FREE
Boost your breath-hold training
the training method that works on your urge to breathe
For beginner to intermediate freedivers, athletes and breath-work lovers.
Meet your instructors
We're Joe and Immy — AIDA freediving instructors who spend our time teaching beginner and intermediate freedivers, helping them to discover what's possible underwater. We believe freediving isn't just for elite athletes! It's for anyone who's drawn to the water, curious about breath, and wants to feel free beneath the surface.
We offer freediving courses and group trips exploring some of the world’s best diving destinations. Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear, and receive exclusive discounts.
This guide is a taster of what we teach, and introduces just one training method, you can explore our full at home 7-day breath-hold training course for an in-depth dive into breath-holds.
Before you start, read this.
Train dry
Practice dry, at home, lying down. All the exercises in this guide are designed to be done on dry land in a safe space. Never attempt them in water, sitting up, standing, or anywhere you could fall.
Breath holding in water — even shallow water — carries a serious risk of blackout and drowning.
Take a course & never dive alone
Take a course before you freedive. Breath hold training and freediving are not the same thing. Before entering the water, please complete a freediving course with a certified instructor.
And ALWAYS freedive with a qualified buddy.
Liability
The information and exercises in this guide are provided for educational purposes only. By using this guide, you accept full responsibility for your own health, safety, and wellbeing. Flow State Freediving accepts no responsibility for any loss or harm as a result of this guide. Do not partake if you are pregnant, or have health conditions, seek medical. advice if unsure.
Why your breath-hold ends…
Ok let’s get startedWhen you hold your breath, your body still uses oxygen and produces carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a byproduct. Because you’re not exhaling, that CO₂ builds up in your blood, and it triggers a signal to breathe — that uncomfortable urge, the spasming feeling in your belly. That's called a contraction.
So actually, the urge to breathe isn't about running out of oxygen. It's your body reacting to rising CO₂.
And that reaction is something you can train.
A CO₂ table is a series of breath holds with the same breath hold time each round, but a shorter rest between each one. As the rest periods get shorter, your CO₂ levels don't fully clear between holds — so by the later rounds, you're starting each hold with slightly more CO₂ already in your system.
This gradually increases your tolerance. Your body learns that rising CO₂ isn't an emergency, and the urge to breathe starts to feel less urgent over time.
CO2 tables
your training methodHere’s an explanation of CO2 tables and a taster from our 7-day breath hold course.
The method:
co2 tablesFirst:
1) Calculate your “hold time” - its 50% of your longest ever breath hold (i.e. 50% of your PB)
2) This is the length of time you’ll hold your breath for (for 8 holds in total)
The training method:
1) Lie down, relax doing normal breathing for 2 minutes to prepare for your first hold
2) Take a full inhale, then hold your breath for your “hold time”
3) Do a few recovery breaths at the end of your hold (active inhale, passive exhale)
4) Return to normal breathing, for your “rest time” until the next hold
5) Repeat your breath hold, using the same “hold time”
6) After each hold, decrease the rest time by 15seconds.
The honest truthCO2 tables alone wont get you there
CO₂ tables are one of the most effective tools for building breath-hold tolerance — but they're not the full picture. Training only CO₂ tables is tough on your nervous system, and it misses a big piece of what actually limits most people: the nervous system and mental side.
Try our breath hold course
In our full 7-day course, we introduce a complete training toolkit so you're not just grinding through discomfort, but building genuine comfort and skill, that leads to SUSTAINABLE progress. Nervous system regulation is the pillar of this course.
Train at home, dry.
Designed by AIDA-certified instructors.
Suitable for complete beginners — no experience needed.
A 7-day at-home breath-hold course created by AIDA freediving instructors Immy and Joe. Built around nervous system regulation, relaxation and the mental side of breath-holding — not just tables and pushing harder. This course is perfect preparation for a freediving course, or to continue your training, perfect for total beginners up to intermediate levels.
No water, no equipment, no experience needed. Just a calm, structured week of training that teaches you how your body actually works, and leaves you with the tools and a personalised plan to keep improving long after day 7. See noticeable results within one week.