Breath Deep

To begin January 1, 2011 on a different note, I decided to perform 10 rounds of heavy bag training wearing a respirator mask.

I actually wanted to do it with a gas mask, but it's close to impossible to find one in Malaysia. Maybe a friend of mine can bring me one back on his return from Australia. I'm sure the land-down-under has to have something in the air that needs to be avoided.

The basic premise for training with a respirator mask (which might seem like an idiotic thing to do) is to provide cardiopulmonary resistance. It's like weightlifting for your lungs. Taking full deep breaths through a mask forces all the thoracic muscles involved during a breathing cycle to work harder (30% increase in effort); thereby cardiopulmonary efficiency is improved over a period of time. With proper progression, I should be able to maintain my stamina in the ring longer and be more relax during heavy exchanges.

Ultimate goal, spar round 12 with the same amount of energy and gusto as I have in round 1!