Strength & Conditioning

[dylon]

Background: I have seen alot of those HBO pre-fight premiers where they cover each boxer for about 30 minutes and they talk alot of the fighters strenght and conditioning coaches and what they do. IE: The last Taylor v. Hopkins / De La Hoya v. Vargas III. I have yet to see them lift a single weight, except for maybe a 10lb medicine ball.

I train 4 days a week and have a solid 4 day weight lifting routine. I dont really feel the benifits of weight lifting in my boxing. I am always sore and feel heavy and slow sometimes. I have changed my gym sessions on more core excersizes like squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc. etc. I would like to learn more


There is a fire and you guys can only put it out with knowledge about boxing strength and conditioning!!!!


Thank you ahead of time

[Killerqueen]

Weightlifting helps a little, but the basics of good powerfull punching lies in good technique.
Boxing is all about how quick you can hit, with the right techniques. Have that, and you're deadly dangerous in the ring. being able to move your arms swiftly has nothing to do with how much weight you can lift.
Taking that in consideration, the fact that with punching a straight right or left, you must strech out your arm to make it straight and land your punches correctly. Weightlifting has the nasty habit of making your muscles short.

To make a comparison: Bodybuilders have short, thick muscles, longdistancerunners have long thin muscles, but both are trained muscles. Boxing keeps the middle of both. You need strong muscles who can strech. So a bit of weightlifting for the overall strength is good, that's why you don't need to lift as much lbs as you can.

Besides: it's more effectivly to do repeating movements with lbs that you can lift rather easely, you get more out of it (incl. muscle-stamina) than doing just a couple of real heavy lifting. That does absolutely nothing for you.

Again a comparison: no marathonrunner trains running the 42km a couple of times a week. He only runs that distance when he's running the marathon, in training he does no more then say 25-30 km.

Anyways, guess that's the reason why you don't see what you expected in those 30 minutes

Hope i helped you out a bit...

[Lords Gym]

Weightlifting helps a little, but the basics of good powerfull punching lies in good technique.
Boxing is all about how quick you can hit, with the right techniques. Have that, and you're deadly dangerous in the ring. being able to move your arms swiftly has nothing to do with how much weight you can lift.
Taking that in consideration, the fact that with punching a straight right or left, you must strech out your arm to make it straight and land your punches correctly. Weightlifting has the nasty habit of making your muscles short.

To make a comparison: Bodybuilders have short, thick muscles, longdistancerunners have long thin muscles, but both are trained muscles. Boxing keeps the middle of both. You need strong muscles who can strech. So a bit of weightlifting for the overall strength is good, that's why you don't need to lift as much lbs as you can.

Besides: it's more effectivly to do repeating movements with lbs that you can lift rather easely, you get more out of it (incl. muscle-stamina) than doing just a couple of real heavy lifting. That does absolutely nothing for you.

Again a comparison: no marathonrunner trains running the 42km a couple of times a week. He only runs that distance when he's running the marathon, in training he does no more then say 25-30 km.

Anyways, guess that's the reason why you don't see what you expected in those 30 minutes

Hope i helped you out a bit...

Cool Click ! Good post above !

The idea of building strength in the legs is very important, good strong foundation. , your CORE needs to be solid what I mean by core is your abs and midsection in general , you needs a good solid base, because your punching using the whole body, the legs and waist twist, up the power moves thru the shoulders and out thru the arms. Proper technique is vital in executing a powerful punch,

lots of the muscle guys push punch, meaning they are not very effective, they don’t get full extension because the muscle tendons in the bicep have shortened
,That why when doing weights be careful especially on the bicep curls. Use light weights and stretch before and after, and use proper technique when lifting weights. All the way down and all the way up,

[AdamGB]

Weight lifting mainly isolates muscles rather than training the body as a whole like a serries of compound movements, there is no magic punching muscle, you use your whole body so with out waffling on about it: the compound movements that you can do with medicine balls and you're own body are more than adaquate.

[helminth]

So how many boxers do pushups. I would think that doing pushups would bulk your chest up too much. I don't see any boxers other than maybe a few heavy weights that have huge pectorals.

[Lords Gym]

push ups strengthen the muscles you use to punch, think about it,

I like to wrap my hands and do knuckles down , push ups, that’s a good stimulation and resistance to the specific muscle groups involved inthe power punching process .

[Killerqueen]

So how many boxers do pushups. I would think that doing pushups would bulk your chest up too much. I don't see any boxers other than maybe a few heavy weights that have huge pectorals.

I think push-ups help a lot. They help build the muscles in your shoulders and your bellymuscles.  To keep your back straight  while doing push-ups, you have to make your bellymuscles work. With strong bellymuscles (i know there's another english word for bellymuscles, just does't pop to my head  :P ) You're more likely to effectivly take punches on the body. And with the shoulders it helps to give powerfull quick punches.

pfff, don't exactly put down what i want to explain my point of view on push-ups... giving the honours to someone else

will soon be looking in to an english course 

[AdamGB]

Abdominal Muscles, or just stomach muscles

Or even 'abs' :P

You're right, isolation (which is what people prodominantly do with weights) do not work your core and train your body to stabalize itself like compound movements do.

[helminth]

Oh I am not putting down pushups at all. I do them too. I was simply asking a question I have always wondered about. In fact, I used to lift very heavy weights when I was a teenager. My chest got really big. I had 40 extra pounds of useless muscle. Now that I have been boxing for a while my shape has changed quite dramatically. I have stopped 7 years ago. I still have a big chest though, and somtimes I feel if it were smaller I would be able to send out shots a little faster.

[Lords Gym]

Oh I am not putting down pushups at all. I do them too. I was simply asking a question I have always wondered about. In fact, I used to lift very heavy weights when I was a teenager. My chest got really big. I had 40 extra pounds of useless muscle. Now that I have been boxing for a while my shape has changed quite dramatically. I have stopped 7 years ago. I still have a big chest though, and somtimes I feel if it were smaller I would be able to send out shots a little faster.

I didn’t mean to come off strong in my explanation ,

Its about body types, long lean guys are doing to stay fairly long and lean, short stocky guys like myself are going to have more muscle mass and the big barrel chest. As long as you get full extension on your punches you will have benefits from a big strong chest. And big strong triceps, as long as you punch correctly good form and leverage and full extension on your shots your going to knockem out. If speed is a problem area for you , focus on that problem area in training. Don’t waist a lot of time working on things you do well, concentrate on things you don’t do well. More double end bag work, and speed bag work, set a metronome and keep a fast pace, don’t do sluggish speed bag work, a lot of time you see guys wank on the speed bag, don’t do that, keep a fast pace !

[helminth]

I appreiciate the break down. I will definatley be doing the fast speed bag work. Thanks.

[Killerqueen]

Abdominal Muscles, or just stomach muscles

Or even 'abs' :P

abs... offcourse, how could i forget Thanks!

[dylon]

Please post more, I want stuff thats going to help me, pushups are not the only thing is it?

[Lords Gym]

I like belly muscles better ! CC for that one !

[timeforsleeep]

although people assume that boxers do a huge amount of pushups and develop a strong chest, while I've been training lately, I've noticed chest strength isn't as important as your back. The muscle groups that seem to be feel the most "burn" when I train are shoulders, biceps, and back.

I would imagine a strong chest is necessary for quick push away motions like jabbing or literally, pushing away, but a strong back seems to me so much more important when you're doing the full-range lunging punches. (crosses and uppercuts).

But chest muscles vs. back muscles = nothing if there isn't a strong core to support it all