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'Cardio' For the Martial Arts
Cardiovascular training can be a confusing topic and there are many
different and divergent views on the subject. Different reputable sources
inform us that you don't need to do cardio - just spar really long rounds
(for grappling), or that you should spar twice as many rounds as you are
going to fight (boxing), or that you should do sprints, or do long runs, or
lift weights for muscular endurance, etc. With so many 'experts', it is no
wonder that the answer isn't cut and dried.
I have my own beliefs and they seem to work fairly well for me. I
noticed a couple of years ago that my techniques worked best and my
sparring was sharpest not when I was stronger but rather when my 'cardio'
was at its peak. Because I wasn't getting winded in sparring, I was able to
think and make coherent plans throughout the match. At the time I was
running 3 or 4 times a week, for 20 to 50 minutes at a time, in preparation
for the fire department entrance test.
The more research I have done on running, the more I have come to
realize that there are different levels of intensity for cardio and that it
is important to spend quality time in most of them. It is probably true
that one could substitute wrestling, uchikomi, kicking the bag/pads, or
sparring for 'traditional' exercises, and that they would develop more
sport-specific skills. I do a lot of running, biking,stairmastering or
stair running, however, because of 4 reasons:
1.. I can do them without a partner
2.. I enjoy them (especially running and biking)
3.. It is easier to stay in the exact zone that you want to be in
4.. My chance of injury may be smaller.
Based on any number of good running books (of which Daniel's Running
Formula by Jack Daniel's is an example) I have decided that, for myself, to
do different types of cardio and, to some extent, periodize my cardio. Most
authors recognize 3 or 4 types of aerobic and anaerobic training:
1 - 'Easy and Long' or 'LSD' (Long Slow Distance) or 'Aerobic
conditioning'
or 'overdistance'
This level is characterized by by going for at least 45 min at 60 to
70% of max heart rate. Depending on my goals at the time, I try to do this
sort of training once or twice a week, either riding a bike, running or by
climbing Grouse Mountain (the locally popular 'Grouse Grind'). I try to go
at a pace where I could talk if I had to, but not carry on a conversation.
This, for me, translates to keeping my heart rate between 140 and 150.
Some people argue that this type of training is that it is too long,
given that a typical match or round is only 5 minutes long. I disagree for
a number of reasons. First, one is going to be nervous long before the
fight starts, and working for this long acclimatizes the body endure
protracted stress. Another reason for going this long is to prepare your
base for the more strenuous training to follow. You've got to jog before
you can sprint. There are also many physiological adaptations that are best
stimulated by LSD type training. Finally this sort of training is excellent
for weight control and minimizing body fat.
Another way of thinking about it is asking why runners who
specialize in 5 km runs (roughly equivalent to a grappling match) never
just train distances of 5 km or less. They ALWAYS run longer distances as
well, often up to 10 or 15 km.
2 - "Threshold" or "Tempo Runs" or "Anaerobic conditioning
This type of cardio is shorter and harder than type 1 conditioning.
Here you are looking at c. 20 minutes (e.g. 15 to 30 min) with your heart
rate about 90% of maximum. This type of training conditions your anaerobic
systems and helps prepare them for really short interval training which you
might do later. I often jump onto a rolling hills stairmaster program for
this type of training, so my heart rate is usually at c. 85 to 90% for a
good portion of the 20 minute program. Right now I am doing at least two
sessions of type 2 cardio in an 8 day cycle.
I have heard that Frank Shamrock's routine consists of a warm up for
5 to 10 minutes, after which he keeps his heart rate at 170 for 20
minutes). This is an example of type 2 cardio or anaerobic conditioning. I
would really like to know what Frank's maximum heart rate is: if I had to
guess it is probably about 197 to 200 bpm. If his HR is much lower (e.g.
180) then keeping it at 170 for that long would be an awesome achievement.
HR-based training has a lot of potential pitfalls, not the least of
which is that max HR of 220 minus age can be off by 20 or 30 beats per
minute. For HR based training one really has to do a maximal effort test
(e.g. 4 laps of a 400 m track with ever-increasing intensity) to determine
what your personal (as opposed to estimated) max HR is.
