I Got Two Words, Pay Me

Well, it is time for the most wonderful time of the year. No, it isn't Christmas; it's New Year's Day or shortly there after. Why? Because that's when thousands of people march into their local health club proclaiming that this is the year they are going to get into shape. If you are a personal trainer, it is like being a bear sitting upstream waiting for the salmon. Anyone who works at a health club or belongs to one can attest to this. All the aerobic classes are standing room only, you need a reservation to use one of the treadmills, and there is a twelve man rotation to use the cable cross machines. It is the same revolving unfulfilled resolution that repeats itself year after year. It starts off like this, "I ate like a pig this holiday...," "I must have put on at least ten pounds...," "now I'm ready to get into shape..." But if good intent was enough to get everyone into great physical shape, sixty percent of the U.S. population wouldn't be well over the healthy body fat percentage level (over 15% for men, and over 22% for women). Sorry, I don't know what the statistics are in other countries, but I'm sure that somewhere in your neck of the woods there are a few people who could stand to drop a few pounds.

However, as they say, "only the strong survive" and long before 2005 is over, a large part of the gym population will have dropped off - bless their hearts. They will not have been in good shape for the Spring, but at least they will have given it the college try. If it is any consolation, the gym ownership will be thanking them for their monthly donations for as long as their contract locks them in.

Now, those who manage to persist past the blooming of the cherry blossoms will not necessarily be better off. Time in the gym does not always equate to time well spent. The casual gym-goer who quits an exercise after the fourth repetition - "that's enough of that, I'm starting to feel the burn" - is clearly deluding himself or herself into believing that they are actually taking an active role towards their health. Yeah, something is better than nothing, but not by much.

Then there is the multi-tasking gym member who is talented enough to read the newspaper and do leg extentions at the same time. Oh, and I love this one, "I run so I don't have to work on my legs." Nothing could be further from the truth. There are also those who simply go through the motions pushing weights my eight year old daughter could handle. News flash, if you don't challenge yourself a little, you will not get any results. While I am at it, I might as well tell you that twenty minutes on the stair climber is not enough to burn any significant fat stores, but it will help strengthen your heart. To put a serious dent in the size of your fat cells, you need to perform aerobic exercise four to six times per week for thirty to fourty-five minutes per session.

The bottom line is this, if you plan to make a commitment to your health make sure to formulate a game plan or it is not going to work. If you are not sure how to get started talk to the trainers at your club. Most clubs provide their members with free health assessments and one or two free personal training sessions to set up an exercise program. If you still need help you might want to hire a qualified trainer for a short long-term period. Now you should not go broke over the matter but you do need to make a significant investment in your health. I suggest you start with a few sessions to get acquainted with a trainer you think you might like to work with, and then purchase additional sessions if you're satisfied with their performance and credentials. Most clubs provide discounts for purchasing sessions in volume. You should plan on working with your trainer at least twice a week; any less than this would probably be a waste of money. You have to remember that hiring a trainer is an investment in your health and longevity. Your health is invaluable - just ask anyone who is severely sick what they would give to get their health back. Think of hiring a trainer this way - it is cheaper to pay the trainer, than it is to pay for a open-heart quadruple by-pass surgery.

All jokes aside, here's to your health in 2005. Cheers!

Brett's Favorite Fight Songs

They say music soothes the savage beast, I use it to do just the opposite. Here is a list of 20 of the top songs I use just before I knuckle-up and tear the roof off the house. You can tell by the title of these songs that most of them come with a parental avisory explicit content warning label.

1. Welcome To The Terrordome - Public Enemy
2. We Ready - Archie Eversole
3. Knuckle Up - Sammy Sam
4. Harder To Breath - Maroon 5
5. And Still - Roy Jones Jr. (Yes, the boxer)
6. Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
7. Unleash The Dragon - Sisqo'
8. Some X Sh** - Ruff Ryders (Ryde or Die Vol. 1 - track 15)
9. 99 Problems - Jay-Z
10. You Dropped The Bomb On Me - Gap Band
11. In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins
12. Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins
13. I Against I - Mos Def & Massive Attack
14. Right Here, Right Now - Ice Cube & Paul Oakenfold
15. X Gon' Give It To Ya - DMX
16. On The Ropes - Darcmind
17. Heart Of A Champion - Nelly
18. Bomb First - 2pac
19. Head Bussa - N.O.R.E.
20. Rock Star - The Neptunes

