1. The day after I lifted weights for about an hour in the gym I never feel sore. My brother says without feeling sore you haven't really done anything; because when it's sore, it means your rebuilding stronger muscle.
I used to feel sore when I did more reps but now I do 5 fast reps for everything with more weight. (after my workout my muscles are tired though but they just don't get sore)

2. Apparently Reversed Flies require more than 5 reps. So how do I know when an exercise requires more than 5 reps?

3. Is it important to train your chest for boxing?

4. What are some good core exercises?

Thanks in advance!

to the first question: If you're getting muscle fatigue that shows you are getting stronger, I don't think lactic acid HAS to be there to mean you are getting stronger. I would also reccomend less weight more reps.

from what i know if you want to build size and power you should stay in a low rep range with high weight. if you want to build endurance you should stick to a high rep range with low weight.

Heres my contrib but I am no expert:

1. You dont need to feel sore for it to be effective, usually its the 2nd or 3rd day when you feel it most.

2. This is an isolation exercise as opposed to compound exercises. Normally more reps with isolations. Compound are the basic weight exercise and most effective and work different muscle groups not specifically targeting one ie compound - squats, deadlifts, bench press. military press, rows, clean & jerk.

3. Yes, ie pushups. weights for strength (low reps heavy weights)

4. when you say core exercise do you mean for abs, lower back or the basics all round weight exercises? squats will fit in both these categories.

A good place to look is bodybuilding.com forum under Starting Strength (Rippetoe) program for more info for an excellent basic strength program (although you will also increase in size/weight IF you eat for it)

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224

1) Basically no you don't need to be sore to be gaining, or get max benefit from the gym. That means your muscles have dropped in pH, which is not caused by a build up of lactate like someone in here suggested. Lactic acid is actually a vital fuel for for body, which without would mean you'd have nearly **** all energy after your original supply of ATP is burnt up.

2) For max strength work, keep reps to 3 with weight of 5 rep max. Ie you'd be at failure at 5 reps with that weight.

3) Not the most important but still should be done in compound movements.

4) Heaps of core exercises around the place, a good one to start with is the plank as it does your abs and lower back. Search around youtube, usually has sme good ones on there.

I have a problem with legs.Whenever I do squats and lunges my legs go stiff for days .Does anyone else get this problem on leg strength and know how to resolve it?I'm wondering if it's normal or i'm not stretching enough or over stretching.

I have a problem with legs.Whenever I do squats and lunges my legs go stiff for days .Does anyone else get this problem on leg strength and know how to resolve it?I'm wondering if it's normal or i'm not stretching enough or over stretching.

I will do squats Friday night or Saturday morning so I have a couple of days rest before boxing on Monday. I dont think stretching will make a difference.

How are you warming up before squats? Another alternative is bodyweight squats and one legged squats to build up your leg strength and conditioning first.

PS are you cooling down after the squats?

How are you warming up before squats? Another alternative is bodyweight squats and one legged squats to build up your leg strength and conditioning first.

PS are you cooling down after the squats?
I usually just do them as part of a bodyweight circuit,warm up stretch 12 to 15 seconds ,cool down stretch 30 seconds,I do push-ups ,dips ,squats lunges and abs but it's only my legs that I can't seem to loosen off.

To be honest I think you'll just have to fight through the pain, do them 2 days apart but don't over do it. Make sure you get plenty of protein within an hour after your workout, maybe invest in some L-Glutamine which can help ease soreness. It just sounds like your legs aren't used to doing a lot of work, the good news is that they will adapt.

Thanks for the advice everyone, went to the gym this morning and did 8-10 reps of everything with a bit lighter weight. (For dips and chinups I still did 5 reps)
Instead of squats I do sitting calf raises and other leg weight exercices.

When training my upper body I mostly target my back. While I'm doing the exercises (like Lat Pulldowns and Chinups) I can feel that I'm working with my back but afterwards its always my biceps that feel tired... Does anyone know if this is normal? Maybe a back just simply doesn't tire or something...

Btw I do a circuit of 7 different exercises for my upper body. So it takes some time in between of 2 chinups sets or whatever. Is that okay? (I think there's like 7-10 minutes in between of the same exercise) I do the circuit 4 times and then I start a very short circuit for my legs.

