Quest to improve my conditioning, some questions

TheArtist

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Hi all, been a lurker for ages but this is my first post in here. I've read the faqs and the big stickies but need help with stuff specific to me.

A little background:

About a year ago i was about 70 pounds overweight in terms of being above a weight i could naturally compete in combat sports at. I had over 35 percent bodyfat and was in terrible condition with a resting heart rate around 90bpm. I began to diet ( losing a sensible amount of around two pounds a week) changing my eating habits and worked out a little. I trained muay thai and bjj for 6 months. In this time i lost 30 pounds and probably put on some muscle, although i never kept records of muscle gain my body shape change suggests i have, my bodyfat is down to about 23 percent and my resting heart rate was around 62 bpm.

I tore ligaments in an ankle while grappling and havent trained in about two months. My resting heart rate is close to 70bpm again and i stopped dieting. I havent gained any of the weight back but I want to get down to a weight i could compete at, which at this point means a loss of another 30-40 pounds. My training resumes tomorrow and my ankle is back in perfect condition.

My goal is to get myself into peak condition by the time i get down to my competition weight. I don't want my cardio to be holding me back in training so i want to get into competition shape so i can concentrate more on technique and strategy, without worrying about me gassing out. I can supplement my specific training for several hours every day with whatever cardio work is necessary and want to know what type of things i should be focussing on in order to get my resting heart rate down to the low 50s and be in shape to go 5 three minute rounds of muay thai at close to full effort. What i need is pointers in the right direction of what type of work i need to put in order to do that.

I expect to lose the weight necessary in around four months and would like to be able to compete right away, is it viable to get myself into the kind of cariovascular shape i want to be at in that time frame from my situation now? With the time to train i have what sort of time frame should i be looking to reach my cardio goals in?

What kind of excercises, for what duration and how often will get me into the shape i need? I need a program that works me into peak cardio shape but also gives me the muscular endurance to go 5 three minute rounds to the best of my ability.

i have reasonable knowledge of training but am looking for something more specific than i have the knowledge to create.


Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.
 
want to know what type of things i should be focussing on in order to get my resting heart rate down to the low 50s and be in shape to go 5 three minute rounds of muay thai at close to full effort.

There are three different goals listed in that one sentence:

1. Heart rate in the 50's
2. Endurance for 5 three minute rounds
3. Power during those rounds

The training to achieve each of those goals is a little bit different.

Joel Jamieson's book does a nice job of covering the different systems involved and how to design a training system for them: Welcome to 8 Weeks Out.

I saw a big improvement in my resting heart rate when I got a heart rate monitor and shifted to doing long (60-90 minute) workouts at about 60% of MHR. The idea is to stretch the heart so that the capacity per beat increases, leading to a reduction in RHR by virtue of the fact that your heart will pump that much more blood each beat.
 
bump . . . cause i'm always in need of new ways to improve cardio too . . . all i do is run on the tread mill as fast as it can go until i am about to die, then hop off it and walk around or jump on the first machine i see and lift heavy weight as fast as i can until i stop being tired.

i dont know if its working and its pretty boring. my first intro class at the new MMA gym is in a few hours and i dont wanna gas during warm ups.... last i checked (high school last year) i ran a 8 min mile.... but i think my cardio has improved since then

HELP!
 
bump . . . cause i'm always in need of new ways to improve cardio too . . . all i do is run on the tread mill as fast as it can go until i am about to die, then hop off it and walk around or jump on the first machine i see and lift heavy weight as fast as i can until i stop being tired.

This is some of the dumbest shit i have ever read. You lift heavy weight as fast as you can until you STOP being tired. How is that working for you?

i dont know if its working and its pretty boring. my first intro class at the new MMA gym is in a few hours and i dont wanna gas during warm ups.... last i checked (high school last year) i ran a 8 min mile.... but i think my cardio has improved since then

HELP!

Help yourself by reading the FAQs and the stickies at the top of the page.
 
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