Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the most physically demanding sports on the planet. Jumping into the cage without the cardiovascular endurance needed will leave you on the mat quickly. Fitness should not be underestimated and should be your starting goal on your way to fighting in the cage or ring.
Developing the cardiovascular endurance and strength requires you to give it patience, time, and perseverance. You need to be able to keep up a certain level of intensity and maintain it throughout 3 x 5 minute round at a minimum.
If you find yourself out of breath quickly in training, you need to use that as positive feedback that you're not at the level you need to be. Start by reaching that level, whether you're working on the ground or stand up sparring, then move past it for a given period of time.
Challenging yourself in this way will give you the mental strength to know that you can move past this point once you reach it, when you are in a fight. As well, more importantly, after doing this for a couple of weeks, notice how much longer it actually takes you to get to this breathlessness if at all.
When you get to a point where you don't worry about tiring out early, you have more mental capacity to be able to deal with strategy. This is how you see super athletes such as Georges St. Pierre or Anderson Silva fight. They are conditioned to a point where they can decide exactly what they are going to do ten steps ahead of their opponent due to their extreme stamina.
To reach this point of breathing much heavier you need to work hard. Once you feel the tensing up in your thighs or arms, this point is known as your lactic threshold. You have to breathe much heavier to oxygenate the muscles in your body to prevent further creation of lactic acid. This is the point that you need to get to, and work past to make it stronger.
Train with those that are at a cardiovascular level that is much higher than yours is. They will push you to be much stronger than you are, and you will be extremely surprised how much faster your endurance will increase by doing this.
MMA is an incredibly demanding sport and this is a simple strategy as well as one often overlooked.
Developing the cardiovascular endurance and strength requires you to give it patience, time, and perseverance. You need to be able to keep up a certain level of intensity and maintain it throughout 3 x 5 minute round at a minimum.
If you find yourself out of breath quickly in training, you need to use that as positive feedback that you're not at the level you need to be. Start by reaching that level, whether you're working on the ground or stand up sparring, then move past it for a given period of time.
Challenging yourself in this way will give you the mental strength to know that you can move past this point once you reach it, when you are in a fight. As well, more importantly, after doing this for a couple of weeks, notice how much longer it actually takes you to get to this breathlessness if at all.
When you get to a point where you don't worry about tiring out early, you have more mental capacity to be able to deal with strategy. This is how you see super athletes such as Georges St. Pierre or Anderson Silva fight. They are conditioned to a point where they can decide exactly what they are going to do ten steps ahead of their opponent due to their extreme stamina.
To reach this point of breathing much heavier you need to work hard. Once you feel the tensing up in your thighs or arms, this point is known as your lactic threshold. You have to breathe much heavier to oxygenate the muscles in your body to prevent further creation of lactic acid. This is the point that you need to get to, and work past to make it stronger.
Train with those that are at a cardiovascular level that is much higher than yours is. They will push you to be much stronger than you are, and you will be extremely surprised how much faster your endurance will increase by doing this.
MMA is an incredibly demanding sport and this is a simple strategy as well as one often overlooked.