Too much weight training is bad for boxing. You should be doing more claesthenics and maybe a few light weights in sets of 100 for your shoulders and bi's.

Too much weight training is bad for boxing. You should be doing more claesthenics and maybe a few light weights in sets of 100 for your shoulders and bi's.

I only train with weights 1-2 times a week...

Too much weight training is bad for boxing. You should be doing more claesthenics and maybe a few light weights in sets of 100 for your shoulders and bi's.

You should train all types of strength, maximal strength development is just as important along with power, speed, etc. You shouldn't neglect one area, what's bad for boxing is hypertrophy training aka bodybuilding, no boxer should follow a body builders weights routine.

You should train all types of strength, maximal strength development is just as important along with power, speed, etc. You shouldn't neglect one area, what's bad for boxing is hypertrophy training aka bodybuilding, no boxer should follow a body builders weights routine.

If you need to/want to build up (normally during off season or when you dont need to compete) a hypertrophy/bodybuilder routine is perfectly fine!

If you need to/want to build up (normally during off season or when you dont need to compete) a hypertrophy/bodybuilder routine is perfectly fine!

Even bulking, I wouldn't let my fighters do split routines and a lot of isolation exercises. Compound movements with a bigger volume of work, and individualized smaller exercises, according to the individual's strengths and weaknesses.

Even bulking, I wouldn't let my fighters do split routines and a lot of isolation exercises. Compound movements with a bigger volume of work, and individualized smaller exercises, according to the individual's strengths and weaknesses.

Thats true, should focus on the compound exercises. But not all bodybuilding/ bulk up routines do lots of isolation work, most of the good basic routines focus on compound exercises.

I dont know why you wouldnt do split routines though?

Thats true, should focus on the compound exercises. But not all bodybuilding/ bulk up routines do lots of isolation work, most of the good basic routines focus on compound exercises.

I dont know why you wouldnt do split routines though?

Upper body/lower body split maybe. If you split it up further than that, you'll lose sight of what athleticism is all about: Movement.

Just my opinion on this one...

A weight routine's for a boxer should not change dynamics, even when gaining weight. Like said before a fighter's should be focussed on developing function, while Hypertrophy produces a lot of excess muscle which is basically useless. Many people are rather ignorant when it comes to gaining, simply by increasing the calorie intake of a balanced diet and consuming enough protein you are going to gain.

A weight routine's for a boxer should not change dynamics, even when gaining weight. Like said before a fighter's should be focussed on developing function, while Hypertrophy produces a lot of excess muscle which is basically useless. Many people are rather ignorant when it comes to gaining, simply by increasing the calorie intake of a balanced diet and consuming enough protein you are going to gain.

I am not sure what you are trying to say.

If a boxer wants to gain muscle weight for whatever reason (they want to move up a division, they are too skinny and want more mass, they dont want to move to a division but want to be as big as they can be within their division etc) They need to do this through muscle hypertrophy. But hypertrophy of muscle in targeted areas.

But I understand it if you mean a boxer concentrates on isolation rather than compound exercises they may gain some¨useless¨ excess muscle (although for most people muscle isnt that easily and quickly gained, I wish it was, I have enough of a hard time putting on useful muscle without worrying about having any useless excess muscle!)

Also, most programs that are designed to increase strength will also increase mass (through hypertrophy!), if you are lifting more and more, you will likely be getting bigger. IF, like you said, you increase calorie intake.

So... guys... I do 10 reps of almost every weight exercise. (you know: ftiness-gym exercises like LatPulldowns)
I do 7 different exercises in a circuit and I complete the circuit 4 times. So there's alot of time between 2 sets of the same exercise.
At the last circuit lap I often can't make the 10 reps anymore so I do 8.

Is this a good? I do it 1-2 times a week.

I am not sure what you are trying to say.

If a boxer wants to gain muscle weight for whatever reason (they want to move up a division, they are too skinny and want more mass, they dont want to move to a division but want to be as big as they can be within their division etc) They need to do this through muscle hypertrophy. But hypertrophy of muscle in targeted areas.

