Is boxing worth the strength loss??

[danny stash]

I was 235-238 muscle bound before boxing. I am now 218 and thinner and not nearly as "bench" strong and have smaller muscles but think I am stronger in every sense of the word. I can run 5 miles without dying of exhaustion and shin splints, I can go more than one round on the bag. I can run jump and punch faster and I have more energy. The initial muscle loss ****** but I got over it and I now embrace my more athletic body.

[BrooklynBomber]

Well, here is the thing, to become really strong, and I mean strong in every sense of this word, weightlifting is not enough. Especially the type of weightlifting most people do, which is more hypertrophy lifting(get buff) then power lifting. So, since there is a lack of o-lifts(olympic lifts) on most of people's programs, their muscle don't generate much strength due to lack of use of motoric units(yes, there is a pool of motoric units in your muscles which are the actual strength). Boxing, on the other hand, activates much more motoric units within less amount of muscle. So, with boxing, you get more from less.

[ForemanCrossArm]

These Russian scientific tests wouldn't happen to be from rocky 4 would they?

haha.. you know.. there is this book from either the very early 90's/late-80's that talks about how the russians were so good at training their athletes for the olympics and ****. a very interesting read, even if the actual workouts and such are common place today.

[Exige Jr]

Strength is the ability to recruit as many muscle fibres at the same time, to carry out a task. Nothing to do with the size of the muscle. Although there may be a correlation between muscle size and fibres recruited... then again there may not.

Your strength lies in your nervous system.

[Peterp]

I just don't understand the obsession with excessive muscle size

I promise you, 90% of women prefer a guy with the physique of Roy Jones Jnr over a guy with the physique of Ronnie Coleman

[Kayo]

i weight lifted alot some years back when boxing was on the back burner for various reasons. i lifted 5-6 days a week for 2+ years and at a weight of 177 i benched 315 once for a max. then i stopped liftin and went back to full out boxing training. at a weight of 165 i benched 325 for a max once. no bull****.
if ur trainin ur ass of wit boxing - bags, pads, sparring, floorwork, med ball, etc. u will get way way stronger, losing weight or not, pound for pound u will be much strronger than the average weight lifter. i dono bout u, but i would rather be strong as a bull, then jus look strong as a bull.

yea everywhere i go everyone is always hangin off the meatheads ****, cuz they scared of him and all the girls are all over him and ****, but put that cat outside in the streets with me, and he'll jus be another meatball.....

boxing is the greatest workout in the world, period. but u CAN lift weights and box and be a fast, strong, powerful machine.

story of my life right there. Boxing is great for building p4p strength. Its such a good feelin being like half the size of some of those meat heads and puttin up the same as them

[BrooklynBomber]

I just don't understand the obsession with excessive muscle size

I promise you, 90% of women prefer a guy with the physique of Roy Jones Jnr over a guy with the physique of Ronnie Coleman

To have a physique of Roy Jones Junior, you have to have excellent genetics and work out for many years. Boxing won't give you that.

[2swell k-wells]

I think the real question is "is boxing worth the brain damage?"

[SpeedKillz]

I think the real question is "is boxing worth the brain damage?"

u can get brain damage in football and mma jus the same as boxing. contact sports are dangerous and have risks associated with them, dont u know that? or r u jus secretly mad becuase the mma fad is dying down jus a smidget??

[GrizzleBoy]

u can get brain damage in football and mma jus the same as boxing. contact sports are dangerous and have risks associated with them, dont u know that? or r u jus secretly mad becuase the mma fad is dying down jus a smidget??

Agreed.

I think the real question though, is what the thread starter thinks of as strength.

Being able to clean and jerk 500lbs one time is strength to one person, where as being able to swing your arms around with enough power to knock someone out for 12 rounds is strength for another person. I think it depends on what you think of as strength and which kind of strength you want.