Tim (and anyone else who has something to say about this),

Do you run to improve your endurance and such for your training and competing? How much does it help you? How far and fast do you run? I know Bruce Lee did a *lot* of running, usually 5 miles a day.

I do alot of cardio based training, but I don't run.

Running is an excellent method of general cardio conditioning.

Mont,

I have found that the Bguazhang circle walking pratice is excellent for cardio and endurance. I prefere that to running because i find it alot more "low impact" on the knees and hips and having been a tennis player and and skateboarder as a kid, i already have knee damage. Studies have also shown that a walk at a 'brisk pace' can raise your heart rate to the same counts as a jog. runnig is still a great all around conditioning practice, but for those of us with existing injuries and/ or risk factors, the lower impact stuff can be just as effective.

Mont,
I agree with Chad... my teacher always told us to practice(learn) pakua circle walking, because it is sometimes called daoist jogging. It is easier on the legs and you can work up a good 20 minute routine and not kill your knees on the pavement.

That company that puts out the "syner-abs" program published a cardio book in which a study is cited where 2 groups of people with sedantary lifestyles were put on different aerobic conditioning programs, one on a stationary bike and the other on a stairclimber, I believe. At the end of 2 months, both groups were shown to have improved considerably, but when retested on the machine of the other group, they were almost as bad as when they first started.

Why not use 10-12 three-minute rounds of bagwork like the thai boxers? This would be more grueling than walking, easier on the knees than running, and much more relevant to MAs.

Keneth has a good point, the bag work would give you a dual traing effect. You can praatice technique while improving stamina. Bag work is awsome cardio! i would add in some dipping leg movements to really excentuate the legs as well.

I used to do 12, 3 minutes of jumping rope in full taekwondo sparring gear (head, chest, shins, forearms, cup, mouthguard) with a 30 second rest between rounds and around 130-145 jumps per minute.

That was back when I competed in tkd. I used to do that 1-2 times a week (any more would overtrain me). I also did some road running, stationary bicycling, and of course heavy bag cardio stuff and regular skills training (1000 kicks in a row, ect.) those all worked cardio pretty well.

On monday's at class we would do "total body workout". Only around 4-5 students would come to the adult class on mondays (including me). At the time the 6th degree blackbelt and former korean national team member was teaching class while his brother was in korea. He was kinda crazy about conditioning. We did tons of plyometrics, sprints, running, crazy hopping drills, every type of exercise the elderly are told to avoid .

Tons of sets of pushups of every type. (the last 3 sets of pushups would be clap, double clap, triple clap. We usually fell flat on our faces during triple clap )

Come to think of it, no wonder I can squat 400 lbs and calf raise 500 lbs without weight lifting.

Anyway, I was just wonder what type of conditioning Tim does and what you other guys do. I agree that heavy bag work is great for cardio. Right now I've been doing sprints up a 120m steep hill. Sprint up, walk down, sprint up, ect for 12 reps. That seems to give me a really good workout. I've also gotten back into the jump rope though i've been having problems with my upper chest cramping up because I do heavy bag and weight lifting stuff before the rope. If I didn't know any better I'd think I was having heart related chest pain

Hi Mont,

Good questions. Too points. I agree with everyone else that running is a great conditioning exercise, and if you like running you should do it. I personally don't like to run, so when I looking for straight cardio I typically use a combination of wind-sprints and fast walking.

About Bruce Lee. I read that at least when he lived in San Francisco he would run 2.5 to 3 miles every day, but it was real hilly and so very intense running.

Running seems to be the equivalent of "zhan zhuang" for a lot of martial artists. Not that it replaces standing, but it is a fundamental part of their daily routine. I could see how it develops mental stamina and some degree of relaxation as well as cardio capacity. I hear my old TKD instructor (almost 50 now) still runs 3-5 miles everyday.

Yo folks... give your poor feet and knees a break.

Ever heard of the cardiovascular benefits of riding a bike???? And this can certainly benefit ANY training regimen.

BTW... just ask Lance Armstrong, if you have any doubts.

Pedal your ass around the block a few times...
( same time to ride about 10-20 miles as it takes to jog 3-5) and see if it will contribute to your overall fitness (and attitude)

And yes... I recognize that you poor folks who live in the inner city ghettos might be challenged by this... but, the added benefit is that you can blow the doors off your basic mugger and/or rapist at the same time as you are getting your regular endorphin buzz.

Only trouble is you'll have to jump off your bike to lay a whuppin on the baddies

Jump Rope!

I'll agree with the cycling as well, though you have to cycle pretty hard to get fighting fit.

Mostly though I'm for cycling to cut down on car use - self protection for the planet.

If Iwas fitter and had more time I'd use cycling to cut down on plane use - now that really would be good for the planet!! ;-)

Xi Feng,

You can definitely go farther cycling than jogging in the same time, and you have to since cycling is a less intense form of exercise. I don't ever recommend jogging anyway. In my opinion you should either walk fast or run. Regardless, do whatever cardio you enjoy most. Just make sure you do enough without cutting into your martial arts specific training.

Richard... less intense on your knees - YES, definitely.

With regards your cardiovascular system and stamina, it can be as intense as you choose to make it. Exactly the point... most folks who ride a bike have very little idea of how to maximize their performance and gain the optimal benefits. They just spin the cranks in some random, half-ass way and think they are getting a "workout"

In biking, so too the martial arts... you will get out of it what you put in. Individual choice, as always.

