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Apnea Training And Physical Characteristics: Enhancement Of The Dive Response, Apneic Time, And Recovery, Nathanael Stanford

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Human breath-hold diving (free diving) has been gaining popularity as new individuals participate in the sport every year. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) breath-hold tables have been widely implemented as a training modality and prescribe constant submaximal apneic durations with gradually decreasing recovery times to increase hypercapnic resiliency. Previous studies implementing maximal duration apnea training have found enhancements in apneic duration and the mammalian dive reflex (MDR), which is elicited by apnea and augmented with facial immersion. The MDR results in bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction to redistribute blood to vital organs and elicit oxygen (O₂) conserving resulting in …