Preparation Phase
Complete insights in training and
head space for a realistic understanding
The Beginning
Standing poolside at the closing ceremony of the World Championships, I felt incredibly proud. Celebrating with world-class athletes and friends like Matt Malina, Florian Dagory, Guillaume Bourdila, Aaron Fisher, Heike Schwerdtner and many more was proof that all the years of hard work, safe training and discipline had paid off.
To understand the full picture, let’s start at the beginning. A long season full of competitions in winter 2025 and the beginning of 2026 came to an end with a surprisingly successful valentines day competition: the Suunto games 2026 in Wrocław.
After the competition we realised that I had fulfilled the obligatory requirements to represent Poland on the greatest stage of them all: the World Apnea Pool World Championships 2026 in Budapest. Hitting this milestone changed things completely and instead of claiming the off-season and getting some well-deserved rest we immediately had to start with the application and the next steps in the preparation process.
March 2026
In march my spot on the Polish National Representation was officially confirmed and the countdown was on. However life is not always fully cooperative, especially when it comes to sports. Freediving preparation requires absolute physical integrity but during the months of March to May I also had to overcome an unexpected struggle. Right at the onset of our training block, during the German VDST Championships, I injured my intercostal muscles due to different circumstances in the competition pool compared to the training one. An intercostal strain is a nightmare for a freediver. When inhaling fully, the ribcage expands and strains these muscles, making deep inhalation holds physically impossible. Adapting the training to current conditions was mandatory, so we focused on gym to support the intercostal and core muscles. Other than that, I also focused on exhale holds. This helped with training my body for lower O2 levels and diaphragmatic flexibility on empty lungs, keeping the injured muscles completely relaxed.
April 2026
Changing my job also meant losing access to my usual gym facilities and completely having to reorganize our training schedule. But since I have always managed to find solutions to life’s unexpected challenges, we additionally partnered with the incredible team at Physiotherapie Praxis Gern to further improve my preparation. With my physiotherapist Leni we managed through regular and targeted physical therapy to rebuild my old joints and worked on slowly expanding comfortable, relaxed holds with increasingly fuller inhales.
May 2026
Finally we were fully back in the gym, targeting to achieve peak maximum strength. Just two weeks before the championships, our game-changing package from Cetma arrived: brand-new bifins and a custom monofin. To improve training further, we switched the dynamic training from our usual 25m pool to a 50m Olympic-size setup, which is the same like it would be in the World Championships Pool. However, whilst the pool size and the new fins shifted to championships conditions, my mindset still stayed the same: progression doesn’t come from repetitively pushing beyond the limit. It is rather build with time:
- a strong foundation
- understanding of the sport
- listening to your body
- working on your weaknesses
A combination of all these aspects will support extending your achievements over time while staying in a safe environment.
The final Countdown 2026
During this period time management was key. Throughout this entire preparation process during the last months, I was still working a normal 40-hour work week. To be able to cover the costs of attempting the World Championships, I also worked a mini job of 20 hours. Adding another 30 hours of training, travel, and recovery was a monumental task. With good planning and a trusted team behind us we managed to make the last steps of preparation possible.
