chest.[/*]Inhale for two counts, and exhale for three counts. Maintain this ratio consistently.[/*]
- Breathe in normally, through your nose. Take deep breaths.[/*]Breathe out through your mouth with your lips still close together. Open them just slightly so a little bit of air can get out, and with resistance. Try and do this as often as possible -- it makes the sacs in your lungs more used to having to hold air longer, stretching them out. Another way of accomplishing this same effect would be to blow up balloons.[/*]
- Develop a normal stretching and weight lifting routine out of the water. Make sure that you compensate for the fact that weights will feel lighter when you have the water around you. Practice this routine for a few days until you are comfortable with everything.[/*]Take it to the water. Submerge yourself up to your neck, and do the exercises while in the water. This may not seem like it is doing anything to help you at all, but don't worry. Due to the blood shifting into your chest cavity and the compression on your body, you will have to take shorter, quicker breaths when exercising in the water. Research shows that your air capacity will be cut by up to 75% during this time, and your body will try to compensate for that. If your exercise in the water lasts long enough, and you do it regularly, your respiratory system will become more efficient, increasing your lung capacity.[/*]
- Take a piece of pipe with a diameter small enough to put into your mouth without hurting your jaw. It should, however, make you open your mouth wide- about as wide as an average yawn. Length-wise, the pipe should not be long at all. It should be maybe half an inch long- it's not the length you're looking for, but the width.[/*]Put the pipe in your mouth. (Do be sure it's sanitary and clean)[/*]Breathe. Do so very carefully, though, because if you breathe too quickly, you will become lightheaded. Do this for a little while every day, and you will soon realize that you are able to take longer and longer breaths without becoming lightheaded. If you do this often enough, you should be able to take very deep, full breaths and be perfectly fine. This works because your body is becoming more adjusted to receiving more oxygen with every breath, because, obviously, you don't breathe like you are yawning all the time.[/*]
- Learn how to play a wind or brass instrument such as a tuba, trumpet, trombone, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, or flute. This activity will help you control breathing and expand your lung capacity to utilize all the alveoli.[/*]Play in a marching band or a Drum and Bugle Corps. This activity requires more and more lung capacity utilization for your movement and playing and is quite healthy.[/*]
- Aerobics[/*]Cycling[/*]Running[/*]Swimming - The best sport to improve on your cardiovascular fitness. At their peak, swimmers lungs will be three times better at dealing with oxygen than an average person.[/*]
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edit Tips
- Training at higher altitudes, if possible, can also help increase lung capacity. The air in high altitude areas has less oxygen in it, which will force your lungs to work harder and become more efficient. But be careful, though, as altitude sickness is a possibility as your body adjusts. Keep in mind this will require weeks to a couple months. google_protectAndRun("ads_core.google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad); [/*]
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www.theSHARM.com/Relaxation
- You probably already know to stay away from any kind of smoking, but you should also stay away from smoke-filled environments, where you're exposed to second-hand smoke.[/*]Playing any wind instrument with correct diaphragm breathing techniques can make a dramatic change in lung capacity. Singing is also a great way to achieve the same results.[/*]In a pool, position your chest as far underwater as possible and breathe through a tube. The further underwater you are, the more pressure is applied to your chest, making it hard to breathe. Make sure you can keep the tube above water or you will end up with lungs full of water. Note that at even a couple feet down it may be impossible to inhale. Make sure to breathe out before surfacing (see warning below).[/*]A 3/4" (1.9 cm) PVC pipe coupler is the perfect tube for most people to hold between their teeth to practice breathing exercises and, if it isn't right for a particular individual, they can use a 1/2" (1.2 cm) or 1" (2.5 cm) coupler. They are cheap and can be sterilized. They are a great aid to help singers open up![/*]Instead of using a piece of PVC you can use two knuckles. Also, thinking about breathing from the bottom up--like a glass of water being filled--helps.[/*]Breathing exercises during every day activities can be helpful. Breathe in for 2-20 seconds, breathe out for 10-20 seconds and slowly increase at the rate you can, soon you will find yourself breathing out 45 seconds-2 minutes if practice enough! You can easily do it while driving, sitting in the office, watching television, playing video games, doing paper work, at the desk at school or when you are simply bored!(I do this in band class and I can play a note for 40 seconds straight on the trumpet.)[/*]
- Whenever you become lightheaded, breathe normally.[/*]Don't exercise in water unless you know how to swim.[/*]Do not perform these exercises without consulting your doctor if you have any respiratory conditions.[/*]When breathing underwater (for example, when SCUBA diving), stabilize your depth and never hold your breath or inhale deeply while ascending. Air expands when ascending and the lungs can rupture if you are holding your breath.[/*]Don't exercise, run, swim, etc. with a PVC tube in your mouth. You could choke![/*]
Hope that helps.
