Any tips to improve cardiovascular endurance?

[PistolPete33]

I've been training in MMA for a while now. I took some time off and got into bodybuilding but I've been back to MMA for the past 5 months and my endurance is way lower. I did put on a lot of muscle which i know takes more oxygen to keep going but I'm struggling with my cardio lately. I started running and doing 3 miles and I'm dying to complete it. Before I could run 10 miles without gassing. Are there things I can do to get my cardio back or do I just need to keep running and training and it will eventually improve?

Thanks,
Pete

[_CrossroadS_]

Keep running. Your body, and more importantly, your brain, has to get used to intense long lasting cardio again. I completed a half marathon and used the schedule 1 training to prepare. I would never have imagined running over ten miles before doing it.

[madmancman]

i know its a bit off subject but are you still weight training. if so could you please give me some idea of what you weekley workout looks like.

im asking this because im thinking of putting boxing/circut training routin into my weekley routine and was just woundering how other people put there routines together.

cheers

[SHANE704]

not sure, but i have heard that jumpin rope is a great way to increase cardio

[Anaval]

I think you should attempt some HIIT...studies show that cardiovascular improvement is best witnessed when training just above your anaerobic (lactic) threshold. Go all out for 30 seconds then slow it down for a minute then slowly change up the intervals.

[wheelkicktotheface2]

ur training to be more slow twitch muscle dominant you want more fast twitch training. part of this is genetics. You want to do more sprinting than long distance running. this is a basic explanation.

you obviously have to get your cardio up some before attempting the below
i suggest running 100m sprints 10-12 with a 30 sec break in between each one. once you do this 3-4 times a week for 2-3 weeks
we go to 200m sprints aproximately 12 with a 60 second break inbetween each one.

this is pretty basic but very effective. correct distancing obviously has to be done on a track and field .

[RoadToRecovery]

first of all ur defeating urself. ur training to be more slow twitch muscle dominant you want more fast twitch training. Have you ever heard of the insanity training program by beach body ? You want to do more sprinting than long distance running. a fight is more like a sprint than a 10 mile run. dont get me wrong you need some endurance but get most of it from sprinting. for example in a fight you need to turn it on sometimes and really go go go. more like a sprint. if you fight like a long distance runner you would be consistent the whole fight but never have any explosion or be able to really turn it on. this is a basic explanation. feel free to repost if need be and ask about any of the above.
you obviously have to get your cardio up some before attempting the below
i suggest running 100m sprints 10-12 with a 30 sec break in between each one. once you do this 3-4 times a week for 2-3 weeks
we go to 200m sprints aproximately 12 with a 60 second break inbetween each one.

this is pretty basic but very effective correct distancing obviously has to be done on a track and field .

You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. No offense, but where did you get any of this from? And how could you possibly know whether or not his training is hurting or helping?

[wheelkicktotheface2]

most fighters dont run over 2-3 miles for long distance training. this is my opinion and what i observe from a lot of the guys i train mma with around here. they want more explosive training. im a certified nasm trainer. i tried to shorten it up to really make sense but it apparently failed extremly bad. especially if it came across that bad. plus i fight amatuer mma and im a nationaly ranked tae kwon do fighter. so i know a bit . there are muscle fibers that are supposedly in transition between slow twitch and fast twitch and obviously others are set and can never be changed.

[RoadToRecovery]

Immediate explosiveness (ATP), Longer bouts of anaerobic activity (glyoclytic) and endurance (oxidative) are 3 totally different pathways and many sports incorporate all of them. You can be extremely powerful and have outlasting stamina. Just ask Mike Tyson. You cant train to be fast or slow twitch muscle dominant. Thats just absolutely absurd. In fact, you cant control that. What are you trying to get at when you say:

there are muscle fibers that are supposedly in transition between slow twitch and fast twitch and obviously others are set and can never be changed.

Im afraid that doesnt make any sense.

OP -This all boils down to cardiovascular longevity. Running for 15-25 minutes will not help you. You need to set up an actual training plan dedicated to endurance. For starters,
figure out your max heart rate using the Karvonen method and come back and post your results

[wheelkicktotheface2]

Im afraid that doesnt make any sense.

im more or less saying you can increase your natural speed and no im not saying all long distance is bad. im just saying more expolsive workouts would be more beneficial not that long distance is worthless. im assuming your familiar with slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers? im more or less just saying optimize what you have got to achieve your maximum speed and power. yes i understand your thinking genetics control that and thats true to a point but you can always train for your optimal speed. So i guess after all this posting im just saying make sure you include speed workouts like the sprinting i listed and dont rely on strictly long distance cardio. yes you also need long cardio training as well . but your right after i reread what i posted i kind of get what you are saying what i posted was confusing and not written well and could of been much simpler like the above. According to some scientific reports there are a small amount of muscle fibers that are in transition from slow twitch to fast twitch and vise versa.This was part of my personal training education anyways. OH! a good solid base is required so you have to have good cardio. both are equally important. im not saying neglect long cardio training just make sure u do more explosive sprint type work outs =)

[RoadToRecovery]

im more or less saying you can increase your natural speed and no im not saying all long distance is bad. im just saying more expolsive workouts would be more beneficial not that long distance is worthless. im assuming your familiar with slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers? im more or less just saying optimize what you have got to achieve your maximum speed and power. yes i understand your thinking genetics control that and thats true to a point but you can always train for your optimal speed. So i guess after all this posting im just saying make sure you include speed workouts like the sprinting i listed and dont rely on strictly long distance cardio. thats really about it. yes you also need long cardio training as well . so pretty much thats about it . stop making me have to explain myself road or its the rockem sockem robot duel! but your right after i reread what i posted road to recovery. i kind of get what you are saying what i posted was confusing and could of been much simpler like the above are you happy!