If you really want to condition yourself for your sport, the best cardiovascular training to do is just that--your sport. Increase the intensity level or the time intervals. Circuit training is excellent to do, and it helps to have a training partner or trainer.

Running sucks! Take this from someone who has had to run a lot and never enjoyed it. I am not a natural aerobic athlete and get easily winded. I either atribute this from a heart condition or a disproportinate amount of quick-twitch muscle fibers versus slow-twitch. I do however have the speed to run 2 miles at sea-level at a 6:00 to 6:30 per mile pace. But take this advice or leave it: The best conditioning to do is not to sit your fat ass on a bike, but to run--and when I say run, I mean intervals and wind sprints. Go to a track and picture yourself running all 400 meters at 75 to 100% speed. This is not a fun experience. Now run around the track in this fashion and clock 2-3 minutes of rest when you have completed your lap; now run another one. Do this 5 times or more. I assure you, you will get in great shape and will improve your stamina in the ring or on the mat. For the armchair athlete or wannabe, this may not be a real feasible option. I would recommend the bike to the novice. But if you are trying to really condition yourself, leave the cycling for the recreational bicyclist or the professional guys like Lance A., Greg LeMond, and the Andy Hampstens of the world. If you want to improve, it's going to hurt. Warning: Running intervals may induce vomiting or anal leakage. Consult your doctor.

Gerry_Curl,

I didn't think a person could ever have too many "quick-twitch" muscle fibers They are what give you the strength to beat the crap out of someone.

If I was running in the last olympic marathon I would have socked that crazy wacko in the scottish kilt in the solar plexus, dropping him like a wet sack of haggis. Of course this is exactly the reason why I could never make the olympics in the marathon, I am far too tall (6 feet), weigh way too much (178 lbs), and lack the necessary approximatley 70%-80% slow twitch muscle fibers and I'm not east African so I'm totally screwed when it comes to distance running.

I love intervals. I usually do a 126 meter long hill fairly steep at 70%-85% speed for 10 or 12 repeats. I walk back down in around 1 minute as my recovery.

My pet peeve right now though is my jump rope, my favorite form of exercise. Nothing quite feel like crossing the 160 jpm (jumps per minute) and holding it while your calves start to burn.

By the way, thanks Tim for the birthday wish, I'm 17 today.

Mont,

You're absolutely right. That's why too much road work and not doing intervals is a big fat no go in my book.

You guys need to check out the original book Aerobics, by Kenneth Cooper. It will answer a lot of questions for you.

A pet peeve is something which causes you become upset or angered.

but I was my teacher's pet peeve in highschool.

Mark, I own the "The New Aerobics" by Cooper. Its his updated book. However, it is very old, Cooper is rather ignorant when it comes to training for athletes as his thing is helping people out of shape get in shape.

Without doing any specific aerobic exercise my resting heart rate is 54 bpm with a max over 200. (yes, i've maxed my heart rate out before during training but the only way I've ever been able to do it is through extreme plyometric routines, extremely hard sparring drills that make the lungs burn and you are going so hard you might as well not even be breathing, it doesn't matter much except to keep you concious, and olympic lifts done quickly with a lighter weighter than normal and repeated for 12 reps for several sets.)

For boxers, training has started moving away from running long miles. Evander Holyfield is an excellent example of modern boxing training. They moved him up to heavyweight class through weight training and they turned him into a amazingly conditioned fighter through modern training methods that don't include distance running.

Just think of Kermit Cintron, he's amazing, he is very powerful with his punches, often getting knockouts before the fourth round but his conditioning is anaerobic specific. Fighting is not aerobic like distance running builds, it is anaerobic like football but requires a very high degree of conditioning. Kermit does sprints repeated all the time. He doesn't run long distance. That's what people who fight need to do, sprints and jump rope. Bicycling isn't much good at all as only really good riders can get their heart pumping hard enough to become intense enough. No, just because you pedal till you are too tired to ride doesn't mean you actually increased your anaerobic conditioning or lactic acid thresh hold.


p.s.
A pet peeve is no neccessarily something that gets someone angered, it can also be something they spend too much attention and focus to, trying to perfect it and such. Bob #2, I think you were sexually abused as a child. That would explain a lot ;)

I didn't consider it abuse... but an early education in the ways of love and body parts.
When you finally find a partner (paid or pro-bono) willing to fornicate with you they'll be sexually amused.

P.S.
anything that 'peeves' someone is an annoyance.
so in your earlier post you rambled on about how annoyed you are to jump rope.

Ok ok, i looked up pet peeve in the dictionary and I'm wrong. Dead wrong. I'm sorry. Please don't hate me for rambling on using improper english and being a general pain in the ass on almost everything. I may seem a know it all and disrespectful sometimes on the message board but in person when I meet someone who knows what they are talking about I become very meek. Maybe I've just become annoyed at all the martial arts bs online and have been bitten mildly by the "i'm on the internet and I know everything" bug.

By the way, I think I remind Tim of a younger, cockier version of himself. that's why he gets such a kick out of me. Or maybe he just thinks I'm a dumb clown not worthy of tying his jiujitsu belt