But I understand it if you mean a boxer concentrates on isolation rather than compound exercises they may gain some¨useless¨ excess muscle (although for most people muscle isnt that easily and quickly gained, I wish it was, I have enough of a hard time putting on useful muscle without worrying about having any useless excess muscle!)

Also, most programs that are designed to increase strength will also increase mass (through hypertrophy!), if you are lifting more and more, you will likely be getting bigger. IF, like you said, you increase calorie intake.

I think what he's saying is, that if you try to reach hypertrophy through a lot of isolation exercises, you're teaching the body to react as a bunch of parts, where, if you do compound exercises and focus on movement, your body will learn just that, movement. You teach the muscle to contract in certain combinations, and work together throughout the body, when you do deadlifts etc.
That is why an Olympic weightlifter is a lot more athletic than a bodybuilder.

Too much weights make you stiff and slow.

I have a problem with legs.Whenever I do squats and lunges my legs go stiff for days .Does anyone else get this problem on leg strength and know how to resolve it?I'm wondering if it's normal or i'm not stretching enough or over stretching. that used to happen to me when i first started lifting weights. just eat a couple bananas and stretch. but not too much. youll eventually get used to it. i usually listen to my muscles and theyll tell u when u need to add weight to ur reps. if that wasnt clear im saying that if you dont feel the stiffness after doing the same workout youve been doing then add 5-10 lbs to ur reps. this is just how i do it.

Too much weights make you stiff and slow.

You must've used to many weight on your brain then...:grumble:

So... guys... I do 10 reps of almost every weight exercise. (you know: ftiness-gym exercises like LatPulldowns)
I do 7 different exercises in a circuit and I complete the circuit 4 times. So there's alot of time between 2 sets of the same exercise.
At the last circuit lap I often can't make the 10 reps anymore so I do 8.

Is this a good? I do it 1-2 times a week.

Can someone please answer my question ? ....

So... guys... I do 10 reps of almost every weight exercise. (you know: ftiness-gym exercises like LatPulldowns)
I do 7 different exercises in a circuit and I complete the circuit 4 times. So there's alot of time between 2 sets of the same exercise.
At the last circuit lap I often can't make the 10 reps anymore so I do 8.

Is this a good? I do it 1-2 times a week.

Anyone??
Btw I've been thinking on doing plyometrics instead of regular bodyweight exercises every day. Is this a good idea or shouldn't I cut out regular exercises completely for some reason?

How are plyometric pushups done btw? I've seen people who barely bend their arms while doing them. But isn't that bad for your joints?
And howmany reps should be done? Like 5? or 10? or more?

Thanks in advance. (please don't forget to answer the question in my quote)

For the question in your quote (I'm not really an expert on plyometrics).

Sometimes I do a circuit of 7 weights 3 times, using purely dumbells. Leaving 30 seconds between each excercise. They are mostly movements which work the whole body. Examples
http://losefatnow.ws/images/renegade-row1_small.jpg


One arm snatches,have the weight in between your legs and burst upwards in one movement, bring down but dont let the dumbell touch the floor between each rep.
http://www.cjetsfitness.com/blog/wp-content/myimages/2007/05/wodmay307.jpg

Dumbell squat and presses: Basically holding the weights at shoulder height, squatting down then exploding up.


Tbh though, i wouldnt stick religiously to circuit training as your body will adapt after a while, switch it up doing barbell routine's like back squats, deadlifts. I usually do weights 3 times a week. sometimes I'll do 2 days of dumbbells one day of barbell, other times I'll do 2 days of barbell one day of dumbbells. If you catch my drift?

Hope this answers a few questions.

Ah thanks!
I tried that exercise in the first picture before but it really didn't feel like I was training my back. Seemed like I was just using biceps... Is that normal or am I doing something wrong?

Do you also do 10 reps for most exercises or more/less?
And I've heard that if you explode (so eg pulling a LatPulldown down real quickly) you train speed as well. If I want to explode like that I have to use lighter weights though. So would exploding be worth sacrificing some weight? Because some people also say it's better to train with as much weight as you can handle.

