Most
sports today benefit from
physical training; this is especially
applicable to technical diving. You don't have to be
a Mr. Universe or a Mr. Olympia, but being in better
condition does help you to be a more efficient technical
diver. When recreational diving a diver uses one tank
but on some of the dives performed technically up to
six could be required; different tanks with different
gases. A much more cumbersome weight to carry whilst
on the boat, particularly when it's time to attempt
standing up!. Once a technical diver enters the water
they will normally add a couple more tanks for decompression.
All of these extra tanks and equipment takes up more
space causing the diver to use more energy. So streamlining
your equipment is very important. Your gear should be
close to your body to help reduce drag, this is the
same scenario as with racing cars. The less drag you
have the more efficient the vehicle making it faster.
Along with being streamlined you need to ensure that
you are able to access everything quickly, just in case
of an emergency.
The more energy a diver uses underwater results in a
the higher Partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide
levels within the body which can be very dangerous if
not monitored and kept within safe levels. Carbon dioxide
controls your breathing rate and if your breathing gets
out of control is what usually causes a diver to panic.
Oxygen can cause a diver to go into convulsions if the
partial pressure gets to high which can come about without
any warning. On the surface this is not much of a problem
but underwater if the diver experiences convulsions
they may spit out the regulator which can obviously
result in drowning. This could happen more easily to
'out of condition divers' where poor physical condition
reduces stamina, with the increased exercise increasing
the CO levels. Excessive amount of Carbon Dioxide also
increases the likelihood of 'Decompression Illness'.
I spend my time when not diving or teaching at 'INTERNATIONAL
GYM' working on my physique, however I personally avoid
training the day before and after any decompression
diving. I also avoid any type of heavy lifting on the
actual day itself. Claes Martinson, a technical diver
and physical fitness instructor can give you a few tips
on different work outs, diets and such that can help
you improve your technical diving.
Some predisposition factors for Decompression Illness
- Loss of body fluids - Dehydration is one of the main
causes of DCI; this can be caused from urination, perspiration,
breathing dry gases, alcohol or drug consumption.
-Poor or impaired circulation, which can arise from
prior operations, accidents, old age, previously suffering
from DCI and obesity.
-Carbon Dioxide build up - Equipment not properly maintained
or prepared, poor physical fitness or heavy exertion.
-Physical Labour- heavy lifting or task loading resulting
in over use of joints and muscles.
-Ignorance - not knowing how to use, or adhere to dive
tables.
Physical
Fitness - Key Points
-A
diver should be able to stand up and swim with all their
equipment on. If you are unable to do so then you should
not dive with it. There are limitations to how much
and which equipment you should dive with.
-Make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before
a dive.
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-Avoid
heavy lifting or work.
-Do not smoke prior to diving.
-All drugs (prescription and non-prescription drugs) should
not be taken for at least twelve hours before and after
a dive.
-Drink plenty of fluids before and after diving.
-Eat a good meal to give you plenty of energy for the
dive.
-Gain experience slowly by gradually increasing maximum
depths or skill levels.
-The dive team must be physically and emotionally fit
to dive well.
All
of this is taught in 'American Nitrox Divers International'
courses, where you will learn about equipment configurations,
oxygen and nitrogen levels and much more. I choose ANDI
as the organization I like to represent.
The
above predisposition factors for decompression illness
show that you can reduce the risk in three out of the
five points by maintaining a reasonable level of fitness:
And your overall health will improve! Nobody benefits
from being overweight, so lets start talking about diets.
Simply put, a diet is what you eat. A common misconception
is that when you diet, you're only eating things like
boiled eggs and pineapple, (just an example). Following
a fad diet like that will never achieve any goals.
What
to eat: Gain or Lose Weight
Protein: Try to get two grams per kilo of body
weight per day from sources such as chicken, lean meats,
eggs, low fat milk or fish. Also a good whey and casein
protein powder is an easy way to get your protein intake
up.
Carbohydrates: Get most of your carbohydrates from
wholegrain bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, vegetables or
oats. A few pieces of fruit every day are also good for
you.
Fats: Stay away from Saturated fats which come
from animal products. Good fats are Monounsaturated (olive
and canola-oil) and Polyunsaturated (fish and vegetable
oils).
