CONSIDER YOUR FITNESS to DIVE

[MAXFACTOR]

Hi fellow divers,

Just thought I would suggest a book I recently downloaded and ordered regarding an approach to diving in the category of  physical fitnesss.    yea....yea.. ya say,  well in my humble opinion we all need to review our own situation.

Often times when we are diving up in Crosby or Wazee and getting geared up in the summer time we all tend to get a bit overheated. Some divers look great and unstressed, and others look like they're ready to have a heart attack. 

The book I would suggest we all get a copy of starts with a basic approach toward physical fitness.

As we all know many divers that end up in trouble in the water were once great divers and as time goes on and age sets in, many people get a bit lax on the physical fitness part.  Check out all the divers in FL that die each year. 

This may help us all get in more dives then what we may have gotten in.   if we didn't consider our physical fitness and may even make each dive we do easier.

It was also mentioned in the DIR  portion of MN SCUBA.com about 2 years ago.



maxfactor   

[ehuber]

Jessica Adams wrote a book "Fit for Scuba" and she appears to have excellent credentials. As a graduate in Exercise Science I'd urge you to check it out if you're interested in improving your fitness.

I know Cameron Martz has some works out there and a website, but if you checked his background he is an economics, business, and sales guy turned gym owner.

Adams is a scuba instructor, former DAN intern, professor at Kean Univ in NJ working on a doctoral dissertation in Exercise Physiology, got her MS in Exercise Science at Virginia Commonwealth Univ, BS in Health and Physical Education at Virginia Tech, and National Council on Strength and Fitness trainer instructor.

[MAXFACTOR]

Ok... to answer a question that was sent to my private email address.  Regarding my true fitness if I am a smoker as depicted in the ICON  on the board. 

The character is  CANCER MAN... from  the X FILES.    and the reason I picked it was I liked the guys charater.  I got it from a list of icons that the board offers.

NO.....      I have never smoked.  I also consider myself physically fit and mentally prepared to make a dive when I do dive. 

I found it interesting that no one other then EHUBER (the previous  post)  has had any comments on the topic.

DOES THIS MEAN that we are all physically fit, or we don't want to face the facts.

IN MOST OF THE...  dive master and instructor books,  one of the first things they discuss is being physically and mentally prepared.

just a little  Food for thought.    FFT

maxfactor

[Elkman]

I figure that if I can skate the North Shore Inline Marathon, or go mountain biking at Lebanon Hills Regional Park and ride the XX loop, I'm fit enough to dive.

On the other hand, since I didn't do so well at the last North Shore Inline Marathon (finishing in 2:09:40, in the rain), maybe I could do more to improve my fitness.  I'm not as fast as many other mountain bikers are, either, as I found out at a group ride at Lebanon Hills.

[dd_diver]

Another thing that I would add to being physically fit to dive, is not only NOT smoking, but NOT consumming ALCOHOL prior to or after diving.  I realize that some people on this board may choose to down a few brews around the campfire after a day of diving,  however, anything that affects one's circulation can contribute to DCS. 

[deepdarkblue]

I agree.  Alcohol can also greatly impare your diving at depth even if the slightest bit is still in your blood stream and should not be practiced by any serious diver, no matter the depth.  Drinking too much, or even a little more than the norm before diving is not a practice recommended by any dive agency, ever.  Know your limits as well as your buddy's, and don't even come close to exceeding them.

As far as fitness goes; regular aerobic and anaerobic activity is great for the body.  I would also recommend books on the study/practice of Pranayama, or the "Yoga of breath."  That is one fantastic category of yoga that is recommended to many freedivers and can greatly extend bottom time.  I have read, and practiced many of its techniques and find its results fascinating.

Any more questions, just ask.

Raj