From the FAQ

[Quoted 4 Truth**]

Q: Is X amount of mile spent biking the same as Y amount mile running?

A: No. When the mechanics of a certain exercise differ from those of another you will have VERY little carryover. This is specificity at it's finest. This is why you may know guys who have great running endurance but gas out during MMA training and vice versa. Because of this, the best way to get more stamina for a given activity is to do that activity.

We've all read that quote by Pedro Rizzo:


Quote:
Runners run, swimmers swim, fighters fight.

It seems the more your body does a specific movement, the easier it gets. Your body remembers and adapts. Which lessens the amount of energy you used to do said task.

so my question is,

as a Muay Thai practicioner, why the hell am i running? I run like almost 5 miles everyday, and now that i think of it...it really hasn't helped me much in my craft. I suppose it is just tradition to run.

This makes me question the validity of the term "cardio" when it comes to combat sports.

i can understand how skipping rope would help me (rhythm, footwork, lightfootedness), but the mechanics in running are just so different from what i do.

I just don't wanna waste any energy that could be used to directly improve my trade. Look at MMA fighters, from what i see on television, they only bother to run 3x a week, and most of the time it's sprints.

so why do boxers and kickboxers do it? I don't see grapplers doing it much either. Seems like you are shortchanging yourself.

any input?

 

[Nick Fletcher]

Good aerobic conditioning helps with recovery time such as the rest between rounds but other than that LSD running isn't a huge help for fighting.

Fighting is an anaerobic activity so conditioning should be done in the same way. I like to do circuits using exercises that are close to what I use in the ring or cage and set the reps to where it will take at least as long to finish as the rounds in the fight are long.

Do the circuit, time it, rest for a minute and repeat for as many rounds as you will be fighting. Timing the circuit will let you see how your conditioing is improving as you get closer to the fight. It is important to push as hard as you can the whole time though, don't try and save energy to get through the last round.

Hopefully this made sense...I'm half asleep right now. I'll try to remember to come back and read this post again when I'm awake to see if it is coherent.

 

[John L Sullivan]

You need to do LSD training and HIIT. If you don't "believe" that they really help you, that's your perogative, but eventually you'll run into a fighter who will and he is going to wear your ass out.

 

[Revok]

I can't even be bothered inserting the "aw shit, not this again" pic.

Stop trying to rationalise your way out of doing roadwork. Many have tried, all have failed.

 

[IronMaidenfan#1]

I can't even be bothered inserting the "aw shit, not this again" pic.

Stop trying to rationalise your way out of doing roadwork. Many have tried, all have failed.

Haha, so true...
To the TS, of course it's important to spend a lot of time doing your sport of choice (i.e Muay Thai) and to develop cardio doing it but it's still invaluable to work in a mix of aerobic and anaerobic training as well.

 

[Quoted 4 Truth**]

How much LSD is enough though? I know i know it depends on personal goals etc. But i'm running over 5 miles every morning before training, like the thais do.

I really don't know how to "gauge" my aerobic base or whatver you call it. I just need to know how i am benefiting from it at this point.

should i cut down?