“Performing toward the upper range of your talent and skill is directly related to your ability to maintain an Ideal Performance State. Mobilizing your body’s performance potential requires a very special kind of psychological and physiological balance. Feelings of relaxation, calmness, high energy, positiveness, alertness, focus, confidence, instinctiveness, determination, and enjoyment form the basis of this delicate state and reflect a very special condition of bodily arousal,” Eric Lamkin.

This statement is a good summary of what is required to for any athlete to perform at their highest level. One extremely important part of physiological training is cardio fitness. Mixed Martial Artists should work to develop or improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. The better your aerobic fitness, the faster your heart will be able to supply your muscles with oxygen, which means the faster you can recover your wind, or "catch your breath." The better your anaerobic fitness, the longer you will be able to perform high intensity exercise without gassing out.

Aerobic exercises use oxygen to help create the energy needed for a fighter’s muscles to contract and perform prolonged, low-intensity tasks. Improved aerobic fitness level results in less time required to convert oxygen into much needed energy. Increased aerobic fitness may result in a seemingly limitless amount of energy for low-intensity movements. Examples of aerobic activity include: elliptical machine, treadmill, stationary bicycle, cross-country skiing, cycling, jogging, running, swimming, and jumping rope. Any one of the previously mentioned activities has the ability to improve one’s level of aerobic fitness. The key is to maintain the increased rate of breathing and heart rate throughout the entire workout. Engaging in regular aerobic exercise has many benefits. The muscles involved in controlled, steady breathing are strengthened. A fighter’s heart may experience increased efficiency when pumping much needed blood to engaged muscles. Improved aerobic conditioning results in an increase in oxygen-transporting red blood cells.

Anaerobic exercise triggers a process that converts sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose) into energy and lactic acid. The energy is then used for high intensity activity that lasts a few second to no more than four minutes.

The use of fast twitch muscle fibers increases the amount of anaerobic energy spent. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT Training) is often the most efficient way to increase anaerobic fitness. Resistance bands, focus mitt/Thai pad/kicking shield/heavy bad/speed bag drills, box drills, jumping rope, suicide sprints, and swimming sprints may all be used or performed in a HIIT manner. Doing so has the ability to significantly increase anaerobic fitness.

There is much more than can be discussed regarding aerobic and anaerobic fitness. One important concept mentioned throughout the current literature on these topics is the VO2 max. This may also be referred to as the maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake, peak oxygen uptake or aerobic capacity. The nature of how a particular exercise is categorized is often by its percentage of one’s VO2 max. I’m 40 years old. If I want to improve my aerobic fitness during a 30-60 minute swim, my heart rate should be anywhere between 126 to 143, for 30-60 minutes, during the entire aerobic swim; in contrast to an 18 year old, whose heart rate should be between 144 and 164 for a 30-60 minute aerobic swim. The chart below is an excellent aid to help fine-tune one’s training.

Christensen, Loren W. and Demeere, Wim (2003). The Fighter’s Body. Wethersfield, CT: Turtle Press.

Couture, Randy, Freimuth, Lance, and Krauss, Erich (2010). Extreme Training. Hong Kong: Victory Belt Publishing.

Lamkin, Eric (2003). Toughness Training, The Institute of Modern Personal Combat Tactics and Training, p.4.

Parker, E. Senior (1985). Ed Parker's Infinite Insights Into Kenpo: Physical Anaylyzation I (Volume 2). Los Angeles, CA: Delsby Publications

McArdle William D., Katch, Frank I., and Katch, Victor L. (2006). Essentials of exercise physiology. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkin

McNeely, Ed and Sandler, David (2007). Power Plyometrics, The Complete Program. United Kingdom: Meyer and Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd.

Uth, Niels; Henrik Sørensen, Kristian Overgaard, Preben K. Pedersen (January 2004). "Estimation of VO2max from the ratio between HRmax and HRrest--the Heart Rate Ratio Method". Eur J Appl Physiol. 2004 Jan;91(1)