[Sonny]

Wild Card I was exactly the same as you growing up. I was always the last kid to finish running around the school, I was the kid hunched over during track and field etc. Needless to say, endurance/cardio wasn't really my strong suit(in fact, I'm not really naturally gifted in any sort of endeavour). That said, if you're willing to put in the time and effort you can most certainly train yourself to higher levels and be able to compete with others.

[True2KungFu]

tell us what you are doing now for conditioning and have done in the past, becuase if you havent been training conditioning, you obviously wont have it. My advice would be start off running 2-3 miles a day, build it up to 5 over a period of a few weeks. Then alternate sprints and distance every other day. Back off the weights for the time being to accomplish this.

[wildcard_seven]

Thanks for the responses. The reply from Sonny means a lot. If someone else has been in the same shoes and overcome their problems that gives me a lot more confidence. Thanks to the rest of you for your input.

As for what I do, I don't do conditioning year round. From what you say I probably should. Usually about 2 months before a grappling tournment (which is my main thing) I'll spend about 4-5 days a week conditioning. I split my time between running probably a little over 2 miles, 3 if I'm really feeling frisky, and usually some more anaerobic exercises: I work up to about 6-7 sets of 10 burpees (high knees to burpees) with about 15-20 sec. rest between each set.

I actually don't lift weights. I was just letting you know that I put up some good numbers when I did (mainly HS) so you would know I wasn't an all-around sickly human being. I've felt that I was pretty strong naturally so I tried to devote more time to conditioning. And of course, I keep a pretty busy schedule. I go to college, work, and am married.

Now, when I got to my tournments I usually found that I could hang okay, but I never felt really "fresh" after a match. And if I had a really athletic opponent who kept a very high pace I'd be positively gassed if I tried to keep up with him, so I'd basically be playing defense while he imposed his will.

From what you're implying, I'll attempt a real effort to do conditioning year-round to develop a stronger base, and I'll devote most of my time to running. I just needed to know if the extra effort would be worth my time--if I would see any worthwhile progress, or just hang one more minute before gassing.

If you have any other advice, I'll take it. But, try to keep it simple. I won't have much time at all when the fall semester hits, so I'm simply thinking of working up to 3-4 miles, 3-4times a week, all year round. Otherwise, I'll give it a shot, and I will come back in a few months and let you know how its going.

[True2KungFu]

from what i gather you definatley were not doing enough. I do burpees in a real wicked format , try 1.5minute - 2 minutes straight of burpees with 1 minute rest. do 4-5 rounds of those, that will give you seroius fitness. 2 miles is definatley not enough running, so yes do more.

[LegRider505]

Yeah wildcard, I guess endurance wise you got the short end of the genetic stick. I am the complete opposite of you and naturally have ridiculous endurance but have a tougher time gaining strength.

Start slow, give yourself a base to build up from, I'd say anywhere between 3-4 miles at a moderate pace.

[Art Vandelay]

Yes, genetics matter. The most likely possibility however, is that you are slightly below normal to normal in endurance output potential. Lets just say the average in shape male can run 3 miles in 24 minutes. Nothing too crazy, but a respectable baseline for average people. You can most likely do the same, but you have a comfort zone much lower than other similar males.

As a comparison, I will give personal examples. Less then a month ago, I was running a difficult course at a faster pace and at a greater distance than I can currently accomplish. I am physically capable of it, but I lack the mental toughness to put out 100% at that distance when no one is watching. This is most likely where your problem lies. Running and other endurance activities suck, and you simply can not stomach the required level of extra effort to improve.

What you can do is increase your comfort zone. You can go about this by pushing past your comfort zone in terms of intensity, and this is difficult. You can increase your comfort zone in one distance by maintaining your regular pace for a greater distance. This is easier. When you increase your volume and maintain your present level of intensity, shorter distances at higher intensity will not be as bad as previous.

Consider running with a partner or group if available.

Also, when you say you almost had a heart attack running the 1.5, how do you know this. Did you require medical evaluation? I know a guy that collapsed at the finish of a 4 mile run with a 110 core temperature. There's a huge difference between pushing hard and going way beyond your capabilities, and very few people are capable of doing the latter.

[cockysprinter]

Originally Posted by wildcard_seven

Fuck you. I have friends who do NOTHING but sit on a fuckin' coach and go to the gym, once, sometimes twice a week, and they can go round after round like they've been sneaking off and running marathons after midnight. If you think genes have nothing to do with it you are an arrogant prick.

i think hes more or less right. 185 isnt big for 6'3". from youre other posts in this thread it sounds like you just need to work on your conditioning week in week out. ive never heard of anybody this bad except chunky kids with asthma so hardcore theyd nearly died multiple times by age 10 (yes one of my old friends was like this). even he worked on it and got better.

[Ian Coe]

Based on what you said mate, I'd just do more running and barbell complexes (since your a grappler).


I used to have asthma pretty bad when I was young till about age 8, then I started swimming and got pretty good. When I stopped competing because of this and that at 16, asthma was long gone and I had a pretty decent set of lungs on me

[CowboyPete]

Originally Posted by Ian Coe

I used to have asthma pretty bad when I was young till about age 8, then I started swimming and got pretty good. When I stopped competing because of this and that at 16, asthma was long gone and I had a pretty decent set of lungs on me

I've had exercise induced asthma all my life and while I was swimming competitively (about the same years as you) it just wasn't a problem. My cardio then went downhill because of years of inactivity through high school and some of college. It's not something I'm proud of but that's not the issue here. I still think swimming is the best cardio activity I've ever done. Try hitting a pool two or three days out of your four to five day conditioning cycle.

[exclamatio]

instead of biting back to people who are giving you truthful answers why dont u get off your arse and do more conditioning

looks to me like ur looking for an easy answer, for someone to say "its your condition thats stopping you from doing so well"

if your conditioning is poor then work it

go skip
go run
blast out on the thai pads
work the heavy bag
accept constructive critisism