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Going back to basics
I stopped coaching about ten years ago and turned my back on boxing. My old gym owner decided to go for the men and women who liked to show up, do the exercises and pound on the heavy bag and never ever climb in the ring. The goal was not to teach boxing, but to lose weight. It would have been cheaper on them to dig ditches and push cars up and down hills. This past fall, a young trainer asked me to come to a smoker and look over a fighter he had been working with. The guy had the muscles, had the punch power, great footwork, but he could not last over 5 rounds. I knew right off what his problem was. I asked him how much daily running he did and he told me 5 miles dawn and 5 miles at night. So, I got up early one morning and met him for his morning run. I followed in the car and around 2 miles or better, began to stumble and slow up. He never made 3 miles. For all his bulking up, he was lying about the running. I told him there are certain truths that come out in training: Weight scales never lie, and body fatigue and stamina will give you away every time. Running is one of the basic training fundamentals you can't ignore. He blew me off and said he knew what he needed in training. Weeks later when I asked about him, I learned the gym was using him for sparring and not much else. He somehow got it in his head that he had 'graduated' from all the BS of running and his belly fat was beginning to show it. Some people never get it.
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Re: Going back to basics
Anyone going to a boxing gym to exercise and lose weight must like boxing on some level. Who wants to voluntarily train in a sweaty and stale gym?
Skipping is hard work for me, running is easier.
My son enjoys the technical trainers teaching boxing skills rather than the one who kills you with the 30 minute skipping and 15 minutes running before you start putting on the gloves.
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Re: Going back to basics
Damm im getting a LOT of Bella fat. I need to start running again… thanks for the reminder. :p
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Re: Going back to basics
This I find a really interesting topic.
While I was boxing I suffered from severe shin splints. They were agonising and put a stop to my running for quite a long time.
To make up for this deficiency I had to do extra work to add cardio.
I sparred more, hit the bag more, swam, used bicycles, rowing machines, a miscellany of conditioning methods.... It really took the enjoyment out if training.
And yet, I missed weight (narrowly) a couple of times and my physique always looked on the comfortable side of lean.
Miraculously when I went up in weight the problems ceased and I could run.
The aerobic benefits were obvious, but so too were the changes in my physique.
My legs were leaner and more muscled, my abdomen more defined. I felt in better shape, harder and more confident.
Running for a boxer not only has the obvious aerobic benefit, psychologically it adds to the athletes confidence; erhaps putting in the miles allows the boxer full conviction in their preparation.
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Re: Going back to basics
Ali ran in heavy army boots.
Tyson Fury has stopped running long distances as his knees are shot.
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Re: Going back to basics
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Re: Going back to basics