As stated earlier, when it comes to conditioning, you get what you put into it. If you wish to improve, be prepared to work for it. You cannot stroll through workouts and expect to advance.
If you attempt a workout that is not challenging, make it more difficult. You must take responsibility for your conditioning. Any workout is challenging if you make it challenging.
Consider a one mile run. One mile is not a difficult distance to complete, but if you run the mile as if a lion were chasing you, it becomes much more intense.
The effort that you put forth is up to you.
Athletes continue to fail because of poor conditioning. Don’t make this mistake.
You should never lose because of conditioning. On the contrary, superior conditioning should become a weapon within your arsenal. You can often defeat technically superior opponents by wearing them out with a relentless pace.
There is nothing worse than the opponent who never stops attacking.
Become the fighter who sticks to his opponent like a piece of gum on the sole of a shoe.
This concept sounds great in theory, but very few fighters can truly say that they possess this level of conditioning.
Why?
The answer is simple. Conditioning workouts are not fun. They do not feel good. They are often painful and extremely intense. Many athletes begin with good intentions, but quit once the going gets tough. Very few athletes truly step up to the plate and attempt to push themselves to the next level.
Conditioning workouts are not flashy. You will not attract spectators who marvel at your performance of burpees. Jaws won’t drop, and heads won’t turn.
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Conditioning is not attractive. Watching someone perform 100 burpees is far from enjoyable. You will not attract the same response that you receive when lifting a heavy load from the floor. A powerlifter performs his lift in a matter of seconds. The same holds true for the Olympic weightlifter. The spectator sees the lift, and is immediately impressed. It feels good to attract the attention of onlookers.
Unfortunately, conditioning workouts rarely attract attention. Conditioning takes time to appreciate. It is something that you must look back at and appreciate after the fact. Consider the 12 round professional boxer for example.
You may watch 10 rounds, but if he runs out of gas in the 11th or 12th round, you will no longer appreciate his conditioning.
The time required to appreciate conditioning is one reason why many athletes fail because of poor conditioning. Let’s be honest, athletes enjoy hearing cheers from the crowd. We enjoy the attention and gratitude that comes from fans and supporters. You will not receive this attention when working through a conditioning workout. This is one reason why many athletes spend so much time in the weight room. You’ll turn more heads with an impressive lift.
When I first performed an unassisted one-arm chin-up, I turned heads, but I can’t honestly say that I was a better athlete. When I work through an intense conditioning workout however, no one looks. Such workouts are not enjoyable to watch, but it is these workouts that lead to the greatest improvements in performance as an athlete.
When I lift maximal loads, the lift is over in seconds. No matter how hard I strain, the strain is brief. I will soon have a few minutes of rest before my next effort*.
When working through a 5 minute conditioning drill, each second of that 5 minute round is intense. Your mind may beg you to quit, or suggest that you reduce the intensity.
Pre-workout anxiety then takes place the next time you are scheduled to perform the same workout. The mind quickly suggests alternatives. It tries to assure you that these alternatives will be equally effective, but deep down inside, you know that your mind is looking for an easier path.
Don’t give in to these thoughts. Conditioning workouts are not meant to be easy.
They are not meant to feel good.
* Please note that I am not downplaying the importance of strength, as strength is imperative. I am simply using this example to highlight one unique aspect of conditioning.
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I can still remember my first bout as a young amateur fighter. I thought I could succeed on athletic ability alone. I had no idea what I was getting into. I can still taste the extreme fatigue that I experienced that night.
Trust me, you don’t want to experience that kind of fatigue. Don’t let fight night be your first experience with fatigue. Make fatigue your friend. Learn to push through fatigue in the gym. Let the fight be a walk in the park compared to the work that you put in at the gym.
The body is more capable than we will ever realize. Don’t abuse your body, but don’t baby it either. Put in the work, challenge yourself, and focus on continuous improvement.
Never lose because of poor conditioning. There are certain variables outside of your control, but conditioning is not one of them. This is a variable that you control.
Take responsibility for this variable. Make conditioning the valuable weapon that it can be.
Most athletes know the importance of conditioning, but are not willing to put in the work to develop this weapon. Separate yourself from this mediocre group.
You do not need fancy equipment. You do not need anything but your own refusal to accept anything but your best.
If you put forth the effort, you will develop one of the most lethal weapons in the combat world.
The choice is yours. You cannot decide today however. This decision must be made daily, each time you enter the gym.
Accept the challenge, take responsibility, and destroy the competition.
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