Nick Diaz (not too sure about Nate) competes in triathlons. Which means he's got great cardio over long distances/time.
Obviously he can do this because he trains that particular type of cardio alot, going say 60-70% for an extended period of time. And he kind of fights that way too if you look at his (and his brother's) style; they go non-stop, alot of punches, very fluid movements, but most of the time not involving huge amounts of power, like slams or power punches for example.
Personally I love their style of fighting, where it seems they just break the other guy down by keeping the pressure and rhythm up.
I'm wondering what you guys think is better for an MMa fighter: training exclusively a more MMA round type of cardio (100% for 5-7 minute rounds, 1 min breaks, etc), or training both types (long distance cardio & MMA type cardio).
If you say train both, why exactly? Why would doing anything different than the 5-7 minute round training be useful?
I'm assuming if you only train for a triathlon-type cardio you'll be completely dead in no time in a fight considering how different the workout is.
ttt?
Both types of training are important, but for MMA conditioning you would lean more towards the interval based approach (going 80-100% for 30sec-5min bouts of exercise).
One of the basic principles of training is specificity, which means you want to train in scenerios that mimick the actual event your training for.
Each type of training works a different energy pathway. low intensity cardio may help you recover faster because recovery is primarily aerobic, but too much low intensity/long duration training can actually hinder power output.
Conversely if you only train at very high intensities at very low durations your aerobic energy pathways will be lagging behind.
training all pathways is appropriate in any sport but how much time you spend on each differs from sport to sport. The key is to keep shocking the system. Don't get into a routine of only training a certain way cuz you'll plateau or burn out.
Nice!
Thanks for the info :)
the key in MMA is not to go at 100%, maybe more like 80-85% while staying relaxed....
and while a triathlon requires great cardio, i think it's more of a mental thing. just pushing your body beyond its limits without mentally breaking.
but, i really don't understand the question your asking??? lol
It's hard to put in words honestly.
Maybe there is no question :S
you need to train both. your body adapts to the type of stress you put on it so eventually you will plateau
ttt
interesting