training days and cardio

[Kungfu boy]

Hello All,

I got a question for you guys. How many days a week do you train in MA and do they coincide with your weight training days? Or do you alternate them?

Also the question of the hour, can a sparring session or intense pad work be considered a substitute for a cardio routine? The way I train is 3 minute rounds(like 6 of them) with 30 seconds to a minute rest between each.

The reason I ask this is cardio is my real weak spot in my training. I do cardio for 20min Mon/Wed/Fri I train at the school on Tues/Thurs. Recently I've hit a plateau for the past few months and am considering two options:

Either turn up the volume on my current routine and go for a longer duration like 30-40 minutes

Or add another day in there somewhere. But I have a feeling it would mess with my MA training.

Any help or suggestions would be great.

[inic]

my cardio endurance used to be poor also. then i developed a great workout schedule. you can see it a few posts down under 'need advice'. but whenever i do cardio, i do sometype everyday and i add 5 min a week. when i started, i ran for 25 min, now i run for 50 min every other day. and if its not running, its boxing/kickboxing/ MA for 45-55 min. my suggestion is add 5 min aweek and do short periods of explosive speed drills. like when i'm boxing, every 5 or so min, i shoot out 100 punches fast as i can. and the same with running. i usually keep one pace, but every 5-10 min, ill run full speed for 45 sec- 1min. this improves speed and endurance and lung capacity/strength... for me anyway.

[Merryprankster]

Sparring and pad work and heavy bag work IS cardio--the best kind for weight loss and fighting, in my mind.

But you HAVE to make sure to keep your intensity up.