Roadwork, am i doing it right?

[supernova12034]

I train often and hard now, im new to boxing....apart from school im in the gym 2 days a week and 3-4 X a week im running(rather jogging) 5k consistently

Im a big fella, george foreman size, 6'3 240 lbs last i checked. Iv probably lost weight though i train hard, body is still sore from last night..

Im fairly happy with my training and intensity at the moment, but i feel after 3-4 rounds of constant, nonstop pad work and sparring in the ring with my trainers (who are pros or ex pros) i really start to feel it...

In the gym i usually start with a warmup, 10 mins of skipping rope, footwork, technique, bag work, pad work, and sparring

The weight is starting to come off, steadily...but im wondering if there is something i can do to improve? Instead of jogging 5k should i try sprinting going balls out as fast as i can for a certain distance? Or should i just stick to what im doing now...and my stamina in the ring to withstand that intensity will improve as i weigh less and less?


How do the real pro boxers handle roadwork?? What kind of running do they do?

Thanks

#edit, my diet has cleaned up also fairly nicely lately, no more junk food, or garbage of any kind (never smoked, drank or drugs for that matter) , im eating more fruits and veggies now more than ever

(now that i think of it, maybe i should have asked my trainers about this? :O)

[supernova12034]

Update, i just finished my roadwork...

it was INSANE! in addition to the usual 5k, i added an addition 1.2k of just sprinting, or running as fast as humanly possible, and it was not just good ol sprinting...the canadian weather is awesome and this was on a 400m hill, incline was high..i did 3 intervals of just uphill...boy was it intense! once in a while id land on a part of a road where there was thin/black ice and id almost lose my grip, its not such a big deal when jogging, but the same piece of land becomes potentially treacherous when your running your ass off on it...

in addition i read somewhere that ali (and later sugar ray leonard) added running backwards and side to side to their roadwork....so after the high intensity running, i added that, all in all this variety in my roadwork made it much more fun, interesting and challenging(especially the uphill sprinting) by the end of it i firmly felt that i could do another 5k no problem....I read a while ago cus d'amato talking about fatigue in boxing is mostly psychological, and im a firm believer today...

We usually see roadwork as boring, monotonous, dreary stuff we HAVE to do in order to get to the more 'exciting' parts of boxing, but if you make it more fun and challenging it becomes awesome..

Really its just your mind thats working against you...if you can somehow distract the mind (from the jogging, the sprinting and the pain) it becomes much MUCH easier somehow..

You first move beyond the limits of the body...then the limits of mind(which is VERY difficult)....and then into unknown territory...almost like being in 'the zone'


Edit

Also its really weird for your ankle area when your running that hard and fast and at a high incline(like running outside on a hill) (So be careful and mindful), at your max, your sprinting off, on the plus side i felt certain muscles in my thighs and upper leg work that i didnt know existed

[StrictlySP]

Hi supernova12034,
While it's a hard tradition to break in the boxing ranks, sports science has unequivocally proven that you get more bang for your anaerobic and aerobic bucks through sprinting than you do through steady-state running. Google it and you'll see exactly what I mean. Anyway...

There are a variety of ways to set up your sprinting regimen, which will take some research to do if you want to truly customize one (or more) for yourself. With that said, I'll share some thoughts to get you started.

If you're a newbie to doing sprints exclusively (totally eschewing steady-state running), I suggest starting off "lightly" by doing 10-15 sprints at distances of 40 yards or meters to 100 yards or meters, preferably on an uphill grade, which makes them harder and yet safer on the joints and muscles/tendons/ligaments (especially the hamstrings area).

As far as rest periods are concerned, if you're doing them uphill, typically the rest period is the walk back down. However, if you're not in good condition, take 30 to 60 seconds between sprints and gradually reduce the rest times to the walk back to the starting line.

Once you've built up your sprinting conditioning, gradiently increase the number of sprints you do in a workout from 15 to 30, and incorporate longer distances, though no greater than 400 meters (i.e. one time around a standard track). As far as rest periods are concerned, same as above: the walk back to the starting line to 60 seconds at most. On that note, be advised, you will have longer rest periods if you do uphill sprints that are 100 yards/meters or greater in distance, and that's just the way it goes when doing these. On flat land, this of course, isn't an issue since you can simply stand and rest where you're at, then sprint back the other direction.

