Great Fighters with Terrible physiques

[sonnyboyx2]

Name some great fighters with terrible physiques:

James Toney
John L.Sullivan

[The Surgeon]

Felix Trinidad had the body of a lanky teenager but hit like a mule kick

Old Foreman was in terrible shape

[Miburo]

Physique is a joke, it has more to do with diet than training. Look at Fedor Emelianenko, a guy who trains only fast-twitch muscle and eats whatever he wants with zero weight lifting (which was traditional for boxers as well). More fighters would benefit if they worried about explosiveness and endurance over looking good. Bulky muscle uses up oxygen and slows you down. Granted, heavyweights have more leeway in this.

[The Surgeon]

Physique is a joke, it has more to do with diet than training. Look at Fedor Emelianenko, a guy who trains only fast-twitch muscle and eats whatever he wants with zero weight lifting (which was traditional for boxers as well). More fighters would benefit if they worried about explosiveness and endurance over looking good. Bulky muscle uses up oxygen and slows you down. Granted, heavyweights have more leeway in this.

U can train ur fast twitch muscle fibres effectivley using weights, just look at a sprinter. I think alot of boxing guys are still stuck in an old way of trainning mind set, when done right weight training can be very benificial for a fighter, lots of stuff. Other sports seem alot more modern in their training and their athletes are better for it, boxing should follow suit

[Miburo]

U can train ur fast twitch muscle fibres effectivley using weights, just look at a sprinter. I think alot of boxing guys are still stuck in an old way of trainning mind set, when done right weight training can be very benificial for a fighter, lots of stuff. Other sports seem alot more modern in their training and their athletes are better for it, boxing should follow suit

There are plenty of ways of doing it without weights. You can't tell me that kettlebells, sledgehammer, and calisthenics with a great deal of sparring and bagwork is inferior to weight lifting. It's more that people have forgotten how to do it the old way properly.

[Holtol]

There are plenty of ways of doing it without weights. You can't tell me that kettlebells, sledgehammer, and calisthenics with a great deal of sparring and bagwork is inferior to weight lifting. It's more that people have forgotten how to do it the old way properly.

Also I have heard a lot of old time boxers used to grapple for training. I think manipulating a human body builds more functional strength for boxing then pumping iron.

[Miburo]

Also I have heard a lot of old time boxers used to grapple for training. I think manipulating a human body builds more functional strength for boxing then pumping iron.

Well, if you go far back enough grappling was half the sport, just as much as punching. If you mean after the shift to Queensbury, then it would still be beneficial in terms of controlling your opponent's weight as well as keeping yourself from being pushed around. And yes, it's actual practical motion rather than mechanical.

[The Surgeon]

There are plenty of ways of doing it without weights. You can't tell me that kettlebells, sledgehammer, and calisthenics with a great deal of sparring and bagwork is inferior to weight lifting. It's more that people have forgotten how to do it the old way properly.

All good stuff, why not throw in the weight training too tho? I train with weights, kettle bells, sledge hammer, and do alot of medicine ball work and plyometrics as well as the obvious sparring, bag work and running.

I usually do do 3 - 5 mile runs, sometimes a long run at the wkend but im even thinking about just doing sprints for 3 mins, over and over

[Holtol]

Well, if you go far back enough grappling was half the sport, just as much as punching. If you mean after the shift to Queensbury, then it would still be beneficial in terms of controlling your opponent's weight as well as keeping yourself from being pushed around. And yes, it's actual practical motion rather than mechanical.

I think strength mostly helps when manipulting the other boxer some how in the ring. Punching I think is a lot different then grappling or weights and these things would not help that much. Like you said earlier the best thing for punching is likely punching itself.

[Miburo]

All good stuff, why not throw in the weight training too tho? I train with weights, kettle bells, sledge hammer, and do alot of medicine ball work and plyometrics as well as the obvious sparring, bag work and running.

I usually do do 3 - 5 mile runs, sometimes a long run at the wkend but im even thinking about just doing sprints for 3 mins, over and over

I'm not saying it can't be done, just that usually it's done solely to build strength, i.e. slow twitch, bulky muscle, and that this is not particularly useful for fighting. A guy like Mayweather has a real ideal boxer's physique. A guy like Devon Alexander, and there are always going to be questions about stamina.