Old and out of shape - Can I still box?

[Hellbore]

Ok when I was in high school, I was in pretty good shape and pretty strong. My max on bench press was 285 lbs. and I ran 3 miles 3 days a week. I know I wasn't anything special but at least I was in better shape than the average jerk. I was 185 pounds and had very little body fat.

Well, now I'm 26 and I weigh like 230 pounds. My belly and my ass stick out now. I'm really out of shape because I have been working as a computer programmer. I still can tell I am naturally a strong guy, especially in my forearms and shoulders, but I'm really out of shape.

I have always kind of been interested in boxing but I was never into it when I was young and in good shape. Now I'm old and out of shape so I don't know where to begin. I can't just start doing the kind of workouts you guys do because I wouldn't be able to handle it. I don't know where to begin, how long it will take to get in shape, or if I even have time. I work full-time so I can only train in the evenings and on weekends.

So, is it possible for a guy like me to get in good enough shape to do some recreational boxing and be any good at all? Where do you start when you're so far behind and is it even worth trying? I know this all sounds like dumb questions but I'm just kind of lost, I don't know where to begin.

[Hellbore]

By the way I should mention I got a heavy bag and some bag gloves, and I have been hitting the bag at night the last few days. I hit the bag for like 5 minutes and I'm like ready to collapse on the ground and die :P Yeah I know I suck. But it feels really good to hit that mother****er...

The bag I have is a 70 lb. Nevatear bag from Wal-Mart and I have it hung so the top of the bag is about level with the top of my head, is that OK or shoudl it be lower, higher, etc.?

[Mathias]

26?you're at your strongest now.
Do a lot of cardio jogging.Build up your condition
And do some shadowboxing and bag work you gotta build up:you gotta find your own pace.
And sure if you work hard you can become a good recreational boxer

[big jerry]

hey, listen here, i am 36 years old, i am 5' 11", and i weighed 251lbs back in february. i am now 221 and have been working out like a dog to start sparring and eventually fighting. boxing is something i have wanted to do since i was a kid but my father would not let me take any classes or even mess around with boxing.
if you want something bad enough, you will work to get it. i dont care how old you are!!!! or how fat you are. enough of this "poor me i am fat and old" attitude. if you want it, go get it!! dont let your lazziness get the best of you. your life will fly by and someday you will say, why didnt i try boxing, or anything else for that matter.
although my father didnt want me boxing when i was young, he always told me, "when someone hits you, you nevre go down, and you hit them twice as hard, till they cant get up". that goes for everything in my life. when i feel the crunch of life coming down on me, i fight back and surpass anything in my way.

the key to success for me was conquoring my lazziness, and standing up to anything that was in my way.


ATTACK WITH CHAOS

[ekoj]

Stand at arms length of the heavy bag, and throw straight lefts and rights as fast as possible for 15secs, then 15secs rest, and do that for like 3mins, its real tough/intensce and increases you stamina real quick, i think the bag heights ok, you punch shoulder height anyway, even against a taller fighter. Keep up the good work, and remember to keep your gaurd up even while on the bag to help develop good habits

[Hellbore]

Thanks for the tips guys. I thought 26 was supposed to be too old to do any serious training. I guess I should stop hanging around with my 17 year old nephews, they make me feel like an old man :

I have 17 yr. old a nephew who is about 190 lbs and on the football team, and his bench max is 285, same as mine was when I was his age. He really wants to get into boxing with me. Mostly he just wants to box against me, you know, the allure of knocking out your uncle LOL... He works as a lifeguard too. He's really ripped, no body fat and big muscles. I think he could take me out in a boxing match pretty easily even though I know I can hit harder than him (we have punched each other in the stomach a few times to see who can take it... I am known for being able to take a punch to the stomach. In fact I once knew a guy who won the Golden Gloves that hit me in the stomach a few times and said I was pretty tough, but that's another story... BJ Florez, in case anyone knows him, awesome guy...)

I also have another 17 year old nephew who also wants to spar with us. I had him over tonight to hit the bag a little and he seems to be pretty quick. He's kinda skinny but he's a swimmer and in good shape. He's a little crazy, he fights his friends bare-fisted sometimes just for fun, and sometimes they fight with some of those stupid "Hulk Hands" toys, the foam fists you put your hand inside that are supposed to look like the Hulk's fists. He has knocked a couple of his friends out cold while goofing around, he's kinda the champ among his dumb friends.

Anyway my idea is maybe use these 2 to help me stay motivated and train. I was thinking of getting some sparring gloves and a pair of really protective boxing helmets, like the ones that have a bar across the front of the face, so nobody breaks their nose or anything. I also would make them get their own mouth guards and wear them. I can't have these guys breaking their noses and breaking teeth, their parents would never let them spar with me again. Anyways maybe we could hold our own little fight club in the backyard . Does this sound like a good idea? My nephews are really stoked about it.

[Hellbore]

Holy crap this guy is still boxing! I had no idea... He quit for a couple years but I guess he's back at it again. Wow. I haven't talked to him for a couple years now, I should ask him how's it going...

This is his web page:

http://www.bjflores.net/

I knew this guy in 1998, I remember he showed us his pictures of when he won the Golden Gloves. He's a really good person, I'm glad to see he is still doing what he loves.

[ekoj]

Welcome to the forum by the way
won 4/5 of his last fights by ko, Its a shame that his record got a draw though

[joey]

BJ says he likes to eat protein powder pancakes? Any ideas how you make them??

[Canvasback]

I'm 54yoa and I still do a boxing workout. I haven't sparred in about 5 yrs., but I still enjoy the workout. I do a workout of rope skipping, shadowboxing, double end ball, speedbag, heavybag and, if I have a partner, hand mitts. I've got a three minute timer and do anywhere from 10-15 rounds. On off days I lift weights. I used to be real self conscious about being the oldest guy in the gym, but I have to say that boxing people respect dedication and effort and will never make fun of you. Hey, it's a lot better and more fun than walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes.

[deny]

yeah man at my gym the oldest guy is even 62, he's been doing it since he turned 15 LOL
he even does some light techincal sparring from time to time, he got huge boxing wisdom
he's great
kinda like Yoda