How To Get Your Cardio Up For Rolling

Hey guys, so my cardio when rolling right now is absolute garbage, I'm winded after a few minutes and take forever to recover. That's what happens when you sit on the couch and in the classroom for 3 months without any exercise at all. I usually just run to get my cardio up, but that's boring and I'm not really into it right now, so I was wondering if you guys had any other techniques for increasing cardio, specifically rolling cardio. Even different running routines/splits if you have some cool ones. Any ideas that you know to work would be greatly appreciated.

My main goal right now is to get my wind up to a respectable level for Herzog's seminar in Orlando on December 19th. So that gives me about 2 and a half months. I recently started a 3 day a week power lifting program that I will do for 3 months (all barbell training, heavy squats/deadlifts/bench/rows/military). So you can take that into account when you offer advice if you want, but really any ideas would be awesome!

Thanks peeps! Love that I have a place to ask this question! :)

I don't know. Are you having issues with lactic acid build up or cardio? Or both? Muscle recovery/stamina is a totally different issue than cardio. I can't run for shit but I can squeeze a mother fucker for awhile.

I just get exhausted, winded, short of breath, probably from smoking all of that herbal awesomeness. How do you do it Eddie??? And it takes me a few minutes before I'm ready to roll again. I can push myself obviously but I just get so worn out so quickly.

i mix elliptical on high resistance, high intensity biking, jogging, sprinting, and rolling. lots of vit c, i usually take a nitric booster, LOTS of water and a good nights sleep. when i do elliptical it's 60min. biking is rotating sprinting and hard riding for about 15-30min (you will understand when you do it). jogging is always 2-4 miles. 1-2 miles of sprints. <-- looking at starting to do this barefoot. thank you guys who posted the barefoot running page. I can roll for more than an hour. I never get to see how long because no one can keep up. I also work on my breathing A LOT. when i'm jogging or elliptical, anything lower intensity, i do it with my mouth piece in. But as you can see there is a lot of variation in my routine. Also, I don't do it, but the rowing machines and swimming. Just not enough time to do it all. But jogging 2 miles doesn't take much time and you can still lift. sprint on your off days. Oh, run FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. I noticed a HUGE spike when i started this. I wake up, 1 cup coffee or 1 gurana pill, then run, then eat breakfast. Hope this helps.

For rolling, mat cardio is the best. Just keep rolling on a regular basis and no more couch cardio training! I've been doing plyometrics and have noticed a big difference in my cardio. Kettlebells are another great way to build up mat cardio, from what I hear. I've just seen the results haven't experienced them.

Need to do something anaerobic.. I would say on your off-days between lifting sense you're going heavy.. but you can throw it into the end of your squat/deadlift days if you're body is up to it and recovers well.

Find a good barbell complex.. roughly something that matches the round and your needs. http://www.istvanjavorek.com/id6.html hes god some samples on his page.. but now they're a popular exercise so you can find all sorts of different types elsewhere.

Kettlebells are good as well.. same concept. I've never used them though..

Vape your weed or cut back a little if your a cron.

Hey Matt!

You have 75 days in 2.5 months to get ready then. That is a good amount of time if you take advantage of it, train consistently and take the time to rest and rebuild. But if you are not working out right now you probably want a beginner's program to get you going, and one that is aimed at mat-work/MMA...

If I needed to get ready on the cheap (not buying a book or course, etc.) I might use the following two resources to go from gassed to mat readyish.

The first would be a free mini version of the TACFIT program. When Scott Sonnon, the sambo and russian martial arts guy, released his Tacfit Commando program for sale a while ago, he gave away a free program called the Tacfit Israeli Challenge. It is a 20 minute workout repeating 4 basic exercises in a cyclical fashion that he originally designed for LOTAR.

You can still download the mini-instruction manual pdf and watch/download both of the instructional videos demonstrating and teaching the techniques on the page linked below.

http://www.tacfitcommando.com/blog/i...cfit-challenge

Second, mma personal trainer Eric Wong released a free product called Never GAS! which was a pdf and video set of his Crazy Eight System. You can find it on a page at his blog below. Download the pdf and watch or download the videos.

http://ericwongmma.com/crazy-8s-body...ircuit-videos/

There, 2 beginner's bodyweight workout systems designed to get you up to a modicum of cardio and strength fitness ASAP. Look at the two off them and choose one, mix and match, or switch back and for a month at a time for awhile to break things up and buck any training patterns. Either will give you a good base to start with and a program you can follow without thinking about it too much by having to make up your own.

Good Luck! Let me know if I can help in any other way ;)

p.s. These are links to FREE bonuses these two gave out to sample their products... I am not selling anything and these are not affiliate links

p.p.s.s. Don't forget to warm-up before and stretch out after exercising!!!

