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How to Hold Your Breath Longer
- Curtis Tredway
- Nov 10, 2025
- 9 min read
Do you want to hold your breath longer?
Who doesn’t?
Being able to hold your breath for longer has benefits for everyone - freedivers who want more relaxed dives, spearfishers looking to increase bottom time, surfers wanting to stay calm during wipeouts, and anyone wanting to feel more confident in the ocean.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through some simple and effective steps to improve your breath-hold. If you’ve already done a freediving course, the first part will be a good refresher on what you learned. If not, make sure you read from the start -understanding the basics will help you a lot.
Before we dive into the “how,” it’s important to first understand how breathing actually works.
Knowing what happens in your body when you inhale, hold, and exhale air will make it easier to train the right way and see faster results.
What happens when we breathe?
Before you can learn to hold your breath longer, it helps to understand what’s actually going on inside your body when you breathe.
Respiration
Respiration is the process your body uses to turn oxygen into energy. When you breathe in, air travels down your throat (pharynx), through your windpipe (trachea), and into your lungs, where it branches into smaller airways called bronchi and bronchioles. At the very end of these airways are tiny air sacs called alveoli.
This is where the magic happens - oxygen moves from the air in your lungs into your bloodstream, while carbon dioxide (a waste gas) moves out to be exhaled. Oxygen sticks to haemoglobin inside red blood cells, which carry it around your body. Your cells then use this oxygen to break down glucose (sugar) inside the mitochondria, producing energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This is what powers your muscles, brain, and organs.
The process also creates carbon dioxide and water as waste products, which your body needs to get rid of through exhalation
Why do we get the urge to breathe?
Think of your body like a car. When the engine burns fuel, it creates exhaust that needs to escape through the exhaust pipe. If you blocked the exhaust, fumes would build up inside.
Your body works the same way - as your cells burn oxygen, they produce carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a byproduct.
During a breath-hold, CO₂ starts to build up because you aren’t exhaling. This build-up is what triggers the urge to breathe, not a lack of oxygen.
Your brain has special sensors called chemoreceptors that constantly check the levels of CO₂ and O₂ in your blood. When CO₂ gets too high, these sensors send a message to your brain to breathe. In freediving, we train our bodies and minds to tolerate this rising CO₂ level safely.
What does it feel like?
hen CO₂ builds up, you’ll start to feel the urge to breathe. This can feel different for everyone, depending on your CO₂ tolerance, which is how comfortable your body is with higher CO₂ levels.
Common sensations include:
An urge to swallow
Tightness in your chest or throat
Tension in your stomach
Mental stress or the feeling of “I need air”
Contractions — small involuntary movements of your diaphragm as your body tries to exhale
These sensations are completely normal. You still have plenty of oxygen in your system - your body is just reacting to the CO₂ build-up. Training helps you stay calm during these sensations and expand your comfort zone over time.
Try this experiment
You can test this safely at home:
Place a pulse oximeter on your finger.
Take a normal breath and hold it until you feel a strong urge to breathe.
Look at your oxygen reading (SpO₂).
You’ll notice it probably hasn’t dropped much - maybe only a few percent (if at all). This shows that the urge to breathe is triggered by a rise in CO₂, not a dangerous drop in oxygen.
(Note: Always do this sitting or lying down in a safe environment. Never hold your breath in water alone.)
How you can train to hold your breath longer
Now that you understand what happens when you breathe, let’s look at how to train your body to hold your breath for longer.
When we hold our breath, we’re mainly limited by three things:
CO₂ tolerance – how well your body can handle rising levels of carbon dioxide.
Mental control – your ability to relax and stay calm while your body sends signals to breathe.
Hypoxic threshold – how well your body can function as oxygen levels drop.
For most people, the biggest improvement comes from training CO₂ tolerance, so that’s where we’ll start.
Static breath-hold training
Static breath-holds (also called static apnea) are done while you’re completely still — either lying on land (dry training) or floating face-down in the water (wet training).