I Fooled You...Ha, Ha

It has been my experience in life that, “it does not matter what is; it only matters what you can make people believe is.” I’m not suggesting that you should go through life seeking advantages through misrepresentation and facades, but rather reality is greatly based on perception, and perception is not always in line with reality. So you are probably thinking; what does that fortune cookie logic have to do with boxing or martial arts? Simple, a fighter that is not proactive and merely reactive can be easily misled into believing one thing, when in actuality it is really another thing. Fighting is as much a mental battle as it is physical. It is possible during the course of a match to maneuver an opponent’s perception in such a way that he or she over-reacts or under-reacts to what you are doing, or becomes reserved and cautious. Athletes often refer to this situation as “taking someone out of their game.” You can create this dilemma for your opponent by playing on their fears and concerns as well as observing their habitual tendencies.

When I initially began competing, I would show everything I had right from the start. There would be nothing for my opponent to figure out, because I would play every card in my hand. My strategy was to overwhelm my opponent with speed, athleticism and aggression. However, victories come hard this way, and your body pays the toll in the way of fatigue and injury. I had grasped the hard war (the physical), but missed the soft war (the mental). My game plan definitely needed some refinement. Looking for answers, I turned my attention to the advice and observation of more experienced fighters than myself. I watched these seasoned fighters during their practice sparring sessions. They moved with a purpose; each technique seemed to be well-calculated and adjusted for distance, timing and effectiveness. No more energy was expended than what was needed. They were offensive and defensive at the same time; not one without the other. During the course of the confrontation, they appeared to be constantly evaluating and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent. Witnessing all of this, it finally occurred to me that until then all my focus had been solely on myself. I never stopped once to think about what the other fighter was feeling and thinking, or how their physical state appeared. Nor did I bother to notice how opponents reacted to me. It seemed I knew myself, but did not know my adversaries.

Thanks to experimentation, training and observation I have been able to develop and sharpen my mental awareness inside the ring. I know now that some of the most important battles take place in the mind. So on that note, I will share with you some techniques I have found particularly effective when it comes to misdirecting the perceptions of opponents and taking advantage of their habitual behaviors:

1. As best as possible try to mask all signs of injury, pain, fatigue, frustration and anxiety. These are all dead give-aways that let your opponent know that what they are doing is getting to you, and builds their confidence.
2. Against slower opponents attack and retreat at angles. Remember it is to your opponent's advantage to have you stand in front of them, especially when they are slower than you. Cautiously front them at a distance within their striking range. If you are confident enough lower your guards slightly to make the idea of attacking you more appealing. As your opponent comes forward to strike, slip away laterally to your right or left to catch them with a counter-strike.
3. Place a string of strikes away from a particular area you really want to strike. This will help draw your opponent's attention away from your true intent. Often fighters will over-compensate for strikes frequently placed near or around the same area by shifting their guards too far and too soon in anticipation of being hit in the same spot. This in turn sets them up for an attack to the area of the body they left unprotected.
4. Faking one technique and immediately following with a legitimate one is a great way to pull your opponent out of position or cause them to delay their reaction to you. But you have to sell the fake. If the fake does not appear to be a real threat, your opponent will not move.
5. Look for patterns during the course of a match that you can exploit. Repeated behaviors make fighters predictable. Examples include - constantly going for head shots, dropping the rear hand when throwing the lead hand, grunting just before you strike, always moving in the same direction and cocking back a punch just before it is thrown.
6. Don't be satisfied with just avoiding or blocking a strike; look to immediately counter. Every time your opponent misses a shot make them pay; cause them to be cautious and apprehensive.
7. Use multiple strikes to make yourself harder to defend against. Increase your chances for a hit by also varying the shots to different parts of the body (head, chest, stomach, kidney, etc.)
8. Don't let an opponent off the hook. When a man is drowning pour more water. When given the opportunity take advantage of it.
9. Try to dominate a match early, causing your opponent to have to play catch-up. When a fighter is desperate they often get careless.
10. Disguise your power by mixing off-speed strikes with harder strikes.

Martial Fitness: Can You Learn Self-Defense Through Cardio-Kickboxing?

