Development of CR Fitness
There are a number of methods you can use to increase your level of cardiorespiratory fitness. Any activity that causes your heart rate to increase or in some way places exertion upon your cardiorespiratory system should be considered. Certain movements, drills, or activities are going to cause your heart rate to increase rapidly, while other activities are going to allow your heart rate to increase more slowly and steadily. Both are acceptable methods for cardiorespiratory training.
Activities that allow you to get your heart rate up quickly, such as high-intensity sprinting, are excellent for developing cardiorespiratory strength. On the flip side of this, a moderately paced jog that is performed over an extended duration is excellent for developing your cardiorespiratory endurance. It's important to know the difference between the two and stress both systems in order to be a well-rounded athlete.
Your body will adapt to whatever demands you place on it. When it comes to muscular strength and endurance, the body increases the strength of the connective tissues, and the muscle tissue is able to generate more force (as discussed in Chapter 6).
The result is an increase in strength. When continuously performing any CR exercise, the metabolic system, the pulmonary system, and the cardiovascular system become more efficient.
If you can't catch your breath, you may need to slow down. As a general rule, a majority of physical trainers claim that you should still be able to carry on a conversation comfortably while working aerobically.
Aerobic training is performing any exercise or activity that causes you to become slightly out of breath and that develops your aerobic capacity (
Your aerobic capacity determines how efficiently your body delivers oxygen to your muscles and how much oxygen your muscles use for energy. Regular aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling, increases your body's ability to take in and use oxygen for exercise.
Trainers and exercise experts will tell you that it's necessary to keep your heart rate within a certain training zone in order to burn body fat. The reason for this is that your body will use up more stored fat when you exercise at the lower range of your target heart rate. When you exercise at the higher range, you will burn more calories but it will be mostly in the form of carbohydrates and less total fat.
If you are training for any kind of sport or recreational activity, it's important to train at high levels of intensity for short durations. During most sports, recreational activities, and Krav Maga, your heart rate will reach levels that are very high. Your body should be trained for this kind of physiological demand.
When you work on developing short bursts of higher-intensity activity, your heart rate is going to jump to a higher bpm that is not easy for you to maintain. These bursts cannot be maintained for long, so it will be necessary for you to take a recovery, or an active recovery time, in order to bring your heart rate back to a zone that is both safe and tolerable. This is what is referred to as “interval training.”
Think about boxers in the ring. They have to fight two- or three-minute rounds. Within that time period they are going to be working at high-intensity levels where their heart rates are going to be at a high bpm. If boxers don't learn to pace themselves, they will be physically exhausted by the end of the first round. So it's important for boxers to learn not to waste their punches. They move around the ring waiting until they see an opening, then they begin punching and defending. This sudden flurry of activity causes their heart rates to shoot up. They then need to move out of punching range or tie up so they can catch a their breath and bring their heart rates back down before bursting in with yet another flurry of punches when the opportunity is presented. It's for this reason that interval training is absolutely crucial for the regimen of any competitive fighter.
Basketball also shares this need for interval training. Players might be on one side of the court passing the ball, moving left and right and forward and back trying to get the ball through the hoop.
The next moment they may find themselves needing to sprint down to the other end of the court as possession of the ball changes hands. Though this may seem like continuous movement, the heart rates of these players fluctuate a great deal depending on what is occurring at any given moment in the game.
The Karvonen formula is the simplest way to figure out where your training zone is. This formula is a mathematical equation developed by researchers that uses your maximum heart rate minus your resting heart rate in order to determine your target heart rate.
To find your resting heart rate, take your pulse for a full sixty seconds. Your resting heart rate should be taken either when you first wake up in the morning or when you've been sitting or laying down (completely still) for roughly ten to fifteen minutes.
Below is an example of the Karvonen formula for a twenty-seven-year-old person with a resting heart rate of 65 bpm:
220 - 27 (age in years) = 193 bpm
193 - 65 (resting heart rate) = 128 bpm
128 × 65% (low end of heart rate) and
85% (high end) = 83 and 109 bpm
83 + 65 (resting heart rate) = 150 bpm
109 + 65 (rhr) = 174 bpm
The target heart rate zone for this person is 150 to 174. So when this person's heart rate is at 150 bpm, he is working at 65 percent of his maximum heart rate. This would be easy to moderate exercise if this person is in decent cardiorespiratory condition. If this individual's heart rate starts to increase to around 170 bpm, 175 bpm, or even higher, then at some point soon he is going to need to take a recovery.
During interval training, athletes try to increase their heart rate up to 85 percent and higher, maintaining this for short periods of time. This cycle is repeated a set number of times or repetitions — three to five times, for example.
You can use an electronic heart rate monitor during your own workouts. Many fighters will wear a heart rate monitor on a stationary bike or treadmill. You can still practice interval training, even on a stationary piece of fitness equipment. The electronic monitor will allow you to see and feel how your heart rate fluctuates during training.
When you are punching and kicking, as with a heavy bag, it may not be convenient to use or see a heart rate monitor. Your equipment may be in the way, especially if you are wearing hand wraps or bag gloves.
You can still employ interval training without the benefit of wearing an electronic heart rate monitor. Whenever you are working your body extra hard you will want to slow down soon after starting to prevent your heart from beating so fast that you are at risk of reaching unsafe bpm levels. If you are struggling for breath, what some call “sucking wind,” you've probably already reached 75–90 percent of your max heart rate.
At first glance, 75–90 percent may seem to be somewhat of a wide margin. This range is used because max heart rates differ slightly for each individual. In the exercise world, this is referred to as the
In Krav Maga there is a great deal of interval training. Intervals are normally performed at the beginning and toward the end of a workout. This ensures that your body has been warmed up enough to prevent any injuries and that you are mentally prepared to work hard. There are three to six different intervals performed during the usual Krav Maga workout. This doesn't mean that you must perform intervals during every single workout you do.
There is something you need to understand about the amount of necessary recovery time between sets of intervals: the more physically fit you become, the shorter the recovery time between each interval.
With practice, you will begin to notice that you are ready for the next interval sooner. As a result, you may want to begin shortening the recovery period you allow yourself between intervals. This will allow you to continually challenge yourself.