Wet training: Must always be done with a trained and active buddy watching you closely. Never train alone in water, no matter how experienced you are.
Dry training: Can be done safely at home, lying down on the floor or bed. Never do it while standing or driving.
Static training helps you relax, build comfort with rising CO₂, and understand your body’s reactions.
What are static tables
Static tables are structured breath-hold exercises used by freedivers to improve performance. They involve a series of breath-holds with planned rest periods in between.
There are two main types of tables:
CO₂ Tables: The breath-hold time stays the same, but the rest time between holds gets shorter. This trains your body to tolerate higher CO₂ levels.
O₂ (Hypoxic) Tables: The rest time stays the same, but the breath-hold time gets longer. This helps your body adapt to using oxygen more efficiently.
Before you start using these tables, do a max breath-hold test. See how long you can hold your breath comfortably. Then use that time to adjust the tables to your level - this ensures the training stays safe and effective.
Table 1 - Classic CO2 Table
In a CO₂ table, you keep the same breath-hold time each round but reduce your recovery time between them. This makes each round a little harder because you start the next hold with more carbon dioxide (CO₂) still in your body.
Why is this useful? Because it helps train your body and mind to stay calm when CO₂ levels rise - just like what happens during a real dive.
Here’s how it works:
Do each breath-hold at around 70% of your maximum.
After each hold, take a recovery break that gets shorter every round.
Since it takes about two minutes for CO₂ levels to return to normal, shorter breaks mean you start the next round with a higher CO₂ level — the perfect way to build tolerance safely.
Let’s use an example: If your maximum breath-hold is 2 minutes, then 70% of that is about 1 minute 30 seconds. That will be your hold time for each round.
BREATHE | HOLD |
2.00 | 1.30 |
1.45 | 1.30 |
1.30 | 1.30 |
1.15 | 1.30 |
1.00 | 1.30 |
0.45 | 1.30 |
30 | 1.30 |
By the final round, your body will have much more CO₂ built up — this is where the real training happens. Stay relaxed, focus on calm recovery breathing between rounds, and remind yourself that the urge to breathe is safe and normal.
Just like strength training, you can use progressive overload to keep improving your breath-hold performance. Once your first CO₂ table starts to feel comfortable, it’s time to make small, gradual changes to keep challenging your body.
There are two simple ways to do this:
Reduce your recovery time – Try shortening your rest between holds each session until you’re resting only 15 seconds between rounds.
Increase your hold time – Add around 10 seconds to your breath-hold each round while keeping the same rest time.
These small changes help your body adapt safely without overtraining. Remember, your goal isn’t to push for the longest hold - it’s to build calm, steady tolerance to higher CO₂ levels.
Table 2 - Set Departure Table
This version works much like the classic CO₂ table but gives you a bit more flexibility. Instead of having fixed hold and rest times, you’ll work within a set interval.
For example, let’s say your interval is 2 minutes 30 seconds. This means every 2 minutes and 30 seconds, you’ll start a new breath-hold. However long you hold your breath for determines how much recovery time you get before the next round starts.
If you hold for 1 minute 30 seconds, that leaves you 1 minute to recover before the next round. If you hold for 1 minute 45 seconds, you’ll have 45 seconds to recover.
The goal is to keep each round as consistent as possible - same hold time, same calm rhythm.
Over time, you’ll notice your body and mind adapting to the higher CO₂ levels.
Train this style 2–3 times per week, just like the classic CO₂ table.
Table 3 - O2 Table
While CO₂ tables help you build tolerance to rising carbon dioxide, O₂ tables focus on the other side - teaching your body to stay calm and efficient as oxygen levels drop.
Using the same example diver with a 2-minute maximum breath-hold, we’ll base the table on 80–90% of that max. That means your longest hold should be around 1 minute 45 seconds to 1 minute 50 seconds.
For this table, you’ll keep the same recovery time between rounds but increase your breath-hold time by 15 seconds each round. This helps train your body to use oxygen more efficiently while staying relaxed as O₂ levels drop.
