Are Boxers the Most Jacked Athletes?

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

if you add some weight training to your boxing it will make a word of difference. just make sure to keep them somewhat light and lots of reps so u can get them long leans muscle needed for boxing.

I agree, I trained old school really. Did most of my "lifting" with medicine balls and push ups, sit ups and dips and stuff like that.

Now fighters are training better and I agree, weights are a big part of it but you can't over do it because you can lost flexibility.

I see MMA fighters in the gym all the time and the one thing a lot of them have in common is they are stiff because they lift so much weights.

[-Kev-]

I cant see how Table Tennis is "tougher" than track and field weights and Kayaking. :s

Well I don't know, look who came up with this.

"But don't take our word for it. Take the word of our panel of experts, a group made up of sports scientists from the United States Olympic Committee, of academicians who study the science of muscles and movement, of a star two-sport athlete, and of journalists who spend their professional lives watching athletes succeed and fail."

So I don't know, maybe they're wrong, but they sound pretty credible to me.

[vacon04]

I agree, I trained old school really. Did most of my "lifting" with medicine balls and push ups, sit ups and dips and stuff like that.

Now fighters are training better and I agree, weights are a big part of it but you can't over do it because you can lost flexibility.

I see MMA fighters in the gym all the time and the one thing a lot of them have in common is they are stiff because they lift so much weights.

Actually the idea that boxers need to do high reps and low weight has been proved wrong. As a boxer most of the training consist of running, rope jumping, working with mitts, using heavy bag, speed bag and double end bag, shadow boxing and sparring of course. Most of those exercises help you mainly to get muscle endurance.

So if you're going to lift weights, you actually need to work on the opposite, which is speed strength and absolute functional strength, not more endurance. About losing flexibility, there I agree that doing lifting weights without a proper training routine would make a boxer lose flexibility, but a good workout specifically made for a boxer could make you gain more power and speed by lifting weights, without having to sacrifice flexibility.

[the_blueprint]

have you seen people play table tennis professionaly? they sweat loads, it's really fast paced you have to have lots of concentration at all times. kayaking and weight lifting there is only one thing to think about, lift the weight and row.

so by toughest i think it means hardest to do.

lighter weight MMA fighters always look really ripped, but generally boxers are more lean

[BoyFloyd]

good point, although i still find it hard to believe its more intense.

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

Actually the idea that boxers need to do high reps and low weight has been proved wrong. As a boxer most of the training consist of running, rope jumping, working with mitts, using heavy bag, speed bag and double end bag, shadow boxing and sparring of course. Most of those exercises help you mainly to get muscle endurance.

So if you're going to lift weights, you actually need to work on the opposite, which is speed strength and absolute functional strength, not more endurance. About losing flexibility, there I agree that doing lifting weights without a proper training routine would make a boxer lose flexibility, but a good workout specifically made for a boxer could make you gain more power and speed by lifting weights, without having to sacrifice flexibility.

Yes but you are missing one MAJOR factor here. In boxing, you need to be at the minimum weight you can without losing strength and endurance. In other words, still be strong and at a healthy weight.

It's like when people see a pic of a fighter during his "off" time they immediately call him fat..lol. What they don't realize is they are so used to seeing him drained that they think that's the way he always looks.

Boxing is almost like body building in that regard, you need to be as lean as possible during competition time.

If you look at boxers bodies, there are very few that have that very muscular look. If they are muscular like Klitchko or Tyson for example, they have that build genetically and carry the weight much better because there is no limit in the HW class.

Where as a fighter than needs to make weight in lower classes, can't and shouldn't come in "jacked" because he will lose power believe it or not because he will be in there with guys who walk around 20 lbs heavier than their fight weight.

Too much bulk is not good for a boxer anyway you look at it. That's why most trainers still don't like too much weight training at all and the one's who do use it, use it sparingly like you said to build core strength and make sure not to "bulk" their fighter up.

[vacon04]

Yes but you are missing one MAJOR factor here. In boxing, you need to be at the minimum weight you can without losing strength and endurance. In other words, still be strong and at a healthy weight.