To
Lose Weight.
There are many different ways to 'diet'. I prefer to cut
down my intake of carbohydrates for between five and seven
days, getting 50% of my calories from fat and the other
50% from protein. Following this with one or two days
consuming as less fat as possible resulting in an intake
of approximately 40% from protein and 60 % from complex
carbohydrates.
The
Zone Diet: Your calorie intake should be equal
parts protein, carbohydrates and fat.
Low Fat Diet: Doesn't work for me. My energy
level is a roller-coaster ride; I have to eat every two
hours to stay sane. Might work for you though. There's
only one way to find out! You could try to have your first
three daily meals of protein and carbohydrates followed
by three consisting of protein and fat. Separating carbohydrates
from fat will minimize the output of insulin, which is
very important when trying to reduce fat.
One
thing to remember is drink LOTS of water.
How
Much To Eat.
Many small meals are better than a few large ones; Aim
for around six a day.
Clean up your eating habits and learn how to count those
calories.
Buy a good food scale and keep a food log so you know
what works and what doesn't.
After a week or so of clean eating reduce your daily calorie
intake to equate to 500 a week until you lose no more
than a kilo each week; losing any more than that is loss
of muscle mass.
To
gain weight
Increase your protein intake to exceed 2.5 grams per kilo
per day.
Increase food with approximately 500 Calories per day
for a week until you see an improvement in bodyweight.
There's no point in getting to fat so pay attention to
you're waist and not just the scales! To gain muscle you
will also gain a small amount of fat.
How
to train
Cardiovascular fitness is very important for the technical
diver as it reduces air consumption, which not only enables
diving with smaller and therefore lighter tanks, but it
also reduces the risk of decompression sickness.
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To increase your Cardiovascular capacity you need to raise
your heartbeat for 15 minutes or longer. Participate in
exercises such as jogging, cycling, swimming, step machines
or skipping. It doesn't matter what you do as long as
you do it!! Aim for three to four times per week. You
can do the less demanding forms of exercise for longer
periods or the higher ones for shorter. Varying your training
makes it more fun. Try a round with a skipping rope for
one minute (full speed) followed by a rest for 30 seconds.
Repeat this cycle until you've had enough, next time try
to increase the number of 'rounds'. Try the same with
running and walking; it works very well.
Strength
Also important but you don't have to look like a body
builder. A well-balanced weight training program with
a bit of extra work on legs, back and waist is what you
need.
Some Good Exercises
Legs: Different kinds of squat, hack lift with
a barbell, dead-lift, leg-extension, leg-curl, standing
and seated calf-raises.
Back: Bent over rowing, chins, dumbbell rowing.
Waist: Sit-ups, hanging knee raises, wood chops,
side-bends.
Chest: Flat and incline bench-press, dumbbell presses,
flies.
Shoulders: Standing laterals, standing dumbbell
press.
Biceps: Biceps-curl, incline dumbbell curl.
Triceps: Dips, narrow-grip bench press, pushdown.
As you can see I prefer 'free' weights as they give you
more 'real' strength which is more useful for carrying
those additional tanks.
Sets: Large muscles: 6-10. Small muscles: 3-5.
Doing too much is counterproductive. Quality, not quantity
is what matters. It's also highly recommended to get a
doctors approval before starting any fitness-program and
even then restrict training to no more than twice a week.
Its VERY important is that you know how to train and
how to do the different exercises. You can get seriously
injured if doing it incorrectly so if you're not 100%
sure, get a personal trainer or ask somebody knowledgeable
at your local gym. You don't try to teach yourself diving
so apply the same attitude in the gym?
More in-depth information regarding training, nutrition,
fat loss, etc, can be found at T-mag.com
Claes
Martinsson
Moose Divers
75/28 Jomtien Soi 5, Moo 12,
Banglamung, Chonburi 20150. Thailand.
Tel/Fax. 038 231874
Mobile. 09 832 8732
Email: scubamos@loxinfo.co.th
Bruce Konefe I.T.#47 ANDI
Mobile: 01 299 2968
Email: andibk@loxinfo.co.th
In
the next issue of Thai Diver Claes will be looking
at some simple exercise routines that can be done anywhere
and Bruce will report on another expedition of discovery.
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