Wieght training and fighting?

[cambay411]

What weight lifting exercises help for boxing. I prefer exerscises for speed, quickness, agility, strength, power and conditioning (pretty much everything i guess).

[HerbM]

Pretty much the same exercises as for anything else, but the CHOICE is based on your goals.

If you are having trouble making a certain weight class you will won't to avoid lifting for new mass (usually high weight, low reps, multiple sets does this most efficiently).

In that case you will likely lift for endurance or strength -- each has specific guidelines in terms of weight and reps. You would be trying to optimize the mass you already have.

If you were able to accept new mass (and the weight) but were planning for a "fight" you might first work on mass for some weeks, then strength, and perhaps finish with endurance as the fight date approached. This type of cycle training is common in a lot of sports.

Obviously there are special considerations for boxers which are a bit unusual: You need more power/strength (and therefore perhaps more mass) in your triceps than in your biceps which needs more speed. Body builders would want balance. Even this is a bit simplistic because having "fast triceps" is a good way to build power without necessarily being bigger or stronger in a pure lifting sense.

You might also want to look into "remedial lifting" if you have specific mobility issues. E.g., I don't squat well due to knee problems and most of the advice I get is to train the "quads", but while my quads are actually very strong it's my Gluteus that is weak and underdeveloped (meaning my squats have to rely on quads at the expense of hip position.)

It's hard for me to squat STRAIGHT DOWN with a vertical back even though I can put many hundreds of pounds on the Leg Press (that's mostly quads not hips). A good vertical squat can really improve you mobility in the ring, and give you a lot more choices for both offense as well as the (more obvious) defensive uses.

So figure out what YOU need to accomplish to "fix" YOUR current weaknesses -- and remember it might be different in different parts of the body -- as well as your weight goals (i.e., weight class and losing vs. gaining weight), then it is pretty easy to get specific help on what to do to EACH body part to accomplish EACH specific goal.

And remember to always stretch opposing movements when lifting weight, especially heavy weight.

--
HerbM

[cambay411]

Should i scheldule my wieght lifting routine before i hit the gym or afterwards? Or maybe even earlier in the day long before i go to the gym?

[HerbM]

I am not the best guy to ask, but I strongly suspect it depends on your goals and lifting regime. (E.g., if you are lifting real heavy for muscle mass you need to life when you have plenty of energy -- but then you are going to be pretty tired for boxing so splitting them up in the day, or different days is likely best.)

Try to (re)explain your weight goals and strength goal priorities. One of the development expert might be able to then give you a rundown.

[cambay411]

The only thing i care about is adding speed and punching power. As far as endurance it is good but any tips on that would help too.

[HerbM]

Speed is about taking the muscle mass you have and making it work quicker -- and a lot of this is just relaxing and training the neurological connections (it is related to endurance though, since speed usually suffers first as you tire.

Power is related to speed (as faster hits harder) and also to relaxation, but power is also helped by more and stronger muscle.

Can you afford (some) weight gain? Or will you work only with what you have?

Why is relaxation so important to both speed and power? Because most people are holding tension in the muscles which slows the movement down, and worse, exerting effort in the OPPOSING MUSCLE which not only slows and reduces power but also burns Oxygen and Fuel faster.

Also, many people are starting their retraction before their punch hits the target or (not as bad) while it is still doing damage inside the target -- better to let the TARGET (bag or opponent) stop the punch and absorb ALL of the energy of motion. This also uses less energy and oxygen so there are multiple benefits.

If you can afford the weight gain, work with heavy weights, low reps for a few (say 6- weeks to gain size and strength.