(And can anyone else answer the plyometric question a few posts above please?)
Thanks in advance!

as someone mentioned, function is very, very important. it is top of my list when i use weight or do many exercises.

function and weight lifting are not very closely related. not when you cinsider pure aspects. and yeah, they are realted, just not super closely.

my fighting art, is based on function over form. very adaptable, and us XY guys ****ing crave power. however, that doesn't mean we hit the gym everyday. we work on producing specific types of power as efficiently as possible. that is our take - well, not all of it.

but interesting contrast, huh?

as someone mentioned, function is very, very important. it is top of my list when i use weight or do many exercises.

function and weight lifting are not very closely related. not when you cinsider pure aspects. and yeah, they are realted, just not super closely.

my fighting art, is based on function over form. very adaptable, and us XY guys ****ing crave power. however, that doesn't mean we hit the gym everyday. we work on producing specific types of power as efficiently as possible. that is our take - well, not all of it.

but interesting contrast, huh?
What about plyometrics, what do you know about that? And do you know if there are plyometric exercises for the back and/or shoulders?
Thanks in advance!

What about plyometrics, what do you know about that? And do you know if there are plyometric exercises for the back and/or shoulders?
Thanks in advance!

honestly i haven't investigated what is usually taught as pylometrics enough to say something on it. i know what i have been trained in and what i have found to work.

for power exercises relating to explosive movement, i have found that going from a very relaxed and still state of composure and hitting the switch into explosive movement works miracles for explosive punching. and i prefer to start with just a step and transfer of weight continuously and gradually add body movement to your technique. doing this over and over so it is reflex. but do it mindfully examining each part of the body until the whole body works together in one movement. efficiency is what i was taught. u find that u really don't need to use muscles a hell of a lot to have power.

my advice for any training is to investigate it slowly and thoroughly. ask what the purpose is, and fthen also forgot about the purpose and see where it takes you. so be both detached and involved.

check into it and keep me updated. i am more or less an expert on CMA power exercises - which are so ****ing many and each having it's own theory. but they work - that's why they have been round for hundreds of years. exercises become famous because people attain great result with.

keep me updated bro.

Thanks j,

I'll definitly try make it a reflex indeed. The thing is doing the same movement all the time gets kinda boring when it's just training. When I train with weights on the other hands, there's alot of variation because of the circuit. But too bad those aren't really functional exercises :(
Perhaps I can make them a bit more functional if I explode with them though, as I mentioned earlier. Cut off a little weight so I can go from that relaxed mode to that burst. (rather than just a long intense push)

I also just experimented a bit and I think I found a good exercise:
I put my body against my heavybag with my arms down. And just push the heavybag away in a burst with my hips and shoulders. (using the movement to execute a punch but without using the arms)
The problem is my bag only weighs 30kg :(

I think I'll buy myself a medicine ball because it can be used for lots of things. I don't really have the room or propriate walls to throw it against though...

i have 3 medecine balls. a 10 lb lclassic leather ball, an 8 lb bubber one with handles(don't ask what handles are for), and one 9 lb smaller bouncy one. they are ****ing great tools. so versatile. very practical.

hey, your experiment without using arms is old as dirt - congratulations!!!! u stumbled on a secret power practice. i told ya to follow your instincts. very interesting results from it, huh? well, keep working on it. i bet you will amaze yourself soon. once u get even more on right track, it is the learnng curve that takes over for u as long as u actually think "why" and "what" unlike many others who follow.

don't worry about weight of bag for now. just work on moving bag with relaxd transfer of weight and maintain balance throught movement. read my blogs and links - may help ya.

keep me updated. and - very right about puch and bump force. they actually are the same, just in different levels of speeds. so same power u can push a person with should be same power as u punch a person with, except the force is diffeent - more percussive and sharp and short.

great practice - welcome to free thinkers club!

"an 8 lb bubber one with handles(don't ask what handles are for)"


I use this when doing decline sit ups. You hold the medicine ball over your head by the handles and do sit ups. Its a great AB workout when by yourself.

If you have a partner you can use the normal medicine ball and have them stand in front of you while on the decline bench and they throw it to your left and right side as your going down to work the side of your abs.

yeah, that's one use i have used those handles for. but, the andles are so ****ing small it is hard to hold the dam thing without making an effort.