Dive Conditioning: Year-Round Fitness For Divers

Every diver is unique and calls for a customised exercise plan. Some, nonetheless, are universal features of a diving conditioning program. Strong calves, for instance, ease finning and help avoid cramps on dives. Regular exercise can also assist divers avoid major diving problems including lung overpressure by improving lung function.

Cardiovascular Conditioning

Divers need cardiovascular fitness to assist them manage the physical demands of a dive. Improved cardiovascular endurance lets a diver breathe more freely and lengthen his or her dives by not tiring as fast. For instance, a diver can have more incredible experiences in deeper water if he or she can make more of the necessary dives before tiredness or self-exhaustion results. Good cardiovascular endurance divers are also less prone to experience valvular regurgitation, which can be fatal for dives and occasionally indicates coronary artery disease. Moreover, by adopting a good lifestyle including a balanced diet and frequent exercise, divers can enhance their cardiovascular condition.

Strength Exercises

Enough muscular strength enables you to meet the different requirements of dynamic dive situations. Furthermore, when your muscles can manage the current work, you will be more sure about your diving skills. Strength exercise enhances flexibility, boosts muscular mass and bone density. Though too much heavy lifting can cause dissolved gases to cavitate out of solution and lead to decompression illness (DCI), it is still advisable to perform it in moderation. Your diving can also improve from endurance activities as brisk walking, jogging or swimming (longer distances, not sprints). Good stamina helps your body transfer oxygen to your tissues and eliminate carbon dioxide, two vital components during a dive. The most often used muscle groups for diving are the ones you use for finning and frog kicking—your legs. Targeting the calves, sitting calf lifts are efficient even if you do not have access to a gym.

Training in Flexibility

Diving depends on the body being able to fold into a range of positions. Deep dives—like those to 70 meters—can cause up to eight bars of pressure on every square centimetre of the body and shrink a diver's lungs to the size of oranges. To withstand the strain, this great pressure calls for extraordinary flexibility; this flexibility also helps prevent musculoskeletal problems. During a dive, tight neck muscles—more especially, the sternocleidomastoid muscle—cause difficulty in equalling pressure between the middle ear and sinues. Frequent stretching releases this muscle, therefore facilitating equalisation. A flexible physique also lets divers manoeuvre around a rocking boat and re-board the boat following a dive, more readily put on their equipment and enter or exit the water. Furthermore, a good range of motion (ROM) in every joint lowers the chance of damage from overdoing it during the training period preceding a dive.

Injury Avoidance

Divers must have plenty of physical fitness reserves to manage dive-related emergencies. This is the reason the ADAA Schedule for Medical Fitness to Diving advises all divers to annually complete a health questionnaire and go through a medical fitness to diving evaluation. The ADAA Medical Fitness to Dive Guide offers a summary of the most often occurring diving ailments and advice on how to prevent them for anyone hoping to be certified. Apart from keeping good physical condition, divers also need to practise correct diving methods, pay attention to equipment maintenance, and avoid situations that could cause injuries by means of stress. For a diver, exercise is helpful; but, timing of exercise is critical for both maximum advantages and lowest danger. Exercise too near a scheduled dive raises the risk of decompression illness (DCI), which is linked to N2 removal, absorption and bubble formation. High intensity exercise should thus be avoided in the hours before and during a dive.