Your like a puppy that just had his owner walk through the front door from work. Your all over the place

Clearly you can increase what ever you have by training, but that isnt my point. You were giving contradictory advice by saying that he could increase his endurance by sprinting. Sprinting is an anaerobic and highly explosive exercise.

Increasing your cardiovascular endurance is not specifically about the activity, but maintaining a higher heart rate for an extended period of time. If the activity lasts for an hour, then guess what? You need to perform cardiovascular endurance training beyond that. Its that simple.

[wheelkicktotheface2]

road just out of curiousity ... what kind of education or self education do you have in training and body science. no disrespect meant at all im just interested. you seem knowledgeable in some areas. and do you like bsn products or have had any success with them i get mixed reviews

[wheelkicktotheface2]

Your like a puppy that just had his owner walk through the front door from work. Your all over the place

this is true i get overwhelmed and cant get it out correctly or type exactly what i mean. fix me. im actually thinking its because i havent been to sleep in over 50 hours and should probably log the **** off here until i get sleep. cause my g/f was looking at this and said 1/2 of what i have written today is slightly brain damaged sounding. i was more or less saying focus a lil heavier on explosive training.

[RoadToRecovery]

road just out of curiousity ... what kind of education or self education do you have in training and body science. no disrespect meant at all im just interested. you seem knowledgeable in some areas. and do you like bsn products or have had any success with them i get mixed reviews

I have a certification or 2.

[wheelkicktotheface2]

excellent i only have 1. you are now my go to guy if i need help. thanks for volunteering.

[thenextcutler]

wow, wang measuring contest... :-)

energy systems:

ATP-CP system - most explosive, lasts up to 15 seconds of work

Glyctotic - 15s to 2 minutes, by-product is lactic acid which can cause muscle failure

oxidative and fatty acid - 2 minutes on, unlimited as long as oxygen is available


You can increase your ability to stay in any given energy system by using appropriate types of cardio. Train specific to the energy system you want to strengthen. All three can be trained simultaneously. The guy talking about twitch fibers is a faux-guru.

So run long distance to increase your endurance sure, but if you want to be able to have that powerful ability to burst during a match then you need to do very short sprints to train your Atp-cp (15s run and 15-30s rest) and train your glycotic (sprints up to 2 minutes). These are your anaerobic systems and require max instensity work to train. If you don't push yourself you might only end up training aerobicly (oxidative) which will leave you gassed quickly on the mat when your oponent is going all anaerobic on your ass.

[RoadToRecovery]

wow, wang measuring contest... :-)

energy systems:

ATP-CP system - most explosive, lasts up to 15 seconds of work

Glyctotic - 15s to 2 minutes, by-product is lactic acid which can cause muscle failure

oxidative and fatty acid - 2 minutes on, unlimited as long as oxygen is available


You can increase your ability to stay in any given energy system by using appropriate types of cardio. Train specific to the energy system you want to strengthen. All three can be trained simultaneously. The guy talking about twitch fibers is a faux-guru.

So run long distance to increase your endurance sure, but if you want to be able to have that powerful ability to burst during a match then you need to do very short sprints to train your Atp-cp (15s run and 15-30s rest) and train your glycotic (sprints up to 2 minutes). These are your anaerobic systems and require max instensity work to train. If you don't push yourself you might only end up training aerobicly (oxidative) which will leave you gassed quickly on the mat when your oponent is going all anaerobic on your ass.

If you can sprint up to 2 minutes you dont need training. You need to be on the national geographic lol.

Its not as cut as dry to say If you don't push yourself you might only end up training aerobicly (oxidative) which will leave you gassed quickly on the mat when your oponent is going all anaerobic on your ass. Some fighters dont even lift heavy and they hit very hard. Its about training for specificity.
Just add some running into your training regimen at least 3 times a week (5 closer to a competition) and you will be good to go.

[wheelkicktotheface2]

wow, wang measuring contest... :-)

The guy talking about twitch fibers is a faux-guru.

ok. so. i suppose ill explain what i meant now that ive had sleep. Everyone has a set number of slow twitch muscle fibers and fast twitch muscle fibers. comes from genetics agreed? agreed. good. There are several studies stating that there are muscle fibers that are in a transitional phase and are affected by how you train. which means you can push these fibers to respond and act more like fast twitch or slow twitch depending on the training you do. all i was saying is that for fighting or mma you want to be as fast and as explosive as possible. more speed translates to more power. just ask bruce leeroy and his glowing hands. i r not faux! im also no guru. so apparently im neither? i have no idea but anyways.

[RoadToRecovery]

ok. so. i suppose ill explain what i meant now that ive had sleep. Everyone has a set number of slow twitch muscle fibers and fast twitch muscle fibers. comes from genetics agreed? agreed. good. There are several studies stating that there are muscle fibers that are in a transitional phase and are affected by how you train. which means you can push these fibers to respond and act more like fast twitch or slow twitch depending on the training you do. all i was saying is that for fighting or mma you want to be as fast and as explosive as possible. more speed translates to more power. just ask bruce leeroy and his glowing hands. i r not faux! im also no guru. so apparently im neither? i have no idea but anyways.

None of this applies to the topic though. You can still be fast twitch dominant and have a high endurance.

[wheelkicktotheface2]

i agree and your correct. just saying push more for the speed workouts. what i like anyways and feel the best when im in the cage.

if you have been disabled or killed from doing any workout or exercise i have ever listed you should have known better. everything i post is for entertainment. SO anyone want a personal trainer? im open now. my clients have seemed to diminish lately or be seriously injured. SO WHOS UP FOR IT?