Let’s Train: 4 Weeks of Structured Pool Training to Explore Your Zones

Anthony Feoutis
Mar 29
4 min read

Updated: Mar 30

Steampunk indoor pool with ornate metal arches and glowing lights, surrounded by glass walls. Coral and fish fill the pool. Dreamlike setting.

Free Download: 4-Week Pool Training Plan

This 4 Weeks of Structured Pool Training plan started out as something I created to help a friend structure his pool training. It’s the same concept I personally use for my own training—and not just for pool sessions; I apply it to my depth training too (but that’s another story!).

His progress made me realize this might be useful to share with others, too. The idea isn't revolutionary—it's simply about clearly organizing your training into defined intensity zones (which I’m a huge fan of! You can check out an article that dives deeper into this topic here) This helps you stay consistent and keeps your training enjoyable without burning out (burnout is the ultimate enemy in freediving training—yuck!). Staying consistent is key. Knowing when to push is like finding the keyhole—suddenly, everything clicks into place. Remember, chasing a new Personal Best isn't everyday training—it's the cherry on your cake, the melted chocolate in your lava cake, the froth on your cappuccino… you get the point!

One friendly reminder: never train alone. If you notice someone training solo, invite them to join—there's always room for another underwater buddy!

Each session in this plan falls into one of three easy-to-follow intensity categories:

🟩Green Zone: Comfortable intensity. Ideal for improving CO₂ tolerance, refining your technique, and building endurance (about 70% of your training).
🟧Orange Zone: A bit tougher, gently challenging you to adapt to slightly more demanding conditions (around 20% of your training).
🟥Red Zone: Maximum intensity, reserved for personal best attempts and peak efforts. Safety is crucial here (approximately 10% of your training).

And don’t underestimate the “quiet days.”

Rest and active recovery aren’t just filler—they’re where the magic of adaptation happens. Respect them as much as your hardest sessions. They reset your nervous system, help your body absorb the training, and make you more resilient for the next push.

How the Weeks Flow

The plan follows a natural rhythm to keep you progressing without burning out:

Week 1–2: Build-up weeks—establish rhythm and accumulate training volume
Week 3: Intensity peak—Orange sessions challenge your system
Week 4: Deload and personal best attempt—back off volume, stay sharp, and aim for a breakthrough

Gradient background with an octopus illustration. Text: Accumulation → Intensity → Deload → PB. "Never Freedive Alone" at top, website at bottom.

How I Set Intensity Zones

Your training zones should always be personalized because we're all unique when it comes to handling those almighty contractions! To find my friend's Green Zone baseline, we did seven dynamic dives (DYNb, since that's what he wanted to train, but this works equally well for disciplines like DNF, CWT, or even STA). Why seven? Honestly? Just because I don't like the number eight! But feel free to pick eight, ten, or whatever number suits you best.

Between each dive, He rested fully to make sure he was completely refreshed before going again. For every dive in this first test, he surfaced the moment he felt his first urge to breathe. After noting the distances from these seven dives, we averaged them out, landing around 45 meters—which set the lower boundary of his Green Zone.

Then, to pinpoint the upper limit, we did another seven dives where he surfaced as soon as things started to feel noticeably challenging. After crunching the numbers again, we landed at 60 meters.

I know 14 dives might sound like a lot, but don’t worry—you’ll be resting fully between each one. Plus, you don’t have to do all 14 in a single session! Feel free to split them into two. And remember, these dives are all in your Green Zone—they’re meant to be easy and relaxed.

Bar chart shows training duration by intensity level. Bars are green for low, orange for medium, and red for high intensity. — The Training Zones

Based on this, we defined his zones as:

🟩Green Zone: 45m–60m (Why 60m? Because that's the point he started feeling challenged, marking the entrance into the Orange Zone.)
🟧Orange Zone: 60m–75m (Why 75m? Sure, he could probably manage 80m, but we didn't see the point in risking an unnecessary entry into the Red Zone. 75m seemed challenging enough!)
🟥Red Zone: 75m+

Your zones will naturally differ, but the principle stays simple: Green should feel comfortable, Orange should gently challenge you without overwhelming, and Red is all about exploring your limits. With regular training, your zones will naturally expand. For example, after just one month, my friend's first urge to breathe shifted from 45m to 55m, and he achieved a new personal best of 109m (previously 97m).

That's the beauty of structured training: Green sessions give you a relaxed environment to perfect your technique and underwater comfort, Orange sessions steadily build resilience, and Red sessions deliver the excitement of reaching personal milestones. Always returning to the calm Green Zone keeps training balanced and enjoyable.

Here's a helpful rule to check your training intensity: If you're excited about your next session—if you're thinking, "Oh yes, tomorrow's training! Yay!"—you're on the right track. If you're feeling bored, your training might be too easy, so consider stepping it up a bit. On the other hand, if you're dreading your session, it's probably too intense, and you should dial it back a little.

Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy your diving journey!