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
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The same way some humans can run faster, jump higher and lift heavier objects than average humans. Genetics and training
Just FYI, the world record for holding your breath is 24 minutes and 37 seconds.
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2021/5/freediver-holds-breath-for-almost-25-minutes-breaking-record-660285
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.
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.
[Veritasium just did a great video on it, explains your exact question in great detail.](https://youtu.be/Is2Lip1cJUc?si=M3KZQyRBDM552FIN)
You can ask this question for literally any area of human endeavor. How is it possible that some people can bench 700 lbs when most people can barely bench the bar? How is it possible for elite sprinters to run 100m in 10 seconds when most people can’t run it in 20? Practice practice practice and also genetics.
There are a few factors involved:
– Tolerance and familiarity with discomfort. It’s extremely uncomfortable, then painful, then panic inducing to hold your breath beyond a certain point, but if you can tolerate that fear and discomfort you can hold your breath for much longer than you think.
– Hyper-oxygenation. When preparing to hold their breath for a long time, someone practiced will first intentionally hyperventilate to reduce blood CO2 and increase blood oxygen as much as possible. They’ll also take a very deep breath to start with lungs full of fresh air.
– Adaptability/homeostasis. Your body wants to keep everything within certain ranges. This includes oxygen and CO2 levels. If you spend a lot of time holding your breath, your brain and body will adapt to this in various ways. Your lung capacity will get bigger since you’re taking very deep breaths. Your brain will delay the panic response since you’ve taught your brain this is normal and safe. Panic raises your heart rate, so not panicking means normal heart rate and less CO2 buildup. If you’re diving you also will trigger the “whale reflex” and lower your heart rate further to reduce CO2 buildup
The average human is shit at everything. How long can you run at 21 km/h? The average human would struggle to do 1 minute. Eliud Kipchoge did it for 2:01:09, while covering a distance of 42 kilometers.
tldr: practice and genetics
How is it possible for some humans to run 26 miles, when the average human can only run a few miles?
How is it possible for some humans to lift multiple hundreds of pounds, when the average humans can only lift a bit more than a hundred?
How is it possible that some humans can throw a football accurately for 50 yards, when the average human can only throw accurately for 10 yards?
Practice. Practice. Practice.
Funnily enough.. a yt channel called “veritasium” uploaded a video on this EXACT topic.. it is super helpful and actually true
I used to go to swimming practice a lot when i was young and that helped me increase my breath holding capacity.. i can now hold it for more than 2.5 minutes even after stopping swimming practice for a decade
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