"Cario: Distance or Intensity?"
(originally published at MMA Weekly.com)

When it comes to cardiovascular conditioning, there are two types you can do - LSD and HIIT.

LSD refers to Long Slow Distance. This is usually jogging/running for a few miles.

HIIT refers to High Intensity Interval Training. This is more akin to sprinting.

LSD and HIIT are on opposite ends of the spectrum, if for no other reason, because of sheer necessity. Intensity and duration have an inverse relationship, so that the more intense you are, the shorter the effort has to be, and the longer the effort, the lower the intensity has to be.

Simply put - you can run hard or you can run long, but you can't do both. Nobody can sprint a marathon...

Now, it is generally considered that HIIT is overall more productive (for MMA) than LSD. I won't get into all the technical details here, but here are a few main points:

-HIIT is anaerobic, LSD is aerobic
-LSD training results in increased aerobic capacity, with little to no effect on anaerobic capacity
-HIIT, on the other hand, results in increased anaerobic capacity AND increased aerobic capacity
-MMA is an anaerobic activity, as is HIIT

There are more points that could be considered, but that should be enough to get the gist of what I'm talking about... There is a problem I see though - and that is many fighters who do HIIT are still gassing in their fights.

Why?

It could be from any number of reasons - a lack of muscular (rather than cardiovascular) conditioning, a big adrenaline dump in the ring (I'll talk about that in a future column), not having your mind right, etc. However, I think the main problem is with how they do the HIIT.

HIIT, by definition, is supposed to be intense - as intense as possible. On the proverbial scale of 1 to 10, you need to be pushing an 11 or more. And many times, trainees don't do that when they're doing HIIT. They think they're pushing hard, and they might be, but instead of that 11 or more, maybe they're only putting in an effort of 8 or so. That doesn't cut it when it comes to HIIT.

Remember when I said that you can run hard, or run long, but not both? Well, on the flip side, if you run easy, and run short, you're doing the worst of both worlds. And as effective as HIIT can be, if it's not done with the appropriate intensity, you're falling into that trap. You have to be pushing as hard as you physically can...

Personally, I think that HIIT is best suited for only a few types of activities. The best is simply running - on the track, in a park, up hills or stairs, etc. Go out and move your tail as fast as you friggin' can. Behind that, I would say rowing or running on a treadmill. Next might be an elliptical machine, but from there, you're going downhill in the intensity meter. (I hear the versaclimber would be high on that list, but since I've no direct experience on one, I can't comment.)

When using cardio machines, you basically have to look at it this way - which one gets you breathing the hardest? For example, I've done a lot on stationary bikes, and they can be great workouts, but I'm not a big fan when it comes to HIIT. The same goes for stair-stepping machines. There is too much waiting on the machine.

Now, I'm not saying you can't get breathing hard on many of these machines, because you can. But HIIT isn't about just breathing hard - it's about breathing as hard as possible. And many machines just don't do it.

One main drawback to HIIT is that when it's done correctly, it's pretty tough on the nervous system. Like very intense strength training, the nervous system is worn down by all the very hard work it has to force the body to produce. This can have negative results on all other facets of your training, and even though your muscular system might not need it, force you to take extra recovery time to keep from being overtrained.

Let's take a look at LSD for a minute. There isn't really anyway to short change it, as long as you keep a decent pace and go the distance. And it's going to take a certain amount of cardiovascular conditioning to get that done.

There isn't anything WRONG with LSD. Countless boxers used it for years (Rocky Marciano was known to even do roadwork on the day of his fights - and he was always in great shape), as have many MMAists. Guys like Tito Ortiz, Frank Shamrock, Sean Sherk, and Matt Hughes have all stated that some form of LSD makes up the majority of their conditioning work (outside of fight training).

That said, HIIT can still be more productive. But it has to be done right, or you're doing something that could easily be surpassed by somebody doing LSD.

There are two alternatives that I like to use to LSD and HIIT. One is Density Conditioning. Simply put, choose a short distance (30-100 yards) and do as many reps as you can in a given timeframe. Sprint one way, walk or jog back, and repeat - rest only if it's absolutely necessary. The goal is to get more reps in each workout. These aren't going to be sprints per se, but hard runs - kind of like that 8 (or 9) intensity level, but you'll be doing a lot more overall distance.

The other is MFD - Medium Fast Distance. This is where you choose more of a medium distance compared to your LSD. For example, if LSD runs are 5-6 miles, choose 2.5-3.5 miles. Run the entire distance without stopping (just like LSD), but do at a fairly fast-paced clip. The best way would be to set a mile time that is pretty quick for you, and try to keep that pace the entire run.

Density Conditioning and MFD both combine elements of LSD and HIIT. Where LSD is long, yet slow, and HIIT is short, yet very hard, Density Conditioning and MFD are both medium-long, yet hard (as opposed to very hard with HIIT).

Either Density Conditioning or MFD can be good ways of keeping your conditioning good, without having to spend hours doing it, or worrying about burning out your nervous system. And it could almost be considered a perfect mix if your fight training is very intense...

If you're looking for ways to put Density Conditioning into your workouts, be sure to check out my the "Working Class MMA Workout Program" available at my site.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.