B-FLX

In order to arrive at a definitive answer to the title question, I have devised two parts to this article. The first part is to identify who teaches cardio-kickboxing, and what expertise and training they possess. The second part is to analyze the typical style and setting in which these types of classes are taught. I have been in the fitness industry for over thirteen years now, during which time I have both instructed cardio-kickboxing classes, and taught and tutored other fitness professionals on how to teach them. It has been my experience that these types of classes usually take place mainly at health clubs, personal fitness gyms and recreation centers although I have recently noticed a few martial arts studios attempting to expand their market appeal by offering cardio-based kickboxing classes, too. For the most part, however, health clubs have led the way in duplicating and expanding upon the Billy Blanks Tae-Bo workout model.

Aerobic Instructors vs. Martial Artists:

Generally speaking there are two types of people that find their way to instructing cardio-kickboxing classes - aerobic instructors and martial artists. As you can imagine, there are distinct differences between an aerobic instructor who uses defensive movements (i.e. kicks and punches) to conduct a cardio-kickboxing class, and a martial artist who attempts to teach defensive movements in an aerobic format. The setting may be the same, the format might be the same, but the experience of the instructors and their rational application of defensive techniques vary greatly.

An aerobic instructor is someone whose expertise includes choreographing sequential movements of large muscle groups for the purpose of elevating a person’s heart rate for an extended period of time, thereby promoting cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance and fat reduction. In comparison, a martial artist is someone who has expertise in performing defensive movements which are applicable to their art form (form, meaning: tae kwon do, hapkido, judo, wushu, etc.) and holds a superior grasp of self-protection. So who is more qualified to teach a cardio-kickboxing class in a health club setting? Neither, the strengths of one are the weaknesses of the other. Aerobic instructors understand the importance of creative steady rhythmic movements in which musical tracks with up-tempo beats are used to pace and coordinate multi-task routines. Yet they may not understand the defensive strategies for the moves they use in class. On the other hand, while martial artists are able to technically break down and define the intricate aspects of punching, kicking and blocking as well as give situational application to those movements, they often evoke an unenthusiastic response from class-goers, because their stringent insistence on adherence to their art form would best be suited to a dojo rather then a health club.

The differences between the way an aerobic instructor and a martial artist deliver their class instruction are correlated to their own instructional training. Many aerobic instructors in the fitness industry possess national certifications to qualify to teach cardio-kickboxing classes at different health clubs. Generally speaking, these certifications cover written material and instruction related to exercise injury and prevention, liability (which includes non-contact), aerobic formatting, basic kicks and punches, theatrical presentation, muscular and skeletal systems in use and the over-all outcome and benefits of improving physical health. The time it takes to complete this course-work varies depending on the certification, but it can be completed in as little as one weekend. Upon completing certification, an instructor will have a broad perspective on how to use kicks and punches to formulate aerobic routines, but not the knowledge of how to use these defensive techniques for self-defense.

In contrast a martial artist receives their training at a formal institution devoted to their particular style of martial art. Practitioners must regularly demonstrate their knowledge and physical skill corresponding to their rank. Promotion from rank to rank occurs when a student shows mastery of what is expected of him or her and is ready to move forward. On average, it takes about four years of almost daily training to achieve the level of black belt. Such training includes strength and endurance exercises, stretching, proper nutrition, mental focus, kicking and punching drills both with and without contact, sparring, forms and written examinations. Additionally, formal martial arts classes are taught with specific codes of behavior and rigid precision. There is no music playing in the background coupled with eight step counts to transition class participants into the next exercise. Social expression and laughter take place before and after class but never during. For these reasons a martial artist can find it a hard sale to teach in a health club setting where music and social interaction are very much a part of the club atmosphere.

The Solution?

Combine the best of both worlds. If you’re an aerobic instructor, train with a reputable martial artist, who can teach you the dynamics of defensive movements. This will help add authentic clarity to defensive techniques used in class, which might otherwise be ambiguous to an aerobic instructor, including modifying techniques for people of different skill levels, choosing techniques based on situational need, placement of kicks punches, timing and distance, and last but not least, how to “block.” The martial artist would benefit from this same union as well, by learning how to place the technical aspects of their art into an aerobic format suitable for a health club setting. Hardcore adherence to formalities associated with martial arts is of little to no importance to a person in a cardio-kickboxing class trying to lose weight and build muscular strength and endurance. This is not to say that a martial artist should not seek to preserve the integrity of their art, rather extend his or her understanding and knowledge in such a way as to reach people on a level at which they are willing to receive instruction. Learning how to conduct an up-tempo musically charged class with legitimate understanding of kicking and punching is a great way to market martial arts in a health club to participants who would not set foot in a dojo. The bottom line is if you’re an aerobic instructor, know the what, when, why and where of the techniques you’re using. Martial artists, lighten up. Learn how to shake butt and kick butt at the same time.

