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The article is rather lengthy so I will just post selected excerpts. To read the entire piece, i posted the link below:
Ariza integral part of Pacquiao's formula for success
Posted Oct. 3, 2010 at 12:35am
By Ted Lerner
Source: http://www.ringtv.com/blog/2384/ariz...a_for_success/
Ariza integral part of Pacquiao's formula for success
Posted Oct. 3, 2010 at 12:35am
By Ted Lerner
“It’s a compliment,” said Ariza of the lingering PED claims, while watching Pacquiao shadow box on the second day of camp at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio. “We’re doing such a good job, people just can’t understand it. They think it has to be something else. It HAS to be. People think overnight he (Pacquiao) turned into this relentless monster. But it took him two years to get to this point. The truth is that it’s just hard work, and we have a great team.”
Hard work it is, indeed, with a punishing training regime that leaves any and all onlookers in awe. But behind the seemingly endless hours of old school physical toil that are hallmarks of Pacquiao’s workouts, lies a modern and very scientific program designed to develop and maximize Pacman’s unique gifts. But the question still remains: how do you take a guy who as a fighter is a natural 140 pounder, and whose walking around weight is 146-148 pounds, and turn him into a perfectly tuned fighting machine ready to do battle with much bigger men such as Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, and now Antonio Margarito? The way not to do it, Ariza says, is to go old school.
“We saw with Kelly Pavlik when he tried to move up in weight,” he said. “He lost everything. He went flat, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t get up. Science has to play a role in a sport that has an old-school mentality. That’s why Freddie Roach is such an exceptional trainer. Even though he’s got old-school teachings, he pulls in the outside-the-box stuff, the more scientific comprehensive ways of training. He knows that just running five miles a day is not going to cut it, especially being such an offensive trainer that he is. You have to have that high intensity, that high level of efficiency to be able to carry out his kind of game plan.
“We’re building a body that normally doesn’t carry that kind of muscle on it. Putting on six pounds on a guy like Manny Pacquiao is like putting on 20 pounds on a normal person. That’s why when he takes his shirt off at the weigh in and he looks so ripped, people think he’s on steroids.”
Forget about the intrigues of what may or may not be inside Pacquiao’s water bottle. Ariza says; “It’s just a mixture of over the counter herbal supplements that will serve Pacquiao without any side effects such as crashing or jitters or upsetting his stomach, because he has a very sensitive stomach.
The regime created by Ariza to build that muscle and maintain the speed and power involves two parts. The first is what he refers to as “core training,” a phrase which has become a bit of buzzword in the last few years in the world of exercise and nutritional training, but is seldom heard in boxing. The “core” may sound like it means just abdominals, but it goes much deeper than that. The “core” is the whole area between the shoulders and the pelvis. The idea behind strengthening the “core” is that this area provides the foundation for all other areas of the body to function at its highest levels. Core training thus builds the muscles to produce explosive, powerful movements with mean and lean efficiency, and less likelihood of injury.
To accomplish this, twice a week, Ariza has Pacquiao doing punishing isometrics, where he has to hold a certain position for an extended period of time. In addition he has Pacquaio performing plyometrics, grueling drills involving quick bursts of energy, such as sprints on the track, high intensity cone and ladder drills, even swimming.
“We’re focusing on faster-twitch muscle fibers,” Ariza says, “getting them to fire, feet complimenting the hands, hands complimenting the feet, balance, coordination. “
Hard work it is, indeed, with a punishing training regime that leaves any and all onlookers in awe. But behind the seemingly endless hours of old school physical toil that are hallmarks of Pacquiao’s workouts, lies a modern and very scientific program designed to develop and maximize Pacman’s unique gifts. But the question still remains: how do you take a guy who as a fighter is a natural 140 pounder, and whose walking around weight is 146-148 pounds, and turn him into a perfectly tuned fighting machine ready to do battle with much bigger men such as Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, and now Antonio Margarito? The way not to do it, Ariza says, is to go old school.
“We saw with Kelly Pavlik when he tried to move up in weight,” he said. “He lost everything. He went flat, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t get up. Science has to play a role in a sport that has an old-school mentality. That’s why Freddie Roach is such an exceptional trainer. Even though he’s got old-school teachings, he pulls in the outside-the-box stuff, the more scientific comprehensive ways of training. He knows that just running five miles a day is not going to cut it, especially being such an offensive trainer that he is. You have to have that high intensity, that high level of efficiency to be able to carry out his kind of game plan.
“We’re building a body that normally doesn’t carry that kind of muscle on it. Putting on six pounds on a guy like Manny Pacquiao is like putting on 20 pounds on a normal person. That’s why when he takes his shirt off at the weigh in and he looks so ripped, people think he’s on steroids.”
Forget about the intrigues of what may or may not be inside Pacquiao’s water bottle. Ariza says; “It’s just a mixture of over the counter herbal supplements that will serve Pacquiao without any side effects such as crashing or jitters or upsetting his stomach, because he has a very sensitive stomach.
The regime created by Ariza to build that muscle and maintain the speed and power involves two parts. The first is what he refers to as “core training,” a phrase which has become a bit of buzzword in the last few years in the world of exercise and nutritional training, but is seldom heard in boxing. The “core” may sound like it means just abdominals, but it goes much deeper than that. The “core” is the whole area between the shoulders and the pelvis. The idea behind strengthening the “core” is that this area provides the foundation for all other areas of the body to function at its highest levels. Core training thus builds the muscles to produce explosive, powerful movements with mean and lean efficiency, and less likelihood of injury.
To accomplish this, twice a week, Ariza has Pacquiao doing punishing isometrics, where he has to hold a certain position for an extended period of time. In addition he has Pacquaio performing plyometrics, grueling drills involving quick bursts of energy, such as sprints on the track, high intensity cone and ladder drills, even swimming.
“We’re focusing on faster-twitch muscle fibers,” Ariza says, “getting them to fire, feet complimenting the hands, hands complimenting the feet, balance, coordination. “
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