Strength gains

[PunchDrunk]

right right that makes sense but if ur liftin weights heavy ur muscle is still gonna get bigger so it can handle the load, isnt it? the whole weight lifting thing confuses the **** out of me to be honest, thats y i always stayed away from it. i have decent speed and power and havent lifted weights since i was like 17, so.....

No, it's quite possible to become quite strong without getting big. It's a matter of neural adaptations, which means that the body adapts to the stress of heavy weights by making more motor units available. An untrained individual can only recruit about 40% of their muscle mass in a given muscle, even if they try their absolute hardest. The rest is kept in reserve. By training with heavy weights, the body adapts by making more muscle available for activation. If you can lift 100 lbs using 40% of your available muscle, increasing that to 50% will have you lifting 125 lbs without any muscle gain.
It's an oversimplified example, but I hope it made sense as to why you can get stronger without getting bigger.

[SpeedKillz]

No, it's quite possible to become quite strong without getting big. It's a matter of neural adaptations, which means that the body adapts to the stress of heavy weights by making more motor units available. An untrained individual can only recruit about 40% of their muscle mass in a given muscle, even if they try their absolute hardest. The rest is kept in reserve. By training with heavy weights, the body adapts by making more muscle available for activation. If you can lift 100 lbs using 40% of your available muscle, increasing that to 50% will have you lifting 125 lbs without any muscle gain.
It's an oversimplified example, but I hope it made sense as to why you can get stronger without getting bigger.

that does help thanks alot man. i am just leary of lifting weights cuz i gain muscle easily and especially now i am tryin to make weight i'm afraid it ill make me more musclular and heavier (though i know it wont) so im jus bein real wary of starting up. but i'll gamble and give it a go. i was thinkin of doin like clean and jerk, snatch, deadlift. any other good ones u know of? i def dont want to do isolation exercises...

[PunchDrunk]

that does help thanks alot man. i am just leary of lifting weights cuz i gain muscle easily and especially now i am tryin to make weight i'm afraid it ill make me more musclular and heavier (though i know it wont) so im jus bein real wary of starting up. but i'll gamble and give it a go. i was thinkin of doin like clean and jerk, snatch, deadlift. any other good ones u know of? i def dont want to do isolation exercises...

Full contact twist, benchpress or dumbell presses, upright neider press, military press, pullups, dips (google the ones you don't know). I'd get a good fullbody workout with one of the bigger movements you mentioned, and then add a pressing movement and a pulling movement for the upper body. Add full contact twists and some more core exercises and you're good to go. If you're in season right now, I wouldn't start out doing anything heavy or extensive. Wait till you have break in your boxing schedule. Meanwhile, you can do lighter work, while getting your technique down.

Once you're in off season, depending on how much conditioning and boxing specific work you're doing, you can work out 2 or 3 times a week, with either a heavy workout monday, tuesday off, wednesday light day, thursday off, friday heavy, sat/sunday off, or just one light and one heavy day a week.

I had a 25 year old lightweight I started on weights. After a year we decided to move him down to featherweight, which he could do AND gain strength and stamina anyway. He just retired now, at 28, and during his last year we were actually thinking of dropping him to bantam. Goes to show it's certainly possible to get stronger without bulking.

[DA1CATAS]

Hey Punch give me a number of pull-ups that you would think was OUTSTANDING...I need something to work towards.

[SpeedKillz]

Full contact twist, benchpress or dumbell presses, upright neider press, military press, pullups, dips (google the ones you don't know). I'd get a good fullbody workout with one of the bigger movements you mentioned, and then add a pressing movement and a pulling movement for the upper body. Add full contact twists and some more core exercises and you're good to go. If you're in season right now, I wouldn't start out doing anything heavy or extensive. Wait till you have break in your boxing schedule. Meanwhile, you can do lighter work, while getting your technique down.

Once you're in off season, depending on how much conditioning and boxing specific work you're doing, you can work out 2 or 3 times a week, with either a heavy workout monday, tuesday off, wednesday light day, thursday off, friday heavy, sat/sunday off, or just one light and one heavy day a week.

I had a 25 year old lightweight I started on weights. After a year we decided to move him down to featherweight, which he could do AND gain strength and stamina anyway. He just retired now, at 28, and during his last year we were actually thinking of dropping him to bantam. Goes to show it's certainly possible to get stronger without bulking.

yo cool thanks punch appreciate the info. one thing though, we dont have on and off boxing seasons, i train year round 6 days a week (sometimes 5 if im real tired). my gym is open every day except saturday and sunday all thru the year. didnt even know there was a boxing season...

[PunchDrunk]

yo cool thanks punch appreciate the info. one thing though, we dont have on and off boxing seasons, i train year round 6 days a week (sometimes 5 if im real tired). my gym is open every day except saturday and sunday all thru the year. didnt even know there was a boxing season...

There is here in Europe, more or less. Except for the big guns at international level, there really aren't any fights going on in the summer period.

Don't you have a period where there's a break from fights? During this period you could cut back on the conditioning and sparring stuff, to make room for some weights. Like 2-3 months out of the year. No reason to spar three times a week, if there aren't any fights coming up anyway.

[PunchDrunk]

Hey Punch give me a number of pull-ups that you would think was OUTSTANDING...I need something to work towards.

I'd say 30 is pretty amazing. Or 1 one handed. Or you could do sets of 6 with added weight.

[SpeedKillz]

There is here in Europe, more or less. Except for the big guns at international level, there really aren't any fights going on in the summer period.

Don't you have a period where there's a break from fights? During this period you could cut back on the conditioning and sparring stuff, to make room for some weights. Like 2-3 months out of the year. No reason to spar three times a week, if there aren't any fights coming up anyway.

where i am there is fights basically every friday and saturday night. i am gettin back in shape now to fight in september but when i get back in fight shape i can fight every weekend if i want to, or every other or whatever. i never heard of any off season but that would be a good idea to take like 3 months off from fighting and stuff and jus do conditioning and weight work and stuff. good thinkin. thanks alot punch ur a huge help.

[PunchDrunk]

In that case, you should split up your training. Figure out which tournaments and fights are the most important to you, and plan your training so that you'll peak for those events/fights. Your trainer should help you with this, both setting the goals, and planning the training.

[nedcmk1]

I hear you punchdrunk. I assumed he was talking American Football, which made me assume he knew basic technique. You are correct.

I am a huge Dan John and Crossfit guy, and for wrestling and BJJ applications (just started boxing ful time so nothing to grade it against in that realm) have worked great for me, although crossfit can be a bit much sometimes.


I wouldnt worry about bulking up. I had set my goals for incresing my lifts.... Squat is upto 300, deadlift close to 400......i weighed 155 when i started my program to get too 300/400, and am just about there and weigh 160. some of it is beer weight, lol.