Conclusion

Now with that said, the answer to the title question above is “no.” The two biggest factors that do not permit participants to learn self-defense in a cardio-kickboxing class are time and liability. On average, group exercise classes in a health club last for approximately sixty minutes – five minutes on entering the studio and setting up, ten to fifteen minutes on warm-up, and another five to ten minutes on stretching, not to mention the time needed to explain and demonstrate the movements used during class. So, in reality, only about thirty minutes or less is left for actual on-task instruction. This is nowhere near enough time to practice defensive movements that could be used in a life or death situation. As my mother would say, “you know just enough to get yourself hurt.”

Finally, there is also the issue of liability. You can theorize all day long punching and kicking at the air or on heavy bags and mitts, but the experience is not the same as if you were to actually fight another person. As someone who has fought both on the streets and in the ring, trust me on this. Because of the physical risks associated with sparring most health clubs will not allow contact between the instructor and or other participants. The only way to learn how to fight is to fight. To do this well, however, requires constant and consistent practice – to the point that execution becomes as natural as breathing.

Yoga Even Sounds Like The Name Of A Cult

I'm completely convinced that the people who take yoga classes at my gym are part of some fanatical right wing republican cult. One of the boxing classes I teach precedes a yoga class. Now, I happen to like the instructor who teaches the class, but some of the participants are a bunch of nut cases. Fifteen minutes before my class ends about a dozen yoga people huddle around the door of the studio like cattle preparing for a stampede. Maybe, they think there's a prize for being the first one through the door. I imagine these same people setting their alarm clocks to get up early in the morning, then driving half-way across town to be the first one in line to catch an early bird special at Walmart on toaster ovens. They make me laugh trying their best to antagonize me with their stares, as though I might cut my class short to accommodate their neurotic behavior. When I finally do end class, they rush in to get their mats and secure a spot on the floor where they think the air is best for breathing. No one talks. Talking must have been banned by the cult leadership. Or maybe, their higher understanding has allowed them to telepathically communicate to one another. That must be it. The unassuming and silent types are the ones you have to watch out for. Come to think of it, my back hurts. One of them must have put roots on me.

Ten Things I Learned In The Health Club

1. Getting up at 5 a.m. to train a client at 6 a.m. sucks.
2. There is always at least one member in every health club that smells bad.
3. Women always want to know what they can do to make their butt and hips smaller.
4. Guys always try to bench press more weight then they can handle.
5. Everyone doesn't look good in spandex.
6. People tell their trainers things they wouldn't tell their own mothers.
7. The lost-and-found is full of cd and tape players.
8. There is always something that doesn't work.
9. The lat-pull is the most poorly performed exercise.
10. Man-breast are quite unsightly

10 Things I learned As A Group Exercise Instructor

1. If I have to teach class when I'm tired, I'll make the workout just a little harder than usual. I figure, if I'm tired everyone should be tired too. Misery loves company. I'm just being honest.
2. Never ask your students to do something you can't do or you aren't willing to do.
3. Whenever you lose count during an exercise, just say "two more."
4. Women are easier to train then men because they listen better.
5. Don't use titles and knowledge as a show of superiority.
6. Students teach the instructor as much as the instructor teaches the students.
7. Knowledge is useless, if you can't apply it.
8. If instructing is just a job for you and not a passion, find another occupation.
9. If the class looks lost don't continue without addressing the confusion.
10. Don't give advice or instruction beyond your qualifications.

Ten Things I Learned In The Boxing Gym

1. Groin and hip protectors always rise up and make you look like Steve Arkle.
2. When you walk into a boxing gym for the first time, you never feel welcomed but you do feel antagonized.
3. Duct tape is used to fix anything that is broken in the gym.
4. Every professional boxer isn't necessarily a skilled practitioner of the sport; they just get paid to box.
5. In the eyes of the judges, last seen best remembered.
6. Boxing without self-respect and morality always leads to breakdowns in and out of the ring.
7. A good head shot can knock you out, but a good body shot will steal your soul.
8. Never come forward on an opponent without throwing a punch first.
9. Speed really does kill.
10. Professional boxing is a business and it's shady at best, beware.

