Improving Endurance

[Kempomon]

This may sound kind of dumb, but I'm totally stumped as to how to improve my endurance for martial arts (right now it kind of sucks). I run and do wind sprints three days a week, I practice my martial arts for at least an hour every day, and I shadowbox and hit the heavy bag whenever I can find the time and energy. Yet after all this my endurance, especially my anaerobic endurance has not improved one little bit. In fact, if anything it has gotten worse. I've read every piece of material I could find on the topic and tried practically everything, but I've seen no results, even after almost 3 years. Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong?

[Lost_Disciple]

Hope I beat Ironman to the punch on this one:
diet diet diet!!!

You need to make sure you're eating right, getting enough rest (sleep as well as days off throughout the week), and make sure you're not stressed out.

Avoid beer, smoking, alcohol in general, sodas, and refined/processed sugars like the plague. Eat enough veggies and protein. Bananas are good no matter what anybody else says. Potatoes will give you the carbs that stick with you through your workout.

Hope this helps. I used to have problems with energy throughout the week- and nothing changed it until I greatly changed my diet and stopped partying on the weekends.

Good luck.

[remo]

Kempomon,

My friend coaches boxing and this is a topic that comes up in our discussions when we compare notes.

You don’t say what specific type of endurance you’re seeking, i.e., for sparring or for reality based.

As good as an aerobic base is (I believe strongly in a aerobic base), most of what you do while sparring is anaerobic.

This requires you to train your body to rid itself of latic acid during the down time between rounds.

One problem that we who practice for fighting have, is how to do this without ‘rounds’ per se.

As you progress in your studies and want to steadily improve, the training will have to become very specific to what you eventually are aiming for. (sparring or reality based)

I’m sorry to harp on the difference, but it's a decision you will have to make if you want to go to the next level in either approach.

In both approaches, time frames are the big deal in training. If it's of any interest to you, I can tell you what my friends system for boxing is or my own for the other.

Good luck.

"We forge our bodies in
the fire of our will." Han
from 'Enter the Dragon'