# High-Intensity Conditioning for Combat Athletes: Practical Recommendations
## 2 General Physiological Demands of Combat Sports  
Typical values reported in the scientific literature for aerobic capacity are presented in Table 1. These values are weight class independent; and as such, are reported as typical upper limits for each fighting style. In general, the greater the potential duration of a contest and the total number of 'attacks', the greater the requirement for well-developed aerobic capacity. Combat sports that are shorter in duration and are comprised primarily of grappling or wrestling tend to require relatively lower aerobic capacity (Table 1). Nevertheless, a greater aerobic capacity has been related to a higher standard of performance in boxing, wrestling, and judo; however, some studies indicate no difference between standards [1]. These discrepancies might be due to the differing methodology implemented by studies and the range of continuous exercise tests performed in sport-specific settings. Interestingly, performance in a sport-specific intermittent test, but not aerobic capacity, was able to distinguish between national and regional karate competitors [11]. This is somewhat expected, because although combat sport athletes require well-adapted aerobic energy systems, these sports also place considerable demands on anaerobic and neuromuscular systems during competition. Indeed, approximately 77% of MMA contests are won by high-intensity actions lasting between 8 and 12 s, requiring substantial activation of anaerobic and neuromuscular systems; this duration is longer in higher-standard competitions [12]. In 2014, contest termination was associated with a mean of 20 s of standing (principally striking)-based high-intensity combat and 45 s of ground-based high-intensity combat in UFC bouts scheduled for 3 rounds [13] and victories were associated with approximately 60 s of prior high-intensity activity in 5-round bouts [14]. Blood lactate concentrations exceeding 10 mmol\(\cdot\)L\({}^{-1}\) have been consistently reported in boxers and MMA athletes [15; 16] during simulated competition, underlining the substantial activation of anaerobic energy pathways in these combat sports. Given these physiological demands, researchers have concluded that the majority of combat sports can be characterized as intermittent high-intensity impact sports (Table 1). However, the association between 'high-intensity' and 'anaerobic' characteristics and the subsequent notion that anaerobic capabilities are of primary importance in combat sports might be misunderstood in the context of actual performance, as true anaerobic performance (i.e., single maximum efforts lasting up to 20 s as reported from laboratory-based assessments) is rarely replicated. It is more likely that sustained high-force activities (8 to 12 s) leading to contest termination occur later in bouts after significant and prolonged anaerobic and neuromuscular demand. For example, a technical knockout in boxing might occur in the 10 th round after 30 min of intense competition. In these instances, the success of a high-intensity strategy is dependent on a well-developed aerobic rather than anaerobic energy system, with a key supporting role played by the neuromuscular system. Indeed, the diminishing contribution of the anaerobic glycolytic pathway to repeated high-force activities has been demonstrated even in 10 \(\times\) 6 s sprints with 30 s recovery and a relative increase in aerobic energy system contribution to 30 s maximal sprints when these sprints were performed three times with a rest period of 4 min [17; 18]. Performance in these activities was reliant on substantial activation of the aerobic energy system to perform at high intensity, akin to a key or final tactical component of performance in combat sports. A successful tactical strategy and the determination of contest pace are dependent upon critical intensity, demarcated as the upper limit of the severe-intensity domain just above the second lactate turnpoint with a time limit of approximately 30 min [24].