When you work your way up to good, solid condition, you can try this hardcore sprint regimen: 10 - 400 meter sprints followed by 20 - 100 meter sprints. As far as rest periods, if you're doing them uphill, make it the walk down. If you are doing them on flatland, go with 30 to 60 seconds.

I guarantee you that if you can do that last regimen consistently, you are in damn good anaerobic and aerobic condition.

Oh, as far as how many days a week to do it, I'd recommend two to three times a week depending on the "severity" of your sprint regimen. Remember, you can create more than one program to follow.

Anyway, hope this helps...

Take Care,
Lito

[Scrap]

Firstly understand this. You dont run to get fit, you get fit to run. It will stop you getting injured.

[Douglas]

Just make sure not to run for two days straight. While running is great for improving stamina, it can be hard on your feet and joints from slamming down on pavement all the time.


Also, be sure not to push yourself too hard, or you won't even make progress.

[mrbig1]

A good steady pace is how's it done. Not too fast, You should spend 20 minutes of running time.

[jms]

Firstly understand this. You dont run to get fit, you get fit to run. It will stop you getting injured.

So much insight in such a short post, if only I could learn to be concise.

Everyone assumes they just know how to run, just like everyone assumes they know how to throw a punch

[Scrap]

In the 80s trained alongside Peter Coe, who had a son who could run a bit. My fighters were there the same time. there regime thats Peters, were 4 laps warm up, then 10, 200 metres plus 4, 400 metres, warm down 2 laps. Boxing fitness requirements are similar. As in Boxing the hard work is done in the gym.

[jms]

Hi supernova12034,
While it's a hard tradition to break in the boxing ranks, sports science has unequivocally proven that you get more bang for your anaerobic and aerobic bucks through sprinting than you do through steady-state running. Google it and you'll see exactly what I mean. Anyway...

There are a variety of ways to set up your sprinting regimen, which will take some research to do if you want to truly customize one (or more) for yourself. With that said, I'll share some thoughts to get you started.

If you're a newbie to doing sprints exclusively (totally eschewing steady-state running), I suggest starting off "lightly" by doing 10-15 sprints at distances of 40 yards or meters to 100 yards or meters, preferably on an uphill grade, which makes them harder and yet safer on the joints and muscles/tendons/ligaments (especially the hamstrings area).

As far as rest periods are concerned, if you're doing them uphill, typically the rest period is the walk back down. However, if you're not in good condition, take 30 to 60 seconds between sprints and gradually reduce the rest times to the walk back to the starting line.

Once you've built up your sprinting conditioning, gradiently increase the number of sprints you do in a workout from 15 to 30, and incorporate longer distances, though no greater than 400 meters (i.e. one time around a standard track). As far as rest periods are concerned, same as above: the walk back to the starting line to 60 seconds at most. On that note, be advised, you will have longer rest periods if you do uphill sprints that are 100 yards/meters or greater in distance, and that's just the way it goes when doing these. On flat land, this of course, isn't an issue since you can simply stand and rest where you're at, then sprint back the other direction.

When you work your way up to good, solid condition, you can try this hardcore sprint regimen: 10 - 400 meter sprints followed by 20 - 100 meter sprints. As far as rest periods, if you're doing them uphill, make it the walk down. If you are doing them on flatland, go with 30 to 60 seconds.

I guarantee you that if you can do that last regimen consistently, you are in damn good anaerobic and aerobic condition.

Oh, as far as how many days a week to do it, I'd recommend two to three times a week depending on the "severity" of your sprint regimen. Remember, you can create more than one program to follow.

Anyway, hope this helps...

Take Care,
Lito

I was reading research recently suggesting that the aerobic system still needs to be given a lot of attention, especially in people who haven't already established an "aerobic base". I wish I could remember where I saw this, but I was also reading that newer research is indicating that even while the anaerobic system is functioning at it's maximum, as high as I believe 50% of the energy is still being supplied by the aerobic system. On top of this, training in the aerobic heart range causes different adaptations in the heart and cardiovascular system in general which are neglected if only sprint workouts are done. Anecdotally, my cardio always is better when I'm running long distance in the mornings. My recovery especially.

Though the workout you've outlined wouldn't be purely anaeorbic by any means (400m is well beyond what I would still consider a sprint since you can't maintain max effort for that entire distance) so I don't think I'm actually disagreeing with you as much as it might seem.