There's nothing a fighter fears more than gassing out during a fight.

Complete exhaustion as you're being dragged through hell is one of the worst feelings in the world. Now, while everyone knows that cardio is the key to avoiding this, very few fighters actually know the secrets to developing a limitless gas tank.

So, I'm sharing four secrets to ensure that you never gas out again. My coaching team and I have used these techniques to build some ridiculous fight cardio with top MMA stars like Shane Burgos and Julio Arce, as well as hundreds of other combat athletes around the world.

If you want to unlock the confidence to dominate fights without tiring, then these secrets are definitely for you:


#1 Decrease your resting heart rate

Research shows that a low resting heart rate is one of the best metrics for health, recovery, and cardio. A lower resting heart rate means your heart has to do less work to supply oxygen throughout your body. So, a fighter with a lower resting heart rate can sustain their fight pace for longer.

A simple way to lower your resting heart rate is to perform workouts while maintaining an average heart rate of 130 to 150 beats per minute. With our fighters, we use exercises that are specific to their sport. So, we might have a striker shadowbox or a wrestler perform shots and sprawls.

We try to avoid long runs as much as possible because they're not sport-specific, and the body damage can build up over time. However, some athletes find roadwork mentally therapeutic, in which case I program long runs once or twice a week. But this is very rare.


#2 Increase your heart rate recovery

Recovery is the ability to bring our heart rate down from Max to rest. This is important because a fighter who can lower their heart rate faster will be able to dominate round after round with a relentless pace. The best way to increase heart rate recovery is by practicing it during the off-camp.

We increase heart rate recovery by having our athletes perform workouts that mimic the demands of their fight. For example, a professional MMA fighter will be conditioning for three five-minute rounds, performing intervals with a work-to-rest ratio of 15 seconds on and 15 seconds off. Between each round, our athlete rests until their heart rate comes down to 120 beats per minute.

During each week of repeating the circuit, our athletes are aiming to recover their heart rate faster than the week before. Our fighters with the best cardio can recover their heart rate by 60 to 80 beats in one minute.


#3 Practice proper breathing

Breathing is often overlooked when it comes to fight cardio. But you'd be surprised how many fighters we work with see ridiculous improvements in their cardio just by changing how they breathe.

One key term I want you to ingrain into your mind is nasal breathing. Nasal breathing just means breathing through your nose. This ensures that we have better control of our breath and heart rate during a fight. In competition, you'll be wearing a mouthpiece that makes it impossible to breathe through your mouth. So, nasal breathing should be a big part of your training.

You can practice nasal breathing by making it a conscious effort and priority in your conditioning sessions, wearing your mouthpiece while you condition, or taping your mouth while you condition.


#4 Eat like a professional

Many combat athletes gas out because they don't eat the right way. I've seen some horrendous diets coming from fighters. Giant fasts, carbohydrate restrictions, and “eating clean” are all lies you've been told, and they all have a negative impact on your performance.

Just because something is “healthy” does not mean it's optimal for athletic performance. The best way a fighter can improve their cardio with nutrition is through the 4-2-1 rule.

- Four hours before you train, you’ll want to have a meal containing protein, complex carbs, some fat, and vegetables.

- Two hours before you train, have a snack containing protein and carbs.

- Then one hour before you train, you can have 30 to 60 grams of a simple carbohydrate like applesauce.

Fighters who implement the 4-2-1 rule see immediate improvements to their cardio and have a major advantage over fighters who just “eat clean.”