Knowing how to make a breath-hold table from scratch means you can train apnea without copying someone else's numbers — which is the whole point, because a table only works when it's scaled to your own lungs. It starts with one figure: an honest, recent maximum hold. From there, a little simple arithmetic gives you both a CO₂ and an O₂ table, and a handful of free apps will do the math automatically. Here's the step-by-step, plus a troubleshooting guide for when the table feels wrong.
Start With an Honest Max Hold
Everything keys off your relaxed maximum static breath hold. Find it safely: lie down, do a calm breathe-up, and hold until a firm (not desperate) urge to breathe — with a buddy present. Don't chase a hero number; an honest, repeatable max is far more useful than a one-off effort you can't safely train against. Re-test it every few weeks, since your table should track your current fitness.
If your max hold isn't stable yet, build it first using how to hold your breath longer for spearfishing, then come back to build tables on top of it. For how the two table types fit together, see Breath-Hold Tables: The Complete CO₂ & O₂ Guide.
The Math: Setting Holds and Rests
Two rules cover almost everything:
- CO₂ table — fix the hold at a percentage of your max and shrink the rest each round. A common starting point is a hold around 55–75% of max, with rests stepping down from about 2:00 toward 0:15.
- O₂ table — fix the rest and grow the hold each round, starting near 50% of max and climbing toward 80–90% by the final round.
Work in round numbers and adjust by feel. The arithmetic gets you a sensible starting table; your logbook tells you whether to nudge it up or down next time.
Build a CO₂ Table From Your Max
Say your max hold is 3:00. Set the fixed hold at roughly 60% — call it 1:45 — and walk the rest down:
| Round | Rest | Hold (fixed) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:00 | 1:45 |
| 2 | 1:45 | 1:45 |
| 3 | 1:30 | 1:45 |
| 4 | 1:15 | 1:45 |
| 5 | 1:00 | 1:45 |
| 6 | 0:45 | 1:45 |
| 7 | 0:30 | 1:45 |
| 8 | 0:15 | 1:45 |
If the last two rounds aren't a real fight, lengthen the hold by 10–15 seconds next session. If you're struggling by round four, shorten it. The full method and mistakes are in CO₂ Tables for Freediving.
Build an O₂ Table From Your Max
Same 3:00 max, fixed rest of 2:00, holds climbing from 50% toward ~85%:
| Round | Rest (fixed) | Hold |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:00 | 1:30 |
| 2 | 2:00 | 1:50 |
| 3 | 2:00 | 2:10 |
| 4 | 2:00 | 2:25 |
| 5 | 2:00 | 2:35 |
For a different starting point — say a 2:00 max — the same percentages scale down cleanly: a 60% CO₂ hold becomes about 1:10, and an O₂ table would climb from roughly 1:00 to 1:40. The percentages stay the same; only the clock changes.
Let an App Do the Math
Once you understand the arithmetic, an app saves the fuss: enter your max hold and it auto-generates your CO₂ and O₂ tables, then beeps you through every hold and rest so you can keep your eyes closed and stay relaxed. The math doesn't change — you're just handing the bookkeeping to your phone.
This is exactly why we're building Spira: a free apnea-table app that generates your CO₂ and O₂ tables from your max hold and times the rounds, with an AI layer that turns your logged sessions into a structured plan instead of a static timer. Premium perks add automatic weekly-plan generation and extra table types (hybrid, ladder, pyramid, progressive). It's in development now — you can join the early-access list to try it first.
An app is still just a calculator with a timer — it doesn't change the rules, it removes the friction so you train more consistently. When you're ready to push past basic tables, the variants in Advanced Apnea Tables: Hybrid, Ladder & Pyramid build on exactly this math.
Troubleshooting Your Table
- Too easy all the way through? Your hold is set too low (CO₂) or your holds climb too slowly (O₂). Re-test your max — it's probably grown — and rescale.
- Fighting from round two or three? Too aggressive. Drop the CO₂ hold by 15s, or start the O₂ holds lower. You should ease in, not start in the red.
- Light-headed or seeing stars? Stop. That's a low-oxygen warning, not progress. Shorten everything and review safety before the next session.
- Wildly different day to day? Sleep, caffeine, stress, and a full stomach all move your numbers. Judge a table over a couple of weeks, not a single session.
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