Ten Things I Learned In The Dojo

1. Even when you're wearing a groin protector, it still hurts when you get kicked in the jewels.
2. Rank is a privilege not a right, maintaining it is just as important as achieving it.
3. In taekwondo I have seen more people knocked out by the reverse turning kick then any other kick.
4. No matter how tight you fasten your belt it always comes loose during practice.
5. Two or more people yelling at the end of a form is really funny.
6. Never apologize for getting a good lick in during sparring; it's not like you didn't mean to hit them.
7. If you drop your guards and receive a shot to the head, it's your fault.
8. Having someone mount your back while sitting in a straddle stretch hurts.
9. The best time to counter is when an opponent is in transition or completion of a strike or maneuver.
10. Take action without doubt and preconceived outcomes.

2004 Ringside World Boxing Champion 

Do You Run To Box, Or Box To Run?

The bell has just rung ending the second round of an eight round bout. Each step you take towards your corner is like a death march through quicksand. Finally, you drop down on a stool that emerges from under the bottom rope of the ring and slump your back against the corner pad. Your lungs are on fire seared by your own heavy heated breaths that neither let you hear nor speak. Sweat pours down your brow, blurs your vision and stings your eyes, while your heart pounds in your chest like a Morse code for an S.O.S. The few drops of water provided to you evaporate on your tongue. Simply put, you’ve hit the wall.

Even the most talented and skilled athletes will find themselves at a loss for energy without the right training applicable to their sport. Boxers like the one described above are no exception to this fact. What I’m about to say next will probably raise the eyebrows of a few boxers and their coaches. If you’re a competitive fighter running daily distances of over five miles as part of your conditioning work you’re wasting your time and effort. Right about now, you may be thinking to yourself that some of the greatest boxers in the sport ran long distances. This may be true, but it doesn’t mean they were conditioning their bodies in the best possible way. One of the objectives of most athletes is to have their bodies perform at the optimal level needed for their sport; how an athlete trains has a lot to do with that. While running long distances may help a boxer “float like a butterfly,” it definitely won’t make him “sting like a bee.”

Let me ask a question, and then answer it. Is boxing an aerobic sport or an anaerobic sport? It’s both. Casually stated, aerobic exercise is repetitive movement over a long period of time in which working muscles burn glucose with the presence of oxygen. In contrast, anaerobic exercise involves explosive movement over a short period of time in which working muscles burn glucose without oxygen. A fighter has to be in a constant state of readiness able to attack or defend in a split second. Bobbing, weaving and stepping around the ring reflect a boxer’s aerobic capacity. Quick flurries, power punching, and shoulder butts reflect a boxer’s anaerobic capacity. Fighters fluctuate between these two energy systems during the course of a bout at a furious and rapid pace for extended periods of time with just brief rest between confrontations. So a vital key to success is to be able to maintain high energy expenditures without prematurely exhausting before the conclusion of each round. The solution is to interval train at high intensities to increase the fighter’s Anaerobic Threshold (AT). Thus, boxers running marathon distances is no more helpful to them than a figure skater taking batting practice. I’m not saying that a boxer shouldn’t run at all, rather they should run short distances at a fast pace. And as a side thought, somewhere there might be a figure skater that plays in a recreation softball league, able to switch hit and bat .357.

Now, what is AT, and what does it have to do with stamina in the ring? Let me begin with a very simple review of physiology. I’ve already explained that muscles can systematically burn glucose for energy through aerobic and anaerobic processes. These systems produce a temporary energy store called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), which is the only fuel a muscle can use to produce work. In comparison, the anaerobic system provides energy for heavy short-term work while the aerobic system fuels light to moderate long-term work. A fighter going for a knockout with an all-out barrage of punches requires a great deal of power output; this type of effort uses the anaerobic system. In an anaerobic state energy is quickly available but rapidly depleted, and lactic acid builds up as a waste product in the muscle (often referred to as the burn). This in turn inhibits muscle contraction and the assault comes to a halt. The working muscles will recover after a brief period of rest; that’s the good news. The bad news is that boxers aren’t afforded rest during a round, unless they’re given an eight count or get knocked out. Movement around the ring requires a steady output of power using the aerobic system. Aerobic pathways don’t generate the explosive power of the anaerobic but they do operate at a higher level of efficiency and endurance. Throughout the course of a bout a fighter’s body uses different proportions of both these systems. As the tempo and intensity of punches and movements shift often the production of energy is right at the cross-over between aerobic and anaerobic. AT is the point at which lactate (lactic acid) begins to accumulate in the bloodstream. Boxing at a moderate pace utilizes both systems. The anaerobic: aerobic ratio is low enough that lactate in the muscle is easily removed and doesn’t build up. As the action speeds up eventually the production of lactate produced by the anaerobic system becomes greater than its removal.

