The Intangibles - Optimizing Your Stamina

This is the 5th in a series of weekly training tips designed to improve overall success, stamina, and flexibility.

Stamina, or endurance, is impacted by a number of different factors.  Diet, quality of sleep, and stress levels all have an effect on how well you hold up when the heat is on.  Stamina is especially important when it comes to sparring.  If you can't breathe, you can't fight, so high endurance levels are critical to achieving top performance (and avoiding that unexpected wack to the head). 

That feeling of fatigue and/or muscle burn you feel is a sign of how well your body is using oxygen.  Just like kicking and punching, you must train your body to use oxygen efficiently.  And just like Taekwondo training, the only way to improve your stamina is to push yourself past your comfort zone.  Think about how many hours sports teams practice to prepare for a 2 hour game.  Part of the practice time is to learn plays, but most of the time focuses on endurance.

In Taekwondo, much of what we do puts your body into an anaerobic state, which forces your muscles to use energy in ways that are best trained through interval training.  Sprinting is a good example of this type of training, which involves a period of high intensity exertion followed by a lower level period that allows your muscles to recover (and you to catch your breath).  Over time, the amount of recovery time will decrease as your body becomes better conditioned and more aerobically tuned in.  But don't get lazy - keep pushing to increase your capacity.

So mix it up when you're not at the Dojang.  Play basketball, soccer, or swim with a purpose.  Wii is not a substitute for running outside, although Nintendo would like us to believe that.  And Super Mario Brothers won't get your heart rate where it needs to be.  So put down the hand toys and get moving!

Next up -  do weight training and Taekwondo go together?