Go down to a surplus store and get yourself a cheap gas mask, doesn't have to be fancy (ours aren't) and roll with that on till you feel like your going to pass out, definitely helps you control your breathing and feels like your training in Colorado. I hate running and rarely do it but my mat cardio is pretty outstanding and I'm a mild smoker. I've brought guys in that run marathons or do crossfit and they all say grappeling is definetly a different type of cardio and there amazed how I can keep going after 15-20 mins of straight rolling, not tooting the horn cause these guys would kill me in any other type of cardio.

The gym I would go to we start off warming up on the heavy and speed bags. Then with a partner practice combos with mits and gloves. Then we roll. By the time we roll I'm tired...

Mat cardio is the best. Burpy challenge sucks. I got sore just reading it. I just stall when I'm gassed. Hold positions a little longer. Try things I wouldn't normally try. I get gassed also, but I'm a smart gasser lol. You'll be in good company bro.

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

Can anyone expand on a Kettle Bell program? I'd like to know stuff like how much do they cost? How many do I need to buy? (a set or just 2 at x lbs each?) Also, what weight should I use? (I'm 5'9 145lbs) And, of course, a link to a good workout sequence? Thanks again! :)

mat cardio is the key, i don't think anyone was worse than me in that department. What it came down to for me though was, as I knew what I was doing more and more, (which is hardly anything but) my cardio issues were less and less. So I may still have some problems but Just try to stay calm, and relaxed. If you start to gas, try to stall for a few by holding a position just like someone previously mentioned, and then start it up again. I believe the more you drill, the easier the live rolls will be

Just my two cents.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bruce.Porcelli

mat cardio is the key, i don't think anyone was worse than me in that department. What it came down to for me though was, as I knew what I was doing more and more, (which is hardly anything but) my cardio issues were less and less. So I may still have some problems but Just try to stay calm, and relaxed. If you start to gas, try to stall for a few by holding a position just like someone previously mentioned, and then start it up again. I believe the more you drill, the easier the live rolls will be

Just my two cents.

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100% true, I wish I had people to roll with on the reg, but at the moment I don't. So I'm stuck raising my cardio in other ways for now. If I havn't joined marcelo garcia's academy in the next 6 months then I don't deserve to post here anymore lol.

Matt, couple of things....
1) Get a Vaporizer!! I have no issues with rolling and enjoying herbal consumption, my guys will attest, I can roll for an hour straight 4-5x a week (unless I'm sick or injured) with no issues, other than I'm getting old ;) The issue your having is with the carcinogens, the mode of delivery is the issue not actual consumption.

2) Check out: http://wolfbrigade.net/blog/ Greg Walsh Head trainer at Wolf Brigade is my teams strength and conditioning coach, and he runs a daily blog of their workouts (he's the one that convinced me to do my blog for 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Rochester). Its all functional strength using plyometrics, kettle bells, body weight exercises, etc.

3) Lifestyle change, don't diet(as in I'm going to go "on a diet for 3 months"). Take a serious look at what you put into your body, is it fuel or is it for fun? I made a switch about 3 years ago to a organic, natural diet and I wish I would have learned about it 10 years ago as I would have saved my body from alot trauma, that I'm still recovering from.

4) Keep rolling, and drilling technique. The better your technique the more economical your motions and transitions will become while your rolling, requiring less energy to perform each movement.

See you in December!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Matt Glach

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

Can anyone expand on a Kettle Bell program? I'd like to know stuff like how much do they cost? How many do I need to buy? (a set or just 2 at x lbs each?) Also, what weight should I use? (I'm 5'9 145lbs) And, of course, a link to a good workout sequence? Thanks again! :)

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http://www.grapplearts.com/Kettlebell-MMA-Training.htm

http://www.mbodystrength.com/kettlebells.html

CHEERS

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ryan Cook

You should do the 100 burpy challenge every day. Do it at the beginning or end of class...

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Thumbs up! That's brutal.

I actually own a really nice vaporizer... Vaporfection (www.vaporfection.com) I only use it about half the time tho, I should switch over fully. It just isn't the same sometimes, ya know?

The diet change is definitely something I need to work on. Law school makes it tough to plan meals so I kinda of just go get whatever is around, lots of subs for lunch and boston market type meals for dinner. Def not the best for me lol. We should get a thread going on nutrition if there isn't one buried somewhere already. I'd love to know some simple to make, cheap, and healthy meal tips.

Looking into which kettle bells to buy now :)

It is entirely possible to build a good level of mat related cardio conditioning doing solo work to start out on your own, without buying equipment or joining the gym. Again its smart to build a base level of conditioning before you go too crazy. Many modern mma guys are too busy overtraining to reach peak physical performance.

Look up and read some info on tabata training cycles. This is a great way to build solid cardio in record time IMHO... but it is hard and can't be done every day. You could cycle it through your routine, so you are putting in good recovery time.

