Endurance

[Boxergurl]

I have an endurance question...I've been boxing/kickboxing for about 8 months and I'm in the best shape of my life at 32. My problem is I feel like I can't get past a certain point with my endurance. I really do push myself in class and obviously have seen huge improvement since I began, but there is the next level I can't get to. My face turns red, I feel like my muscles are on fire so bad that I can't throw another punch and I literally start to feel sick after doing sprints up and down the gym. I'm not overweight, I don't smoke and I work out 4-5 times a week. Is there something I'm missing? How do u push past this without passing out?

[Scrap]

What were you doing sports wise before you started 8 months ago, give us a clue.

[Boxergurl]

Well, short of playing around with my children I haven't done much in years. I have 13 years of dance background though and spent nearly 8 hours a day dancing and don't remember feeling anything like this. Is 8 months not long enough? Am I expecting too much of myself? I honestly never thought about that.

[raleights]

could chronic fatigue do it?

[Scrap]

No problem , so the memory of fitness is there but the muscles have forgot. At 32 you want to get fit again but the cardio isnt what it was. I think the secret is to enjoy it, you dont want to box Pro but want to get fit and partake.Try and get two good sessions in a week, where you get a burn, plenty of muscle contractions. Then for the other sessions stretch and have fun and work on technique then strecth again open up the pathways to get fit and not get injured. The secret is to enjoy what you do, thats the best habit of getting fit

[Douglas]

You might be overtraining. I had the same problem before, so I decided to chill out and not work so hard every time I worked out . But when I had a bad day and felt like pushing myself, I noticed I was able to do more than the last time. Maybe you should try this, too.

[Boxergurl]

Thank you for all your advice....i really appreciate it

[Von Milash]

are you hot?

[greynotsoold]

Boxing stamina is built upover time. I truly feel that so many peolple who try to do too much damage themselves. Look if you are fighting a 4 or a 6 round fight train to fight 4 or 6 rounds. The pacing and the MANNER in which you exert your energy is very different than when you are fighting 10, 12, 15 rounds. The point is to be in peak condition to fight the number of rounds designated, not some other abstract of your own invention. You are better off spending the extra time learning boxing as opposed to running or lifting weight etc...
As to your dilemma specifically...relax. I'll bet that you're as tight as a drum when you work and that tension will exhaust you.

[AdamGB]

I've already had this out with some one grey...

Got told you should train like you're fighting 12 rounds... no matter what :P but it's like trying to get a sprinter break a world record by making him follow a Marathon runner's regime.

[Scrap]

Ive ingaged in over 50 title fights and the last 3 weeks of any preperation for them have been 10 rounds max. Only had 6 losers, some people do talk bollocks. Sorry the wife tells me its 78

[Boxergurl]

Wow, I wasn't expecting so many responses. Ya know, my instructor is very encouraging and always tells us to push past the pain...if you're tired push harder cuz u need to bring it at the end of a fight when you're real tired...and I see everyone in my class doing that and I do it too. I just don't want to be so winded and feeling like my lungs are on fire so bad that I have to stop. I basically don't want it to look like I can't handle it. I think I am going to start running at some point.
As for the weights, I"m not trying to be counterproductive by doing this. I just really want to tone up. The bag work has helped with this a lot...but I also want to not look so waify....5'5 at 115..I just wanted to be able to have a little more behind my punch. I'm not doing this just for the "cardio" or the "exercise" like so many of the women at this gym do. I really enjoy this art and I want to be good at it. I can't stand the women who come in with a tank top that's like barely holding them together...their lame arm punching and skipping rope like they're 10....it's a waste of time and money in my eyes. I want to do right by my body. I don't want to hurt myself...but I know I am capable of more.
Anyways, I'm rambling.

[AdamGB]

Its all just part of training. No one is born 'boxing fit'.

You stress your body, feed and rest it and it adapts and grows to be able to better cope with these STRESSES.

[Dizaster]

Well it sounds like your really heading in the right direction & don't need to do to much different. As with any sort of training, at the start you'll notice a LOT of improvement, then you might go a period where you don't seem to improve much, that's where you just have to keep pushing & you'll start to notice some improvement again... By the sounds of it your pushing yourself to the limits every time you train which is great & it will FORCE you're body to adjust & become more efficient & develop endurance. As somone said though, it could be a case of overtraining. It might pay to add an extra day off from training here or there, or even take a week or 2 break if you've been training the 8 months without stopping.. When you come back to it it'll give your body an initial shock again & force it to adjust itself....

A good technical way to improve endurace is to really look at your training & measure certain things, like running for a hour & your totally nearly ready to pass out, next time run for an hour & 5 minutes, then an hour and 10 minutes... I mean you could even just go up in minutes. A minute extra a day is an extra half hour in a month, and over 6 months it's well, you get the picture.....

That's the same way bodybuilding work up the weight. Tiny little improvements even over a long period still equal big gains. Just look back at how far you've come over the past 8 months? If you stick at it you'll look back at today in 8 months time & realise how far you've come since now...

One last thing, adjusting your diet may help you get that little bit further? Perhaps having a higher carb meal a few hours before your workout could sustain your energy a little longer? maybe you need to drink a little more water just before your workout??

Little things like that can make a big difference when you reach a limit that seems hard to break..

Anyway good luck with it all...

[Boxergurl]

Dizaster~
Thanks for your response! I will tell u one thing. I talked to my trainer the other day and he asked how much water I drink. I do not drink nearly enough and he told me my body is like a car running without any oil. I never thought about that. I drink the most of my water during and after class. I do not crave water and don't really like it. This is a huge problem...so I tested it today. I drank a glass of water every hour and downed a bottle before class. I absolutley could not believe how much better I did! I had the greatest class and didn't feel tired and was able to push myself a little harder. Now the hard part...drinking that much every single day. Ugh....but I've been seriously depriving my body! Thanks for your thoughtful response!