If there’s one thing that can make or break your chances of winning in competitions, more than technique, or mental preparation, it’s cardio. We all know it’s vital, and we all hate training it because, let’s face it, a lot of methods for improving your cardio are tend to be pretty boring – here’s looking at you jogging. However, all is not lost, as there are numerous ways to bolster your cardio without your training feeling tedious or dull. Here are 5 powerful methods to increase your cardio for martial arts, regardless of what discipline you train and compete in.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is the most obvious and commonly used example on this list, but it’s here for a reason. Completing high-stress exercises for short, intense periods with prolonged rest in between each round is a staple of martial arts training. What keeps HIIT training interesting and beneficial is that the exercise can change each session, depending on your interest and your injuries. Tired of sprints on the treadmill, use the elliptical machine. Have a lower leg injury like shin-splints, do your HIIT cardio sessions on a rower.

Jump Rope/Skipping

Skipping is another exercise that seems obvious to some, but many only utilise it to improve their footwork. As any newbie to striking arts like Boxing, or Muay Thai – especially with their heavier ropes – three three-minute rounds of skipping is absolutely knackering. After you’ve conditioned yourself to your classes jump rope warm-ups, keep going. Don’t go for a 30-minute run and be bored out of your mind. Enjoy 30 minutes of skipping where you can learn new skills and tricks to keep the sessions exciting and distract you from the fact you’re training cardio.

Pad Work

A common misconception from beginners and outsiders is that pad drills are primarily used to improve technique. While there certainly are some second-hand benefits to hitting pads, they are most effective at improving your cardio. Not only does pad work improve your overall cardio, it mimics the stopping-starting nature of fighting.

Long-Distance Running

Only joking. Running sucks!

Circuit Training

Circuit training is based on a similar principle to HIIT training. Not only does circuit training mimic the sporadic nature of a fight, it also kills two birds with one stone by letting you tailor your exercise selection to target weak points in your strength & conditioning sessions. Want to work on your endurance in your legs? Add kettlebell swings into your circuit. Circuit training is one of the most versatile ways to increase your cardio.

Nasal Breathing

This may sound like bullshido, but nasal breathing is a technique used by wrestlers for years to drastically increase the results of their cardio sessions. The technique is simple, whilst undergoing your conditioning drills, try to only breathe in and out of your nose. Nasal breathing has numerous surprising benefits for combat athletes, but the main one is drastically improving the effectiveness of your cardio sessions.