Training Questions.

Hello Board,

My name's Adam and I'm 5'4" and weigh 128lbs or so (16). My max bench is 185, but I am definately not built. My parents smoke, so I have quite a problem with breathing, need to get cardio up. My goal for this summer is to, firstly, lose weight; and secondly, gain bulk strength and speed for boxing. I need help with dieting, speed training, cardio training, and anything else boxing related. I've seen some people with like 30 minute work outs a day... Which doesn't seem to be enough for rapid results. Right now, I am drinking only 0-calorie drinks (water for the most-part), and am eating very little food. Just enough to fill me up when I'm hungry, which I've totalled at around 500-700 calories a day. My training schedule right now is very shifty, I do yardwork around the neighbourhood which may count as some form of work out, and I bike every once in a while (but now, in Arizona, it's far too hot)... I have a heavy bag and speed bag, as well as about 60lbs of freeweights (no bar).

Right now I am planning a schedule and diet, and if it is approved by this forum, I will stick to it as much as possible.

Training:

Monday:
- 30 minute light jog in the morning before breakfast
- 1 hour of bag training, combos
- 30 minutes of footwork
- 10 minutes of skipping rope
- 150 sit ups
- 100 push ups
- 1 hour of sprints

Tuesday:
- 30 minute light jog in the morning before breakfast
- 1 hour of bag training, combos
- 30 minutes of shadowboxing
- 10 minutes of skipping rope
- 150 sit ups
- 100 push ups
- bicep curls, forearm work outs

Wednesday:
- 30 minute light jog in the morning before breakfast
- 15 minutes of skipping rope
- 100 sit ups
- 100 push ups

Thursday:
- 30 minute light jog in the morning before breakfast
- 1 hour of bag training, combos
- 30 minutes of footwork
- 10 minutes of skipping rope
- 150 sit ups
- 100 push ups
- 1 hour of sprints

Friday:
- 30 minute light jog in the morning before breakfast
- 15 minutes of skipping rope
- 100 sit ups
- 100 push ups

Saturday:
- 30 minute light jog before breakfast
- 10 minutes of skipping rope
- 100 push ups
- bicep curls

Sunday:
- 30 minute light jog before breakfast

Diet:

Breakfast:
- two boiled egg-whites
- protein shake
Snack 1:
- 1/2c brown rice
Lunch:
- sandwich (lean meats)
- fruit juice
Snack 2:
- 1/2c brown rice
Dinner:
- mom-prepared meal (salad first, small portion)
- or sandwich as in lunch
- protein shake
- multi-vitamins

Sleep:
- two hours after dinner
- 10 hours of sleep

Does this sound good? -ANY- modifications will be taken into consideration, and since I pulled most of these numbers out of thin air, I'd like any help with them. Any soreness that may be seen from intensities of these work outs (i.e. too many push ups) should be pointed out, so that I won't crash the second day of the training. I'm looking for the best outcome (lost fat, gainedmuscle and endurance), in the shortest period of time without harming my body or becoming sore every day.

Thanks so much,
Adam, Arizona.

What? Do you have a fight coming up? :) The very, very, very, very, veryveryveryvery last thing you want to do is gain bulk strength or bulk anything. You are a growing young man my friend- not to sound condescending- and still growing and developing. If you are interested in boxing there are gyms all over the Phoenix area and more than a few reputable trainers. As a maintenance type of training routine it makes more sense to focus on flexibility, and you can't go too far wrong in strengthening your wrists and forearms and hands. At a gym you would b given a routine that would feature a couple rounds each of skipping rope, doing crunches, maybe three on the heavy bag, three on the double end bag. It all depends on the gym you choose, the trainer that is there, and whether you are planning on competing or are just conditioning- and whether that gym trains competitive boxers or is a health spa in disguise. I don't know if you have boxed before or not but if you haven't a gym would be a good idea so that you don't teach yourself any bad habits as far as throwing punches properly and footwork are concerned; if you are going to exercise so strenuously every day you should be bringing your boxing skill and fundamentals along apace. Also, it is better to do your boxing stuff first when you are fresh and sharp than last when you are tired and pushing. There are several sources on-line where you can find gym listings for Phoenix; the accuracy of said lists is hit-or-miss. If you run into a bunch of gyms that aren't where the list says they are or if you have questions about gyms or trainers you can contact me through this site; I know a number of pretty good people involved in boxing in the area.

If you're just getting started... I'd ease up on the workout schedule a bit. The most important thing is that you make a schedule you can stick to. I'm willing to bet that if you are just starting, after monday and tuesday your legs won't move anymore.

Work up to that schedule... let that be a goal. First try training just every other day. No need for rapid results... just constant improvement.

Thanks guys. I've been into boxing before, not so much a stickler with the form, but I'm a damn good boxer on the side of the street with some gloves... And I can walk/jog/run for around 12 hours without feeling any pain at all whatsoever, and no soreness days later... I max out at like 1400 with my legs... I've biked and skated all my life, so legs are no problem... Time to work on upper body and weight loss...

love,
Adam.

alright mate i am 15 and just started training, i have a small scheldule, maybe this might help you a bit.



Monday: 100 Press- Ups , 100 Sit Ups

Tuesday: Jog , Bag 30mins

Wednesday: Bag 15mins And 100 sit ups + press-ups

Thursday: Bag 30mins , Jog , weights

Friday: Bag for however long

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Jog , 50 Sit ups , bag

Hey there! I've got a couple of suggestions for your workout:

First of all, an hour sprint session and hour on the bag? If you're fighting amateur, which I'm considering you're new to boxing, you'll initially be fighting 3-4 2 minute rounds at most, depending on your fitness/skill/competition level. So, an hour on the bag would be about 20 rounds on the bag (assuming you're using 1 minute rest intervals). That's MUCH too much, especially so early in your boxing career. You should ideally hit the bag one more round then you will be fighting (5 if you're fighting 4, 6 for 5, and so on...) will an emphasis on skill work. Then throw in 3-5 30 second "punch-out drills" (non-stop 1,2 combination, full speed, full power) to target the anaerobic conditioning threshold. As for your sprinting, although you mentioned your legs are very strong, you should focus on 2-3 mile runs at a brisk pace (6-7 minutes a mile being your goal) for a few weeks to build a foundation.

Sit-ups aren't GREAT for building your core, and you're neglecting your sides and back, too. Try knee hugs, v-ups, bicycle drill, crunches, planks and leg lifts for your abs, side crunches, weighted trunk bends, side planks, russians twists or medicine ball twisting lunges for your sides, and good mornings, birdogs and back extensions for your back. Don't neglect these exercises, make them into a circuit and try to work 4-5 days of abdominal work into your weekly rountine.

Try adding 2-3 weight days focusing on compound lifts targeting different muscle groups at once. Squats, pull-ups, power cleans, clean and press, DB snatches and swings, etc. are all recommended. Eventually you can integrate plyometrics into your weight days.

Don't forget intense condition drills, such as interval running, burpee drills, or fast-paced jump-rope. These are very important in the sport of boxing, as 70-80% is anaerobic in nature.

Lastly, don't neglect the hands and neck. The hands are your 'weapons' and you must keep them strong. Forearm exercises, fingertip push-ups, knuckle push-ups, rice grip, and towel pull-ups are great hand-strengthening exercises. Your neck's strength often relates directly to your "chin", or your ability to take a punch. Evander Holyfield squared off with opponents 30+ pounds heavier and bore their punches because of immensely strong neck. Neck bridges, weighted neck curls and even simple neck circles will really, really help in the long run.

I know that's alot to digest, I was just typing as it came to mind, if you have any questions, ask, but above all else good luck and stick with it!