SAC and fitness?

[gasdiver]

After getting back into cave diving I found my SAC rate to be far worse than it used to be. It motivated me to get into better shape. Now that I have been working out 4-5 times a week, I feel 100% better all day. My SAC rate is improving, especially since I ramped up the cardio in addition to lifting. My question is what is the best exercise for improving your SAC rate?

BTW, I use a stair climber for my cardio workout.

[Ben M]

diving

[sontek]

My SAC rate is better now than when I was 30lbs lighter. Its all about being comfortable in the water and the skills you are executing. Once you get back into the swing of things and more comfortable your breathing will slow down and your SAC will get back to normal

[gasdiver]

diving

I wish this were a 5 day per week option for me.

Your point is made and I agree with sontek that SAC is to a large degree related to comfort in the water. However, when you swim you are working and your heart rate goes up and so does your SAC. The better shape you are in the less it goes up. I was wondering if folks find swimming laps better than say jogging for diving. Maybe it is too subjective a question...

[Ben M]

While I am not going to talk anyone out of exercising because it is good for you in many other ways, I don't think it will have a significant impact on your SAC. If your goal is to swim at 100 ft/min right down the middle of the passage at Ginnie, then maybe you are on to something, but that's not how we dive.

If your objective is purely to improve your SAC; do something with breathing exercises; hop in a pool with your gear and practice breathing; work on streamlining your gear; concentrate on the glide phase of your kick; eliminate any unnecessary body movements when in the water. Slow is fast.

[jkaterenchuk]

Long Distance running. If you also want to improve it for short high intensity bursts then add some speed work and interval runs.

[Tegg]

There is no correlation between fitness and SAC rate. I know way to many divers that are WAY out of shape with killer SAC rates... It has everything to do with dive time under the water and how "zen" one can be while diving...

[Meister481]

There is no correlation between fitness and SAC rate. I know way to many divers that are WAY out of shape with killer SAC rates... It has everything to do with dive time under the water and how "zen" one can be while diving...

Agreed. In fact, the more in shape I am, the higher my sac rate. Think about it this way, the more muscle mass you have, the more oxygen it takes to operate it. If you are so out of shape that you have no muscle mass and you get winded easily, I can see where that would also cause a heavy sac rate as well.

I went from a .37-.39 sac to a .45-.5 in 4 months of training for the motorcycle track season. The only thing I could attribute it to was my fitness level.

[Greenwood_60]

The optimal breathing patterns of an athlete are completely different that the optimal breathing patterns of a diver. The breathing patterns for an aerobic athlete vs. an anaerobic athlete will be different as well... neither being what it needed for a diver. I would think a combination of anaerobic and aerobic exercise along with some separate breathing work would show the greatest gains.

[LCF]

I'd listen to Ben. He's the only person I've ever dived with where I had to turn a dive on my gas . . .