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

For largely the same reasons why it’s possible for some people to bench press 500+ pounds when the average person can only bench press around 100-150 pounds or so.

Essentially everything in biology exists on a spectrum and some people will naturally be at the extreme ends. On top of that we’re talking about something that can be trained, and some people train very hard to push their limits even higher.