3 - Sprint Training
Many hard-core runners divide 'Sprint Training' into two or more
categories. Typically they differentiate between: A) 'Interval Training' or
'Aerobic Capacity' training, and
'Repetition Training' or 'Anaerobic Capacity' training. The differences between the two categories of training
lie in the work-to-recovery time ratios and the intensity of that work.
Typically in 'Category A' (Interval) training you go for slightly longer
intervals with less recovery time, whereas in 'Category B' (Repetition)
training you go shorter and faster, but with quite long recovery periods.
My sense is that, for 99% of all competitive grapplers and martial
artists, that the differentiation between Interval and Repetition training
is academic. Basically in Sprint training you are trying to go very hard
(95% to 100% of max heart rate) for not very long (20 seconds to 2
minutes), recover for a relatively short interval, and then go again.
Obviously the harder one goes and the less rest you have, the more your
performance at the sprints themselves will deteriorate over time (and that
is OK).
The goal of Sprint training is to condition you body to function at
close to maximum effort while in a severe oxygen deficit. It will also help
develop your system's ability to process and remove lactic acid from your
muscles.
Some typical sprint workouts might include:
A) Go to a track and run a 400m lap at 90% intensity. Say this takes
you 1 1/2 minutes. Now rest 1 1/2 minutes and go again; try to keep the
same time for your sprint (now it might take 91% intensity). Repeat 8 times
Do a 20 minute run: alternate between 1 minute jogging at an easy pace and 1 minute of running very fast
C) Do so-called 'Tabata Intervals' where you do an activity for 20
seconds on, 10 seconds off, for 6 to 8 reps. For the sake of argument,
assume you are using a rowing machine. Warm-up first, then start the
sprints. Go completely berserk for 20 seconds (100% effort) then rest for
10 seconds, go completely berserk for another 20 seconds, etc. If you do
these properly, you will find the pain from lactic acid quite extraordinary
by the 5th or 6th rep.
I think a common mistake is to try to get to sprint training too
early in your training cycle. It is very important to get in sufficient
training at lower speeds and intensities (Long Slow Distance) before you
jump it up all the way to sprint training. If you start with sprint
training injury is much more likely, because your bones, muscles and
connective tissue might not be sufficiently conditioned to handle the
stress.
Training Cycles, Periodization and Overtraining.
I have written a small book on the subject of periodization and
overtraining, so all I'm going to do here is to summarize the most salient
points. The question is how to organize your training to avoid
overtraining, injury and to ensure peaking at the right time. This is
another very complicated subject, with many experts weighing in from the
running literature, bodybuilding literature, etc..
I have mixed feelings as to whether a weightlifting periodization
plan is appropriate for grappling. Traditionally periodization is designed
to maximize your 1 rep max, whereas for grappling you want to optimize your
muscular endurance and anaerobic endurance. In most competitions you may be
fighting for 5 to 20 minutes, possibly several times in a day. This is
roughly equivalent to the energy expenditure for a 5 or 10 km running race.
Accordingly, it may be appropriate to consider training regimens for those
events.
Basically you might start out doing a lot of level 1 (LSD) training,
maybe with a bit of level 2 thrown in for fun. Gradually you increase the
intensity of your training, substituting more and more anaerobic work for
the aerobic work. Even in the final stages, however, you still want to be
doing at least one level 1 (LSD) session each week to maintain your aerobic
conditioning.
It is critical to reduce the volume of training as the training
intensity increases. One of the most common pitfalls that the avid and
eager trainee can fall into is to keep adding on additional exercises and
training sessions as he approaches competition time. As you increase the
intensity of what you are doing (i.e. sprint training) you need to cut back
on other activities to avoid injury and overtraining. Your total time spent
conditioning each week decreases as your sessions get more intense. Of
course in the last week before the competition you should do very little in
the way of conditioning, maybe just one relatively short LSD session and
one relatively easy sprint session.
Speaking of endurance, my fingers are tired. Hope all goes well in
your training
Stephan
-- art. polecony przez Ricardo Pires'a
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