Quote:

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from http://www.fitnessuncovered.co.uk/bl...bata-training/

Tabata training is an extremely effective training method for disciplines which require nonstop power and physical effort over a duration of time, such as cycling, MMA, strongman, Olympic lifting, and many more. Tabata training is also great for fat loss through its ability to raise the rate of fat burning post workout. What’s more, Tabata training takes literally minutes to complete! So, if you want to increase your sustained work output for your sporting discipline, or enhance your physique, Tabata training may be for you.
What is Tabata training?

The idea behind the Tabata training method is fairly simple. You firstly warm up to ensure the muscles and the body is ready for exercise. An exercise is chosen and it is performed for 20 seconds, with a rest of 10 seconds, and this is repeated for a total of 8 times. So, in summary:

• Perform as many repetitions as possible for 20 seconds

• Rest for 10 seconds

• Repeat 8 times

The name “Tabata” originates from the creator of the training method, Dr. Izumi Tabata. Dr Tabata was the head coach of the Japanese speed skating team. Tabata has become more and more popular due its effectiveness, increase both aerobic and anaerobic capacity. Tabata is also a great choice for bodybuilders who wish to spice up their training once every two to three weeks whilst also reducing body fat levels.

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Now apply the above to relevant, sport specific exercises to increase cardio capibilities...

here is an example basic solid Tabata training protocol...

Quote:

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From http://trainingbjj.com/

For a seasoned competitor I’d say going through the cycle 4 times should be enough, with about a 3 minute rest between cycles.

For beginners I would give 2xs a shot with a 4 minute rest in between.
Of course everyone has different endurance levels and will have to adjust accordingly.

Shrimp drill x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds

Push Up x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds

Pull Up x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds

Burpee x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds

Triangle Drill x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds

Push Up x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds

Pull Up x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds

Burpee x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds

1 CYCLE COMPLETE – RINSE AND REPEAT

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If you need ideas for exercises, add any sport specific whole body exercise you like or find. Try adding Animal walking, it works well with Tabata and it classic for wrestling and bjj. Remember with Tabata training you want to go all out and do as many reps as you can for 20 sec...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNJk_...eature=related

P.S. If you have a heavy bag, try working it on the floor. Moving the weight of a heavy bag around on the floor gives you a silent training partner you can beat all you want. Mark Hatmaker made a great floor bag workout video which is on teh interntz at the following location. This is the whole 90 minute video... Floor bag work is intense and mixes well in a Tabata protocol or in round work as Hatmaker does...

http://www.56.com/u77/v_NTUyMDcxMzA.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris Herzog

Its all functional strength using plyometrics, kettle bells, body weight exercises, etc.
See you in December!

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Whats functional strength?!?

jk jk


Matt:
you should get a volcano vaporizer :P.. stupidly expensive.. but amazing. Friend got one a year ago and thats all we ever use.

nice suggestions guys, THX

My cardio has long been my downfall, owing in part to being on very high doses of prednisone for a long period of time (take home warning to guys who like steroids, anabolic or otherwise: that shit will mangle your heart; even if it's just an anti-inflammatory to treat disease.). I've had to work a lot to get my cardio up and I have had plenty of health setbacks that have made me have to start all over again (you lose cardio fast and it's hard to get back). As a respiratory therapist, I have a particular interest in cardiovascular stuff in general and cardio training specifically.

There are really three aspects to what we mean by "cardio" and there are different approaches to how best to train each one. First is your anerobic threshold. That's basically how long your muscles are able to go before using up the available oxygen and changing to anaerobic metabolism. Once a muscle goes into anaerobic metabolism it will quickly use up energy faster than it can be replaced and the muscle fails. Second is your aerobic conditioning which is the efficiency with which your cardiovascular system delivers oxygen rich blood and removes waste. Last is your recovery time. Different trainers and physiologists have different ideas about how best to train those aspects, but the end result is the same; you need to work on all three areas or your athletic endurance will suffer.

To train your anaerobic threshold, most trainers will have you do some form of intervals or other high-intensity exercise. The important thing is to use large muscle groups and train well into "the burn" of anerobic metabolism (sometimes called "training to failure" but I don't care for that misnomer; rarely do you ever actualyl get to total muscle failure. Usually your mind gives up on you first and you quit when it just hurts too much) or do intervals such as sprints. Another way to train anaerobic conditioning is with static strength training -- typically a HARD isometric contraction that elevates the heart rate for a proscribed period of time (e.g. clinching a medicine ball for time, holding up a leg press at your 1-3 rep max weight for time, etc). What this does is stimulate the production of myoglobin and improve mitochondrial efficiency within the muscles. This means they can go longer before switching over to anerobic metabolism. Once a week is plenty to train your anaerobic threshold. You need rest and recovery to prevent over-training. EDIT: note that this is not the same as a typical anaerobic weightlifting routine. You should be using large muscles especially in combination and training to near-complete exhaustion. That's why you should only do one of these days a week and REST. If you're doing static contractions (which looks like something Einstein uses in his program for Chuck) it should be borderline torture. If it just hurts a bit, you're not squeezing hard enough. Also, you need to be sure it's a full body workout if you want your grappling endurance to improve. When I was rock climbing regularly we'd do dead-hangs to failure with our arms at different angles which improved the anaerobic threshold in my forearms but did nothing for my general conditioning. You have to get well into the "burn" zone and elevate your heart rate or you're not stimulating the muscle properly. And once again, REST. You don't improve anything without growth and growth only occurs during rest periods.