BREATHE | HOLD |
2.00 | 1.00 |
2.00 | 1.15 |
2.00 | 1.30 |
2.00 | 1.45 |
Stay calm, keep your breathing light and controlled during the recovery phases, and focus on relaxation during the holds.
This table is best done 1–2 times per week, alternating with your CO₂ training days. Never train more than once per day - your body needs time to adapt.
How often should you train statics
You can safely train static breath-holds up to 5–6 times per week, as long as you’re feeling well-rested and not combining it with other intense training.
If you’re also doing depth diving or pool apnea sessions, reduce your static training to no more than 3 times per week to avoid overtraining. Breath-hold training puts stress on your body and nervous system, so recovery is just as important as practice.
A good balance is to focus around 80% of your sessions on CO₂ tables (to build tolerance and relaxation) and 20% on O₂ tables (to train your hypoxic threshold).
If you want more static tables to try, check out our other blog - 3 Static Tables Every Freediver Should Try
When will you see results
ow quickly you improve depends on your starting point and how consistent you are — but the good news is, you don’t have to wait long to see progress.
If you train regularly, here’s what to expect:
1–2 minute max: You’ll likely see big improvements within 2 weeks.
2–3 minute max: Noticeable gains in about 2–3 weeks.
3–4 minute max: Smaller, steadier progress over 3–4 weeks, as the focus shifts from CO₂ tolerance to relaxation and technique.
After about two weeks of consistent static training, most people are ready to attempt another max - and will see a clear improvement.
This early jump is mainly due to learning how to relax, manage CO₂, and stay calm through the first few contractions.
These results are backed by research. A 2012 study by Lemaître et al., published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, found that short-term apnea training (over 15 days) increased static breath-hold time by about 30–40 percent in beginner freedivers.
Similarly, Lindholm & Lundgren (2009) showed that repeated breath-holds improve CO₂ tolerance and strengthen the dive reflex within just 1–3 weeks.
Most freediving education systems, including Molchanovs and SSI recommend re-testing your max statics after 2–3 weeks of consistent training, once your body has had time to adapt.
Static tables aren’t the only way to boost your performance. There are several other areas that can make a big difference in how long and comfortably you can hold your breath.
1. Flexibility
Improving flexibility helps you breathe deeper, take in more air, and stay relaxed during contractions. When your chest and diaphragm are more flexible, it’s easier to expand your lungs and reduce tension.
Try adding diaphragm stretches, rib cage mobility work, and thoracic extension exercises into your routine. Even a few minutes of stretching before and after training can make a big difference over time.If you want a flexibility routine designed for freedivers, check out our Freediver Flexibility Routine.
2. Mental Training
Your mind plays a huge role in how long you can hold your breath. Practising meditation and mindfulness helps you stay calm when contractions start and stops panic from setting in too early.
Studies have shown that mental relaxation techniques can slow heart rate and lower oxygen use - both of which are key to a better breath-hold (Foster & Sheel, Journal of Applied Physiology, 2005).
Spend 5–10 minutes a day focusing on slow, calm breathing or guided meditation. You’ll notice the benefits both in and out of the water.
3. Do a Freediving Course
Whether you’ve never tried freediving, you’re a beginner, or already experienced, training hands-on with an instructor will always give you the best results.
You’ll learn proper breathing techniques, safety, and mental control - plus get real-time feedback to correct small habits that might be holding you back.
Looking to book a course?
or
Both are perfect for improving your technique, confidence, and breath-hold performance while connecting with an incredible community of ocean lovers.
Safety Disclaimer: you should never hold your breath in water without an active buddy watching you at all times. Even experienced freedivers can lose consciousness without warning.
For any ‘dry’ (out of water) breath-hold training, always stay seated or lying down somewhere safe - like on a bed, couch, or mat - where there’s no risk of falling or injury if you experience a blackout.
Safety should always come first. Breath-hold training is an amazing tool for building calm and confidence, but only when done the right way.
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