The AT varies from person to person. Untrained individuals have a low AT (approximately 55% of VO2 max), while elite endurance athletes enjoy a high AT (approximately 80-90 % VO2 max). VO2 max refers to your maximal rate of oxygen consumption. The disparity between trained and untrained individuals can be summed up by this statement: your body will function the way you train it. The human body is very adaptive and resilient in dealing with healthy amounts of applied stress. The body needs and thrives off of meeting the challenges of continual physical conditioning. Now, just being fit won’t guarantee victory inside the ring but it will give you a better chance to succeed. As the saying goes, “the more you sweat, the less you bleed.” With hard work you can train your body to remove lactate more efficiently from the muscles and super-charge the aerobic mitochondrial enzymes, thus raising the AT.

Interval training (which is a repeated series of high intensity exercises alternated with rest periods), is one of the best ways to push yourself into a lactate burden state, forcing your body to adapt. Now, before you say, “Great! I’ll interval train everyday,” let me dispel that notion. Over-training is just as bad as under-training, and this type of exercise should not be done everyday. High intensity interval work is tiring. I have seen athletes lose the contents of their stomach over the matter, myself included. In other words, incorporate interval training into your workouts with common sense and at a slow to moderate progression. Just be consistent and determined, and you should have no trouble elevating your AT. With six to eight weeks of training you should be able to box at higher level intensities for longer periods of time than you ever did before. Eventually, you’ll still reach your AT, but you’ll hit it with the speed and power of a Ferrari; not a Pinto.

When it comes to selecting the exercises in your interval training, there is a lot of room for diversity and creativity. Just remember the exercises you select should reflect the skills and movements you need to excel in your sport; in this case, boxing. If you take the fundamentals of boxing (i.e. punching, skipping, bobbing, stepping weaving, ducking, sliding, slipping and blocking) and incorporate dynamic explosive movement to it, you can create many different interval drills.

One of my favorite interval exercises for boxers is as follows. Take an aerobic step and make it one to three risers high. Then straddle the step short-side, your feet should be about shoulder width apart. Jump up to the top of the step with both feet taking off and landing at the same time, then immediately jump back down to the floor in straddle position again. Follow your landing with a straight left punch and a straight right punch. Repeat this sequence ten to twenty-four times for two to five sets, and rest thirty seconds between sets. Try to transition through the exercise as quickly as possible without sacrificing form. To add variety and intensity to this exercise there are at least a couple things you can do. Do the exercise with sixteen- or eighteen-ounce gloves and hand wraps, and have someone stand in front of you to receive your punches with a pair of mitts. Or try throwing different punches or punch combinations for every set (set one: jabs, set two: hooks, set three: upper-cuts, set four: crosses, set five: jabs, hooks, upper-cuts, crosses combination). It’s that simple to create interval drills. Just think about the skills you want to develop and choose exercises that cater to your specific needs. Remember to select exercises that are safe and appropriate for your fitness level and make sure they are bio-mechanically executed correctly.

How do you determine when your workouts are pushing your AT? With a few workouts under your belt you’ll start to feel stronger when approaching and being in your anaerobic zone, and it won’t be just your imagination. However, there are exercise tests such as the Conconi test that estimate your AT, and hand-held devices that with a pinprick of blood can measure the exact concentration of lactate in your bloodstream. But here is how I determine my AT. When I can punch sixty minutes straight on the heavy bag only stopping briefly for water every fifteenth minute to avoid dehydration; I know I’m hitting it on all cylinders. That’s the equivalent of twenty consecutive rounds at three minutes a piece. This way I’m ready for a war; even if it turns out to be just a battle.