To train your aerobic conditioning you need to stay just below the anaerobic threshold. Think of aerobic training like shoveling coal into a boiler or furnace -- too much and it burns to hot and you blow up the boiler. Too little and the boiler cools down and doesn't work. This means keeping your heart rate at a moderate level for a longer period of time (e.g. 60-70% of max HR for 45min-1hr at least). You should still be able to carry on a reasonable conversation during this. If you're too out of breath to talk then you're not training your aerobic conditioning, you're training your anaerobic threshold. This should be at least twice a week. If you're in good shape, plain ol' jogging should get it done but if you really want to maximize your gains, get a heart rate monitor. If you start gettig your heart rate too high during this workout you're back to training your anaerobic threshold and that's going to slow your overall progress.

To train your recovery time you need to improve the efficiency with which you get back below your anaerobic threshold. This one's easy to train: maintain a low-moderate heart rate for a long period of time -- no less than an hour and a half; two is better. This should basically be a brisk walk that gets you to break a mild sweat. This improves the efficiency with which you remove waste products from the muscle by working the right side of the heart (muscle contraction assists venous return; increased venous return increases the work of the right heart which also delivers blood to the lungs). Once or twice a week is plenty as long as you're putting in the time; at least 90min of sustained effort.

Again, unless you're training all three aspects you're not maximizing your endurance gains. There's a lot of decent advice on this thread (and some less than decent). As long as you're working from first principles and training all three areas you'll improve your cardio. Keep in mind, it takes WEEKS to actually improve your VO2-max (the measure of aerobic efficiency) and if you're serious about improving your cardio invest in a good heart rate monitor. Keep at it and know that you're in good company. :)

Debacle: I kept it under thesis-length. How's that? ;)

Great info Jason! You used a bunch of words that i can barely pronounce let alone understand, but then you immediately explained in laymen terms so it made sense. I copied your post down for notes. Thanks bro!

Glad I could help buddy. :)

My muscles hardly ever get tired but my lungs are the thing that stops me. I get to the point where i feel like im suficating. What the best way to remidie this?

Oh, it's sort of like cheating but it really seems to be helping my cardio..

2 green tea caffeine pills
1 kava kava pill
1 maca pill

It's my free roll supplement cocktail 30 minutes before training. use at your own risk.

Hey I was wondering if you snore. Obstructed sleep apnea is a problem that I have. It's where you quit breathing several times during the night. That's not the bad part, when you quit breathing, your body reacts by going into panic mode. Your brain releases chemicals that tell the body to shock itself by super charging it with adrenaline so that you'll wake up and breath. Your heart gets all of this action many times a night which means it never gets to rest like it needs. This kills your stamina. All the exercise in the world won't get that back. Symptoms are snoring with pauses, falling asleep when you're not supposed to(middle of the day, while driving, anytime that you sit still for short periods of time ), and get ready for this one, LOSS OF SEXUAL APPETITE I.e. your best friend really doesn't care to come out and play like he wants to commit suicide. Now you may not want to believe it but I started having sexual problems when I was around 28. I know right, I mean I'm a good looking Guy who loves pussy, and here I am in the Superbowl without my star quarterback. I still remember the first time, the chick was hot and looked like faith hill, haunts me to this day .
Any way it was another 12 years before I got a sleep study and got a cpap to help me sleep. Its like putting an air hose in your mouth and it pumps air into you. I hate it, but let me tell you, three days after I started therapy, I fucked my girlfriend like a porn star, which made her very happy, and made both of us realize how much this condition effected my life. I still dont use mine like I should. You see I've got heart disease as a direct result of osa. Not reversible. My time I got left is limited. But til I go, I'll keep teaching and training. I love martial arts and sense I've discovered 10th planet juijitsu. I'll probably have a coronary one day on the mats, and that will be alright.

So I urge anyone who may be having stamina problems to consider that it may be more than the fact that you haven't done any physical exercise other than walking from your couch to your bedroom. Don't think it can't happen to you, because neither did I.

This workout really gets my heart rate up every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4l90WJWJ5Y&feature=fvhl

^^^Wow she has a great...uhh...technique...