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When training for combat sports, understanding the anaerobic threshold and heart rate reserve (HRR) is critical to optimizing performance. These metrics help gauge fitness levels and how efficiently your body performs during high-intensity activities, especially during explosive movements common in combat sports like striking or grappling.

What is the Anaerobic Threshold?

The anaerobic threshold (AT), often referred to as the lactate threshold, is the point during exercise when your body transitions from using predominantly aerobic (oxygen-based) energy to anaerobic (non-oxygen-based) energy. As exercise intensity increases, your muscles require more oxygen, but eventually, they can't get enough. At this point, they start to produce energy anaerobically, which leads to a buildup of lactate in the blood.

When your muscles accumulate more lactate than they can clear, you start to feel the "burn," and performance begins to suffer due to muscle fatigue. For combat athletes, delaying the onset of this burn can mean the difference between dominating in the later rounds or gassing out.

What is Heart Rate Reserve (HRR)?

Heart rate reserve is the difference between your maximum heart rate (MHR) and your resting heart rate (RHR). It’s a valuable tool for determining the intensity of your training. The greater the heart rate reserve, the more cardiovascularly fit an athlete tends to be. Here’s how to calculate it:

1. Determine Max Heart Rate (MHR): This is generally calculated as 220 minus your age.

   • For example, a 30-year-old’s MHR is 190 beats per minute (220 - 30 = 190 bpm).

2. Determine Resting Heart Rate (RHR): This is the heart rate when you are fully at rest, like right after waking up.

   • Let’s say the same athlete has a RHR of 60 bpm.

3. Calculate HRR: Subtract the RHR from the MHR (190 bpm - 60 bpm = 130 bpm).

Once you have your HRR, you can use it to structure your training zones, determining the intensity of your workouts based on percentages of your HRR.

Training to Improve Anaerobic Threshold and HRR

Improving your anaerobic threshold and HRR requires structured, targeted training. Both involve increasing cardiovascular efficiency, muscular endurance, and your body's ability to handle higher intensities without fatiguing too quickly.

1. Interval Training

One of the most effective ways to improve your anaerobic threshold is through high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Short, repeated bursts of maximum effort followed by rest periods allow your body to improve its tolerance to lactate buildup.

Example:

• 30 seconds of all-out effort (like sprinting or bag work)
• 90 seconds of active recovery (like slow jogging or light shadowboxing)

Repeat this cycle for 20-30 minutes. This helps combat athletes build endurance for explosive movements like striking combinations or grappling transitions.

2. Threshold Training

Tempo runs or threshold-specific intervals can improve your ability to operate just below your anaerobic threshold for longer periods.

Example:

• 20 minutes of continuous exercise at 85-90% of your MHR
• This could be sustained running, cycling, or bag work.

The goal here is to train your body to delay the point at which lactate builds up. Over time, you’ll notice an increased ability to sustain high-intensity efforts during sparring or competition.

3. Long Slow Distance (LSD)

Although combat sports are highly anaerobic, training your aerobic system with low-intensity cardio is crucial. This enhances overall cardiovascular health, helping to improve your HRR by lowering your resting heart rate. The result is a wider heart rate reserve, meaning your body can handle more intense work when needed.

Example:

• 45-60 minutes of light running, biking, or swimming at 60-70% of your MHR (a conversational pace).

This builds a solid aerobic base, which supports recovery between high-intensity efforts and enhances endurance during long matches.

How Fast Do You Lose It if You Don’t Train?

The hard truth is, if you don't use it, you lose it. Cardiovascular fitness, including anaerobic threshold and heart rate reserve, can decline rather quickly if training stops. Studies suggest that after 2 weeks of inactivity, noticeable declines begin in both anaerobic and aerobic capacity:

• 1-2 weeks off: You may not notice drastic performance changes, but your body starts to lose some cardiovascular efficiency.
• 2-4 weeks off: Both VO2 max (a measure of aerobic capacity) and anaerobic threshold begin to drop significantly.
• Over 4 weeks off: You can expect a 10-15% reduction in cardiovascular fitness, with lactate threshold dropping as well.

The good news is that it doesn’t take as long to regain fitness as it does to lose it. With consistent training, most athletes can bounce back to their previous levels within a few weeks.

How Does Age Affect It?

As you age, both your maximum heart rate and your ability to recover decline. This means older athletes often have a smaller HRR and a lower anaerobic threshold compared to younger athletes. However, with proper training, these declines can be minimized:

• Anaerobic threshold decreases with age, as muscles produce and clear lactate less efficiently.
• HRR decreases, as the maximum heart rate naturally declines (roughly 1 bpm per year after age 20). A lower MHR means less room to improve your cardiovascular intensity.

That said, older athletes can still maintain high levels of performance with consistent training, focusing on longer recovery periods and optimizing training intensity.

How to Train Anaerobic Threshold and HRR Outside Combat Sports

Outside the ring or gym, the best way to train these metrics is through cross-training methods that don’t replicate your combat movements but still push your cardiovascular system. These include:

1. Cycling or Rowing: Both are low-impact exercises that can help increase your cardiovascular endurance while reducing wear and tear on your joints.
2. Swimming: A full-body workout that promotes cardiovascular health and is gentle on the body. Great for recovery days while maintaining endurance.
3. Plyometrics and Explosive Movements: Box jumps, burpees, and kettlebell swings are excellent for improving your power output, which translates well to combat sports.
4. Strength Training with Compound Lifts: Lifts like squats and deadlifts performed in circuit fashion at high intensity help improve both muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness.

By incorporating these methods into your routine, you’ll not only improve your performance in combat sports but also maintain a balanced approach to fitness, reducing injury risks and improving longevity in the sport.

Conclusion

Understanding and improving your anaerobic threshold and HRR are essential to being a successful combat athlete. By incorporating targeted interval training, threshold work, and steady-state cardio, you can build cardiovascular efficiency, sustain high-intensity efforts, and recover more effectively between rounds. Age can affect these metrics, but with consistent training, it's possible to maintain a high level of performance.

1. American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. 10th Edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2017.

   • This source provides guidelines for heart rate reserve calculations and interval training.

2. Jones, A. M., & Carter, H. (2000). The effect of endurance training on parameters of aerobic fitness. Sports Medicine, 29(6), 373-386.

   • This study discusses the impact of endurance training on anaerobic threshold and aerobic capacity.

3. Bosquet, L., Léger, L., & Legros, P. (2002). Methods to determine aerobic endurance. Sports Medicine, 32(11), 675-700.

   • It details how to measure and improve anaerobic threshold and HRR through structured training.

4. Wisløff, U., Støylen, A., Loennechen, J. P., Bruvold, M., Rognmo, Ø., Haram, P. M., ... & Ellingsen, Ø. (2007). Superior cardiovascular effect of aerobic interval training versus moderate continuous training in heart failure patients: a randomized study. Circulation, 115(24), 3086-3094.

   • This study supports the effectiveness of interval training to improve cardiovascular health and endurance.

5. Coyle, E. F. (2005). Very intense exercise-training is extremely potent and time efficient: a reminder. Journal of Applied Physiology, 98(6), 1983-1984.

   • This research emphasizes the power of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for improving anaerobic and aerobic capacity.

6. Tanaka, H., Monahan, K. D., & Seals, D. R. (2001). Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 37(1), 153-156.

   • It explains the relationship between age and maximum heart rate, crucial for calculating HRR and understanding its decline over time.

These references help validate the recommendations made in the blog and provide scientific backing for the training methods discussed.