How is it possible for some humans to hold their breath for +6 minutes, when the average human can only hold it for app. 1 minute?

Question

I was watching this documentary on free diving, and was wondering how it was possible for these guys to hold their breath for so long compared to every one else

In: 542

Answer 1

Training and physical development. The same way that there are people who can do 100 pull-ups and people who can barely do one. You don’t start as a high-performer. You gradually train your body to push its capabilities and can sometimes eventually reach greater peak performance.

I say “sometimes” because it’s not universal of course. You can train for some things and not others. For instance, nobody is going to train themselves into being flame resistant so they won’t get burned.