current routine

[mmrooms]

The last part is considered a myth by most standards now, building both endurance and strength is entirely possible and can be done at the same time.

Sure, that's what elite athlete try to do. But for sure your training won't train both endurance and strength.

[Trrmo]

pull ups are palms facing outwards, chin ups are inwards.

Day 1 is done only 2 times a week, not 3.

Thanks for the input.

good ideas w/ the backpack squats

You are right about the pull ups my mistake, if you are doing them I wouldnt do the lateral cable pulldowns. Pull ups are great exercises

[them_apples]

Sure, that's what elite athlete try to do. But for sure your training won't train both endurance and strength.

how would it not, looking at Evander Holyfield's routine, and Vic Darchinyan..they did 100's and 100's of push ups, I think you are exaggerating the fact.

Running+ weights, you would think it targets both.

[lilevil]

How many days a week are you getting to the boxing gym? As for the routine, thats sounds very good to me.

[them_apples]

How many days a week are you getting to the boxing gym? As for the routine, thats sounds very good to me.

3 days a week

[mmrooms]

how would it not, looking at Evander Holyfield's routine, and Vic Darchinyan..they did 100's and 100's of push ups, I think you are exaggerating the fact.

Running+ weights, you would think it targets both.

Pro athletes are a diiferent thing. They are followed closely by physician, their hormone level is monitored so to do the cardio in the catabolic phase and the strengthening in the anabolic phase.

Moreover their training has a completely different impact on their body. Think it this way: I run 15 km in 1h15m every day, as a warmup, and then I practice.

If a beginner would copy me he would be exhausted just by running, and he would do ****ty sparring thus learning nothing at best, wrong at worst.

Plus pro athlete don't reveal their true exercise plan, because otherwise others would learn their weak points.

[them_apples]

Pro athletes are a diiferent thing. They are followed closely by physician, their hormone level is monitored so to do the cardio in the catabolic phase and the strengthening in the anabolic phase.

Moreover their training has a completely different impact on their body. Think it this way: I run 15 km in 1h15m every day, as a warmup, and then I practice.

If a beginner would copy me he would be exhausted just by running, and he would do ****ty sparring thus learning nothing at best, wrong at worst.

Plus pro athlete don't reveal their true exercise plan, because otherwise others would learn their weak points.

hmm alright

I'm thinking of switching my strength days to monday and friday....I can run and hit abs in between, on wednesday maybe some type of push up pull up routine with running...

[TrainingTrainer]

Hey, new guy here but I’ve got a year of boxing experience (fitness mostly) and I’ve taken a huge interest in training for boxing. I’ve got 1 semester left to go to completing a degree in kinesiology and I’ve had the opportunity to study under a world-renowned spine biomechanist, he’s helped train all kinds of professional athletes including fighters and I’ve tried to absorb as much of his knowledge as possible, so take that for what it’s worth. I’m not claiming to be an expert, merely someone eager to continue learning, taking advice, and giving my own input based on my education so far.

Them apples, you’ve definitely got quite the intense training program and it looks like you’re a very dedicated athlete. I’m assuming that you’re training for competitive purposes, or in other words to be a boxer and not just to ‘get fit’. A good philosophy to have regarding sport-specific training is to ask yourself how an exercise you are doing is enhancing your performance in that sport. Boxing is an explosive sport, it requires quick movements and fast reactions; your training therefore, should have quick, explosive movements. When you look at muscle EMG from all the great athletes out there, you see that they “pulse”. So a boxer throwing a punch has an initial rapid muscle contraction, and then relaxation as their arm travels through the air and then another rapid muscle contraction just before their fist makes contact. This mechanism is what makes a strong punch, so learning to relax the muscles is just as important as learning how to contract them. In order to do this, performing proper neuro-facilitation exercises are just as important as strengthening exercises. If you haven’t read it already, I would recommend you pick up a copy of ‘Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance’ by Stu McGill. It’s a fairly technical book, but if you really absorb the material and take time in understanding it, it will definitely take your training to the next level.

I have some critiques for your training program; I wouldn’t advise that you stretch before exercise. Stretching evokes a relaxation mechanism in the brain and essentially ‘puts it to sleep’ it’s really something that North American culture gets wrong all the time (like when you see a pro-basketball player stretching on the sidelines before they go in to play). The last thing you want before you start to exercise is your muscles not prepared to perform quick movement, this will also hinder your ability to train your brain into recruiting more motor units for those rapid contractions. I would recommend stretching after you work out if you feel it’s necessary, before your exercise just do a warm-up (skipping, shadow boxing, etc.) to get the blood pumping and then get to training.

On your aerobic days I would also recommend that instead of doing a 6k jog you run 2-3 minute intervals instead. Running 6km is going to do nothing but make you run 6km really well and improve the slow progression response of your aerobic energy system. In boxing, rounds last 2 or 3 minutes, that means that your two primary energy systems are going to be high energy phosphate transfer (for the first 10 seconds or so) and glycolysis (up to 2 minutes) with a small contribution coming from oxidative phosphorylation (aerobic). During a boxing round (high intensity), the two anaerobic systems will be the main contributors to providing energy, after 2 minutes, the aerobic system becomes the primary provider. This is the kind of progression you have to train while running intervals; general jogging does not mimic that progression well and will only provide you with a slow-twitch response. Running at a high intensity for 2 minutes or so, resting, running at a high intensity, etc. is going help improve the efficiency and your body’s tolerance to those systems. You don’t really need creatine supplementation, as far as I know it’s only been shown to have a couple seconds improvement on time in sprint-based cycling for elite athletes. It won’t make a difference in how long you can go without fatiguing in a round of boxing.

