Blackened

Hello everyone.

I want to know what are the benefits from running, if there are any. I mean, the benefits for a MMA fighter. I want to do MMA - currently I know just some karate, but when I have the time and money, I'll get more into MMA. Right now I'm doing mostly the physical part of the training.

Also, at what distance should I run? One source said that I should be running at shorter distances - like 1-3 kilometers, in order to be trained explosively. Another source, however, said that I should be running at longer distances - like 10-12 kilometers, because running is for endurance.

I run 4 kilometers for 17:17 (13.9 km/h), and 12 kilometers for about 58 minutes (12.4 km/h). The speed for 4 km is from a few months ago. Is that "good"?

oldfan

Running increases you vo2 max and gives you a good "base" for your cardio. But, for real cardio conditioning you have to train more sport specific.

I learned this the hard way. I ran my ass off for months before I stepped into a gym to train. Felt like a waste of time, I gassed so fast it was funny (to everyone else).

In my opinion swimming helps more than running.

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Blackened

Yeah, I have this problem - I get gassed really fast. How can I improve this? Currently, I can't afford to go to gym, so I can't use any equipment. I have a really crappy boxing bag at home, but it's better than nothing. So I guess that shadow fighting and using the boxing bag are going to help with this problem, right?

I also suspect that it could be because I'm not relaxed enough while hitting.

oldfan

Right and right. The best way to train for standup is to punch and kick. The best way to train for grappling is to roll. And they don't really translate to each other very well. I mean, you can be in great shape for one and suck at the other.

wind sprints and hill/stair climbing will help more than paced running. Also circuit training where you go from squats to pushups to pullups with no rest in between can help.

anything that get's your body used to dealing with large buildup of lactic acid helps.

Swimming underwater holding my breath helped me a lot but, there really is no substitute for sparring and rolling.

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E Lit Er Ate

i just spar like crazy personally but thats because i despise running and have no intention of becoming a professional fighter.

Spar, spar, spar some more and your fighting cardio goes way up. Esp if you spar with some fresh guys when u get tired.

Running is def good, too bad im flat footed and hate it with a passion.

on the flipside, i know guys that could outrun me all day and not last 3 min rolling with me, its just a diff kind of cardio.

oldfan

.

SO TRUE.

after my first class I was totally demoralized and explained to my coach how hard I had been running to get ready for this.

He laughed at me and said " so now you know, running gets you in shape for running. Look on the bright side, these guys that have been throwing you around, in a real life situation, they probably couldn't catch you".

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E Lit Er Ate

yea its the same thing for running speed. ppl think if a guy runs fast, he must have fast lateral speed and handspeed.


but that isnt always the case either. Lateral speed is more important than straight line speeed in combat sports, if i were gonna spend alot of time running, i would def make lateral movement sprints and workouts a big part of it.

ahartleyvu

Running keeps your core working though IMO. It's still good to get a good run in here and there. 2 miles is usually the farthest I run.

A good running program that helps build speed and explosiveness is 60-120's. Sprint for 60 seconds, then walk for 120. Repeat until you die. It's good stuff.

Rusty

I've never thrown up so often from overexersion then when I was on the swim team. That's taxing for sure.

Intermission

Eww, in the pool?

But the best thing you can do is 5x5's which is 5 rounds, 5 mins a round and you push your self to exhaustion every round.

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