When I was training JKD (currently taking a break but looking forward to going back soon), I felt my poor cardio was one of the biggest obstacles to my progress. Although I did improve my cardio by attending class, taking private lessons and sparring, I felt like it was never enough.
Over the past year, while I have not been training martial arts, I have tried to spend an hour or so every day in the gym doing cardio and strength training. I've worked my way up from being able to do, say, 2 miles at a 10 minute per mile pace to being able to do 5 miles at an 8 minute per mile pace. I have recently started training BJJ again and have noticed a HUGE difference in my endurance on the mat -- I still get submitted right and left, but at least the guys who are tapping me out are breathing harder and sweating more than I am!
One thing I have tried to do is to vary the speeds and distances of my runs. For example, I might run 1 mile at a 6:40 pace, do 5 minute walks as warm-ups and cool-downs, and then spend 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer (like today). Or I might run 3 miles at a 7:30 pace and then do half an hour on the elliptical trainer. I know I should incorporate sprints and interval training into my routine as others have suggested -- plan to do so soon.
Good luck with your training.
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