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What does diving fitness mean to you? ?
How important are diving fitness to you
and what do you do about it or are you
to lazy to do any thing? ? :cool2:
I think some level of fitness is important regardless of diving. Maybe people have heard about the heart disease and obesity epidemics in this country? Not too many are still "fat and happy" after there first heart attack - providing that they live, of course.
While it's true that diving could be considered a physical activity - it's about on par with mowing the lawn. Cardio is important. Probably more important than any weight training you could do. Cardio and core exercises. I like the concept of "functional fitness" - whereby you train your body to handle real-life situations. If you frequently dive in an area with strong currents, then a routine that lends itself to strong swimming is probably a good idea. I often wonder about divers that don't swim or run as part of a workout routine...
Especially when you consider the # of divers that die as a result of a cardiac event at depth, on the surface, wherever...
Perhaps the prime fitness concerns for me are being able to;
1- Take care of myself and
2- Take care of an injured buddy or other diver
When you chose diving as a sport, you give up a portion of your right to be unfit because being unfit can endanger you and those around you.
What do I do about it? Regular exercise both cardio and strength to include;
Cardio- bicycling, jogging, rollerblading and, my favorite of all, volleyball
Strength- Bowflex
Add in a good diet and there you have it!
I think the important thing is that you need not be a marathoner or bulky body builder, but you have to have a good overall toned level of fitness.
I think fitness for diving is overrated. We train and adjust out gear so we can exert as little effort as possible under water. We don't want it be be aerobic.
Yes, surface swims require fitness. Plan the dive so you don't have to swim.
Yes, getting down a steep hill to a shore dive, carrying doubles etc etc, would require fitness. But that's not diving. If one is not so fit, one can plan easy boat dives.
I have an ex father in law who is now 86 I believe. He has a hard time getting down the hill to Hanauma Bay or where ever, but once in the water...like a sea lion.
Depends on the kind of diving you're doing. Diving in cold water, with heavy exposure protection and weight, requires a higher level of fitness ... if for no other reason than just making it easier to get into and out of the water. Diving in currents, surge, or long surface swims can make fitness almost mandatory if you want to enjoy the dive ... especially for those of us who do a lot of shore diving.
And if you're going to get into tech or cave diving? Fuggedabouddit unless you've got some aerobic stamina ... especially if there's flow or current to deal with.
You don't need to be an athlete by any stretch ... but you do need a reasonable level of physical strength and stamina. It not only gives you the ability to handle the occasional dive where currents or other conditions push you physically, but overall it just makes diving more relaxing and enjoyable ...
Bob, thats not exactlly true....I went from being an extreamly fit 200 lb professional diver, to being a 340 lb out of shape diver, then back to a 200 lb fit working diver. Diving is much easier, safer, and more fun as a fit diver no matter the diving conditions.
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