Why no WARM UP when diving?

[captbillncostarica]

well that is the first time i have ever heard of warming up for a dive,,,but as a very old,old diver i am learning new things every day,,,

but going on a 6 day live aboard doing 5 dives a day would probably keep you warm and ready for sure,,,and i don't believe you would need to warm up,,just maybe some extra rest.

 

[knowone]

There is far more exertion in doing nothing, just diving than is realised.
Just breathing involves exertion.
This is masked by the cooling effect of water and diminished gravity.

There is however a substitute for gravity acting from all directions.
Pressure.
Counteracting pressure requires exertion not only in breathing.

We still have to move the same weight and cumbersome junk,
including ourselves, just under completely foreign circumstances.

If not for the convection of water we would surface hyperthermic
in a puddle of sweat or for those that perspire, perspiration.


Pavement pounders that strike heel first need not apply.

Resting is very good.

 

[Gilldiver]

I know one university diving safety officer who will always do a number of stretches before a deep or long dive. He says it so he knows what hurts before the dive so he can figure out if he is getting bent after the dive.

 

[knotical]

Stretching has been mentioned a couple of times, but my wife the aerobics instructor tells me it's better to warm up before stretching. I think it was something to do with the risk of micro-tears in the not-yet-warm muscles.

edit: In her book Health & Fitness in Plain English, Dr. Jolie Bookspan says essentially the same thing.

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

A couple of notes:

1. Stretching prior to diving is just fine. There is no research that even suggests that mild physical activity like stretching will increase the level of Doppler bubbles (venous gas emboli, or VGE) after decompression. As one poster already pointed out, some people exert themselves more by squeezing into last year's wetsuit than while performing the actual dive.

2. There's a statistical correlation between level (grade) of Doppler bubbles and decompression sickness, but the presence of venous gas emboli in the veins doesn't necessarily mean that the diver has or will have decompression sickness. Any relatively deep (>60 FSW) dive is likely to produce VGE, and we don't see everyone who goes deeper than 60 feet getting bent. This study, Rubicon Research Repository: Item 123456789/3773 is a great example. 73% of the study subjects had VGE, 11% of them as high as grade III (grade IV is the highest), but none of the subjects experienced decompression sickness. The “exercise prior to diving” study being discussed in another thread in this forum is another example - there was a higher occurrence of VGE in divers who did not exercise prior to diving, but none of them experienced DCS. So, when looking at studies involving venous gas emboli, it’s important to differentiate between occurrence of VGE and occurrence of decompression sickness.

 

[manni-yunk]

A couple of notes:

1. Stretching prior to diving is just fine. There is no research that even suggests that mild physical activity like stretching will increase the level of Doppler bubbles (venous gas emboli, or VGE) after decompression. As one poster already pointed out, some people exert themselves more by squeezing into last year's wetsuit than while performing the actual dive.

2. There's a statistical correlation between level (grade) of Doppler bubbles and decompression sickness, but the presence of venous gas emboli in the veins doesn't necessarily mean that the diver has or will have decompression sickness. Any relatively deep (>60 FSW) dive is likely to produce VGE, and we don't see everyone who goes deeper than 60 feet getting bent. This study, Rubicon Research Repository: Item 123456789/3773 is a great example. 73% of the study subjects had VGE, 11% of them as high as grade III (grade IV is the highest), but none of the subjects experienced decompression sickness. The “exercise prior to diving” study being discussed in another thread in this forum is another example - there was a higher occurrence of VGE in divers who did not exercise prior to diving, but none of them experienced DCS. So, when looking at studies involving venous gas emboli, it’s important to differentiate between occurrence of VGE and occurrence of decompression sickness.

I keep going back to a few things.

a) even relaxed divers exert more than they believe.
b) Im talking about a standard WARM-UP as performed pre-excercise in every sport - NOT the actual excercise.

So to my original question in post 1 - do the benefits of a warm up (some listed in post 1 - others obvious to any MD) outweigh any risk.

I guess to really understand my question - people need to agree to the advantages of a warm up AND agree that even a good diver can strain him/herself more than they think - ESPECIALLY when wreck, digging, hunting as opposed to "look at the pretty reef" diving.

We keep turning this into a "excercise before diving" discussion - when its not.

A warm up does involve 5-10 of excercise - but not a hard, rigorous work out.


I would think the biggest issue is HOW to warm up on a boat full of people......with little room.

Oh well - I guess Im putting a square peg in a round hole.


BTW - you shouldnt stretch without warming up either - thats a great way to pull a hammy!.....So saying stretching pre-dive is OK.....can be misleading.

Thanks for the answers.

 

[DennisS]

I keep going back to a few things.

I would think the biggest issue is HOW to warm up on a boat full of people......with little room.

Thanks for the answers.

We've all seen the guy in the banana hammock doing his stretches on the boat, not a pretty sight.

 

[knowone]

Is that the guy with the deteriorated elastic?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I keep going back to a few things.

a) even relaxed divers exert more than they believe.
b) Im talking about a standard WARM-UP as performed pre-excercise in every sport - NOT the actual excercise.

So to my original question in post 1 - do the benefits of a warm up (some listed in post 1 - others obvious to any MD) outweigh any risk.

I guess to really understand my question - people need to agree to the advantages of a warm up AND agree that even a good diver can strain him/herself more than they think - ESPECIALLY when wreck, digging, hunting as opposed to "look at the pretty reef" diving.

We keep turning this into a "excercise before diving" discussion - when its not.

A warm up does involve 5-10 of excercise - but not a hard, rigorous work out.


I would think the biggest issue is HOW to warm up on a boat full of people......with little room.

Oh well - I guess Im putting a square peg in a round hole.


BTW - you shouldnt stretch without warming up either - thats a great way to pull a hammy!.....So saying stretching pre-dive is OK.....can be misleading.

Thanks for the answers.

Hi Manni-yuk,
Yes, it got a bit off-topic but I wanted to address the "venous bubble" issue since it was brought up. I'll try to answer your question a little better. First, can you give me your definition of "warm-up"? If you compete in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu it might be a little different than mine.

 

[knowone]

Getting into the suit Sumosu will suffice.