Cardiac capacity is a conditioning regime developed by Joel Jamieson, director and founder of End Zone Athletics and author of Ultimate MMA Conditioning. In short, cardiac output is
The cardiac output method is a highly effective method for improving how much blood your heart can pump with each beat. This method has been around for centuries in endurance training and has been used in boxing and combat sport circles for many years in the form of "road work" or long slow runs (LSD). In recent years, this type of training has gotten a bad rap and people have shunned it in favor of higher intensity intervals, but this is a mistake because it develops the heart and vascular network in a way that higher intensity intervals simply do not.
The trick is how to do cardiac output work using the ground techniques of jiu jitsu, grappling and wrestling rather than the standing techniques of boxers and MMA fighters (i.e., running, shadow-boxing, pad work, etc.)
What I've done is to slow down some of the ground drills I do with matwork, things like alt hipscapes and alt upas and hook sweeps and hip splits. Into that mix I add some ab work (today was decline sit-ups and incline leg raises), as well as some semi-technical skills work like the 360 drill and my half-guard leg drill (a la Kesting).
Over and over again at a moderate pace until 45 or 60 minutes are up.
Today was 45 minutes, which felt like a pretty good session. It's pretty easy to extend the session or to up the intensity - though it is very easy to go too hard too early.
