The Spleen - How To Improve Aerobic Performance

How and why you should improve your aerobic performance, take a journey and find out why oxygen advantage can do for your body.

Since the body has its own defense mechanisms against low oxygen levels, we show you how to “hack” and train up these mechanisms to improve your overall health and performance.

What is the spleen?
The spleen acts as a blood bank by absorbing excess volume and releasing stores during increased oxygen demands or decreased oxygen availability.

The spleen stores blood to a volume that may amount to about 200-300 ml, with 80% of the content consisting of hematocrit (Laub et al., 1993).

During the breath-hold, the spleen contracts to the same extent, regardless of whether the diver is above or under water, pumping blood to the cardiac system, and with this, aggregated erythrocytes.

The resultant blood oxygen capacity enables an increase in O2 concentration by 2.8-9.6% and more intense oxygen transport inter alia to the chest and other organs essential to breath-hold diving.

Spleen contraction develops quickly, as it occurs in the first repetition of the breath-hold, and after the next 3 to 4, it reaches its maximum and is very variable (20-46%) and depends on changes in the hypoxia rate.

An additional number of erythrocytes circulating in the blood due to spleen contraction may be equally important to the following: an increase of the O2 reserve and available O2 supply.

Repeated, multiple breath hold dives intensify the spleen contraction effect. It shows that hypoxemia enhances spleen and kidney function, increasing Hct and Hb circulating in the blood (Schagatay et al., 2007, De Bruijun et al., 2008).

Apneic Spleen Contraction:
Results showed a 6.4% increase in hematocrit (Hct) and a 3.3% increase in hemoglobin concentration (Hb) following five breath holds.

Apnoea should be used directly before a race because its effects (i.e. increased Hct) disappear in 10 minutes after the last apnoea.

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[sophiebrogdon]

As a yoga practitioner, I appreciate your channel so greatly as you share scientific research and reasoning to the ancient breathing techniques that are taught on breath retention.

[KyleKranz]

Fantastic, this answered the biggest question I had, "how long do the benefits last?!"

Thank you!

[frankietaravana]

Really interesting conference.
That show up the important relationship between freediving (spleen contraction) and high performance also in others discipline.
Thanks for sharing 😉

[RJTDI]

Amazing info !!! If the hct levels last just ten minutes, how long does the spleen take to replenish itself before you can get this benefit again ? Can you detect this in anyway ?

[mroctober]

I'm enjoying listening to The Oxygen Advantage at the moment. It sounds like you've gone to multiple Vipassana retreats in the Goenka style. I went to about a half dozen in Ireland and found them very beneficial, although now I go solo.
Which brings me to my question: Who is the girl in the thumbnail? I'd like to marry her, please.

[ajkang]

Hi Patrick, all these talks you do, are they also written in your latest book in greater detail?, thanking you in advance.

[karlrobb]

How many breath holds per day or session?

[SolaBright-]

One question, please: To what extent should one hold his breath?

[benfinesilver]

I don’t have one, but I have a VO2 Max of 72-73 at 45 years old. I’m not sure it makes any difference.

[andrewhall]

There is a tribe who live on the Pacific ocean who rarely go on land they can stay under water for 20 minutes or more and their spleen is more than twice the size of of normal of normal people

[Greg-yuij]

Athletes should be able to use whatever they want as long as it isn’t banned and as long as they publish their supplement list. This way we can benefit from their experience. It’s ridiculous that the Tour de France participants dope for years and years, then they just arbitrarily go after riders they are jealous of. The worst insult is that people Who can’t breathe and get enough oxygen die because it takes years to find out about the new substances

[vickramgoswami]

My spleen is weak and that’s why I have bad stamina.

[Karankhobey]

When going with my heaviest lift. Should I go with neutral spine braced position(Air inhaled) or braced position(Air exhaled). I'm confused, do help.