It's like when people see a pic of a fighter during his "off" time they immediately call him fat..lol. What they don't realize is they are so used to seeing him drained that they think that's the way he always looks.

Boxing is almost like body building in that regard, you need to be as lean as possible during competition time.

If you look at boxers bodies, there are very few that have that very muscular look. If they are muscular like Klitchko or Tyson for example, they have that build genetically and carry the weight much better because there is no limit in the HW class.

Where as a fighter than needs to make weight in lower classes, can't and shouldn't come in "jacked" because he will lose power believe it or not because he will be in there with guys who walk around 20 lbs heavier than their fight weight.

Too much bulk is not good for a boxer anyway you look at it. That's why most trainers still don't like too much weight training at all and the one's who do use it, use it sparingly like you said to build core strength and make sure not to "bulk" their fighter up.

Oh no, I'm not missing that fact at all, because as I've said it depends on a routine that's made specially for boxers. What I'm saying is that weight lifting can be used to increase strength and speed without the need to create too much muscle mass, in fact by only gaining a really small amount of muscle mass you can gain a lot of power.

Weight training for boxers should be kept to about 2 or at most 3 times per week (and 3 times is a little bit too much IMO) ... but as I've said the main point of those sessions is to gains strength and speed, not endurance. Now, gaining strength for example doesn't means gaining mass, at least not enough so you can call it "bulking up".

Gaining mass is mainly because of an hypertrophy training, a range of 8 to 12 repetitions, but a boxer should do weight lifting with a range of 2 to 5 repetitions, which generates a lot less mass than an hypertrophy training but helps a lot to gain absolute strength with functional muscle mass, not bulking up at all. Also, as a boxer needs to be explosive, the lifting should be done in an explosive way, not slowly as most weight lifters do.

So you could still gain strength and power without really bulking up, and also without sacrificing flexibility. It's really about creating a good workout specifically designed for a boxer to get great results without the disadvantages of gaining mass or losing flexibility.

[*Boss*]

GSP , Brock Lesnar , Allistair Overeem...
/End thread.

[r3robinson]

If you read the article it talks about muscle mass, being "jacked".

Boxers aren't jacked at all, on the contrary, they are as lean as they can possibly be.

You see pics of Margarito, Klitchko, Pacman or other ripped fighters and think they are jacked but they are not. They are ripped and down to very little body fat but will rehydrate in 24 hours and look different.

These other athletes like sprinters, wrestlers, gymnasts, have muscle gain because weight isn't as much of an issue or in the case of wrestlers, they need to be strong for grappling.

Boxers aren't necessarily strong like wrestlers, they have strong punches but I bet you most can't bench press a ton of weight.

I boxed all my life and never lifted weights.

Oh no, I'm not missing that fact at all, because as I've said it depends on a routine that's made specially for boxers. What I'm saying is that weight lifting can be used to increase strength and speed without the need to create too much muscle mass, in fact by only gaining a really small amount of muscle mass you can gain a lot of power.

Weight training for boxers should be kept to about 2 or at most 3 times per week (and 3 times is a little bit too much IMO) ... but as I've said the main point of those sessions is to gains strength and speed, not endurance. Now, gaining strength for example doesn't means gaining mass, at least not enough so you can call it "bulking up".

Gaining mass is mainly because of an hypertrophy training, a range of 8 to 12 repetitions, but a boxer should do weight lifting with a range of 2 to 5 repetitions, which generates a lot less mass than an hypertrophy training but helps a lot to gain absolute strength with functional muscle mass, not bulking up at all. Also, as a boxer needs to be explosive, the lifting should be done in an explosive way, not slowly as most weight lifters do.

So you could still gain strength and power without really bulking up, and also without sacrificing flexibility. It's really about creating a good workout specifically designed for a boxer to get great results without the disadvantages of gaining mass or losing flexibility.

i have been a trainer for a long time and i must say that weight training makes a difference in a possitive way. but keep in mind you have to keep it moderate like i posted earlier......when i 1st strated training i was against weight and only used Calisthenics but after some time and i mean some time i gave the weights thing a chance and it was like night and day.... just make sure that you strectch before after and make strecthing part of you cool down to help with current and added flexiblity.