The Boxer's jog.

[ono]

Personally i've never really been able to work out the benefit Boxer's gain from 4 mile jogs. It's purely an aerobic workout whereas Boxing is more of an anaerobic sport. I would have thought interval running would have the most benefit.

Even for weight loss (to make weight for a fight) it would still make more sense (to me) to do intervals seen as though short intense forms of cardio are the best for fat loss while wanting to maintain muscle tissue.

Can anybody enlighten me? There must be benefits that i'm missing.

The primary benefit although most don't realise it, is that it strengthens the legs and allows the fighter to sustain more punishment without the egs buckling.

Hav eyou ever watched a fighte where the fighter was reported not to do much roadwork and if he gest knocke dout it's usually because he lost his legs and got caught.

I'll try think of a few examples.

Yeh i get ya. Heard it a few times.

In theory could weight-lifting (squats, deadlifts etc...) play just as important a role, or at least be used to compliment road work?

[RozzySean]

I've also gotten different advice from different trainers on this. This is what I do now.

Too much running and specifically, too much running at a fast pace gives me shin splints and that sets my training way back. I run twice a week, maybe three times if I need to miss a nightime training session. If I run relaxed, I keep my legs healthy. I'm not at present competitive boxer, I'm not currently running to help me make an ideal boxing weight, just to keep my weight reasonable and keep my overall conditioning up so I can spar more rounds and hold my own against the young guys.

Luckily, I live near a very hilly large park that has paved walks and some dirt walking/running paths. This way I can run at a nice even, 9-10 minute mile pace while still getting my heart rate up. Sometimes I'll do this. There is a very big and steap hill, one of the highest points in the city, and after running a mile, I run straight up that to get my heart rate up, then run another mile around the loop and do it again.

I just started this running program about a month ago after avoiding roadwork during the cold New England winter. Even doing 4 miles, twice per week, in the manner I just described, has helped my stamina considerably. In the gym, I have more wind and can work longer and harder.

It probaby doesn't matter what style of running you do, as long as you do some running and during your running, do some kind of intervals, either by pace or by hills. If I was trying to SERIOUSLY cut weight, I would up my runs to 4x per week and probably alternate between intense hill runs and flat low-heartrate fatburn runs. Sometimes I run carrying 1lb weights in each hand.

[donnydarkoIRL]

Personally i've never really been able to work out the benefit Boxer's gain from 4 mile jogs. It's purely an aerobic workout whereas Boxing is more of an anaerobic sport. I would have thought interval running would have the most benefit.

Even for weight loss (to make weight for a fight) it would still make more sense (to me) to do intervals seen as though short intense forms of cardio are the best for fat loss while wanting to maintain muscle tissue.

Can anybody enlighten me? There must be benefits that i'm missing.

The primary benefit although most don't realise it, is that it strengthens the legs and allows the fighter to sustain more punishment without the egs buckling.

Hav eyou ever watched a fighte where the fighter was reported not to do much roadwork and if he gest knocke dout it's usually because he lost his legs and got caught.

I'll try think of a few examples.

Yeh i get ya. Heard it a few times.

In theory could weight-lifting (squats, deadlifts etc...) play just as important a role, or at least be used to compliment road work?

I've heard opinions that support this idea.
There is one guy at my gym in particular, who is adamant I should squat.

[Sharla]

I think we're still talking 2 different types of strength and within different ranges of movement. I think both would have their benefits.

As for long runs burning fat - they do that. Once you train long enough to deplete all your glycogen stores you have to burn fat after that - typically I think that time is assumed to be at around the 2 hour mark.

If you do this weekly you can train your body to burn fat more efficiently and that's when it becomes really beneficial to keeping your weight down. In my experience you also need to be careful not to loose too much upper body muscle though and it can be hard to strike a good balance.

Until you train long enough to use up all your glycogen stores you might benefit more from shorter more intense workouts though and over a shorter period they will burn more calories.

I think the cardio and running training you do might be best tailored to your individual needs and also of course depending on what you enjoy doing. I sit a bit above my fight weight (which is bantam so typically a lean division) and have to be slightly underweight when I compete so this kind of training makes that easier for me to do without being too obsessed by my calorie intake.

I just enjoy it too and have met a lot of interesting people through running with them including a lot of my closest friends!

[Youngblood]

I think we're still talking 2 different types of strength and within different ranges of movement. I think both would have their benefits.

As for long runs burning fat - they do that. Once you train long enough to deplete all your glycogen stores you have to burn fat after that - typically I think that time is assumed to be at around the 2 hour mark.

If you do this weekly you can train your body to burn fat more efficiently and that's when it becomes really beneficial to keeping your weight down. In my experience you also need to be careful not to loose too much upper body muscle though and it can be hard to strike a good balance.

Until you train long enough to use up all your glycogen stores you might benefit more from shorter more intense workouts though and over a shorter period they will burn more calories.

I think the cardio and running training you do might be best tailored to your individual needs and also of course depending on what you enjoy doing. I sit a bit above my fight weight (which is bantam so typically a lean division) and have to be slightly underweight when I compete so this kind of training makes that easier for me to do without being too obsessed by my calorie intake.

I just enjoy it too and have met a lot of interesting people through running with them including a lot of my closest friends!

This makes a lot of sense I think. I think it is good that I am no longer just jogging and have replaced it with sprints. Part of my training goal is increasing upper body strength, as well as explosiveness and torso and leg strength. I still do jog but not nearly as much, and like with other workouts I make sure to load up on the supplements right after to not have the workout eat into my upper body due to a lack of fat. Make sense?

[donnydarkoIRL]

I've taken two weeks off from much running and I feel great. Faster, more stamina, fitter.

Strange.

[Salty]

You don't even have to use weights, see how many full body weight squats you can do in a row (full ones, back straight and going right down). It gets extremely intense, especially the first time when the lactic acid starts kicking in. My aim is to get to 500 in a row, right now im up to about 230 and one of the most dreaded parts of my workouts. You shouldn't rely on one exercise to condition a part of your body, use a variety to gain the most benefit cardio and the legs are no different.

[Bomp]

You don't even have to use weights, see how many full body weight squats you can do in a row (full ones, back straight and going right down). It gets extremely intense, especially the first time when the lactic acid starts kicking in. My aim is to get to 500 in a row, right now im up to about 230 and one of the most dreaded parts of my workouts. You shouldn't rely on one exercise to condition a part of your body, use a variety to gain the most benefit cardio and the legs are no different.

Going right down is crucial IMO. In my dumb weights days I'd just jump in to an excercise without really appreciating what the specific goals were. I did weighted squats for months before realising I wasn't going down low enough due to tight harmstringd and quads, this was obviously making the situation even worse.

Sharla: Be careful when trying new excercises, look out for extra pressure on joints and that. When I exxaggerate the knee bend during skipping I dos so flat footed, with most of the weight over the sole of my foot (also during any squat) I find this takes away strain on the knees, though I believe opinions vary on this and it may differ from person to person, I'm no expert on biomechanics but I have a fair idea from trial and error() what works for me.

Chris: I've quite recently watched training videos of Duran, and it's only now I've started to realise what a true technician he really was rather than just a Neanderthal bruiser. Skipping squats is one of my short term goals, they're far more difficult to do than they look, I can manage to do them without the rope at the moment.

[Sharla]

Thanks Bomp I'll keep that in mind