My final nitpick in your program is the sit-ups you’re doing, you don’t need to do sit-ups, nobody needs to do sit-ups, nobody should ever do a sit up!!! Sit-ups are just going to guarantee that people in the rehab business always have clients with bad backs. The amount of loading that your spine undergoes while doing a sit-up is enormous; when the spine is curved during a sit up all the strain gets delivered to the ligaments and discs within the spine because the muscles aren’t in a position where they can resist that load. There are much better ways to train the abdominals (such as plank and side plank positions, which can graduate to plyometric bursts off one side while in the plank) that will spare your back. Sit ups also groove motor patterns that are counterproductive to the ones you want for throwing a punch (the ones that utilize the core and deliver maximum power). Another really good core exercise is to start with a 5lb medicine ball (ideally one that has a hole in the middle of it) and attach it to a rope. While maintaining a stable core where your hips are locked to your torso with your spine in a neutral position and the whole structure not moving, (proper form is very important) you swing the ball over your head. Eventually you can add ‘pulses’ where every time the ball swings around a certain sector (front, back, etc) you briefly flex (pulse) that aspect of your core, so as an example, as the ball is traveling, the process goes: front ‘pulse’, back ‘pulse’, front ‘pulse’, back ‘pulse’. This exercise was briefly shown during that ****e TV special on the training leading up to the UFC fight between GSP and B.J. Penn and is a great training and neuro-facilitation tool.

In general, for your program always think explosive and sport-specific. A final caveat is to make sure that you train in a way that utilizes perfect form, this way you won’t hurt yourself and you will groove the proper movements in your brain that will allow you to take your training and performance to an elite level. If you are really serious about your training I would recommend you go see a Kinesiologist (yeah yeah I know, I gotta plug my fellow kin people), ideally one that deals with athletes, and have them work with you in grooving proper movements that are sport specific and doing some explosive neuro-facilitation exercises. A lot of people underestimate training the mind but it is absolutely essential for a serious athlete.

Ok, that was a really long post and I hope you don’t take any of it as being condescending. Those were just some general suggestions based on what you’re training is now and I’m still fairly naïve when it comes to all the aspects of training that make an elite boxer. I would love to have more discussions about it with people who do have experience. Please message me for more discussion about training, I’m open to any criticism as well, and I love talking training.

[them_apples]

Hey, new guy here but I’ve got a year of boxing experience (fitness mostly) and I’ve taken a huge interest in training for boxing. I’ve got 1 semester left to go to completing a degree in kinesiology and I’ve had the opportunity to study under a world-renowned spine biomechanist, he’s helped train all kinds of professional athletes including fighters and I’ve tried to absorb as much of his knowledge as possible, so take that for what it’s worth. I’m not claiming to be an expert, merely someone eager to continue learning, taking advice, and giving my own input based on my education so far.

Them apples, you’ve definitely got quite the intense training program and it looks like you’re a very dedicated athlete. I’m assuming that you’re training for competitive purposes, or in other words to be a boxer and not just to ‘get fit’. A good philosophy to have regarding sport-specific training is to ask yourself how an exercise you are doing is enhancing your performance in that sport. Boxing is an explosive sport, it requires quick movements and fast reactions; your training therefore, should have quick, explosive movements. When you look at muscle EMG from all the great athletes out there, you see that they “pulse”. So a boxer throwing a punch has an initial rapid muscle contraction, and then relaxation as their arm travels through the air and then another rapid muscle contraction just before their fist makes contact. This mechanism is what makes a strong punch, so learning to relax the muscles is just as important as learning how to contract them. In order to do this, performing proper neuro-facilitation exercises are just as important as strengthening exercises. If you haven’t read it already, I would recommend you pick up a copy of ‘Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance’ by Stu McGill. It’s a fairly technical book, but if you really absorb the material and take time in understanding it, it will definitely take your training to the next level.

I have some critiques for your training program; I wouldn’t advise that you stretch before exercise. Stretching evokes a relaxation mechanism in the brain and essentially ‘puts it to sleep’ it’s really something that North American culture gets wrong all the time (like when you see a pro-basketball player stretching on the sidelines before they go in to play). The last thing you want before you start to exercise is your muscles not prepared to perform quick movement, this will also hinder your ability to train your brain into recruiting more motor units for those rapid contractions. I would recommend stretching after you work out if you feel it’s necessary, before your exercise just do a warm-up (skipping, shadow boxing, etc.) to get the blood pumping and then get to training.

On your aerobic days I would also recommend that instead of doing a 6k jog you run 2-3 minute intervals instead. Running 6km is going to do nothing but make you run 6km really well and improve the slow progression response of your aerobic energy system. In boxing, rounds last 2 or 3 minutes, that means that your two primary energy systems are going to be high energy phosphate transfer (for the first 10 seconds or so) and glycolysis (up to 2 minutes) with a small contribution coming from oxidative phosphorylation (aerobic). During a boxing round (high intensity), the two anaerobic systems will be the main contributors to providing energy, after 2 minutes, the aerobic system becomes the primary provider. This is the kind of progression you have to train while running intervals; general jogging does not mimic that progression well and will only provide you with a slow-twitch response. Running at a high intensity for 2 minutes or so, resting, running at a high intensity, etc. is going help improve the efficiency and your body’s tolerance to those systems. You don’t really need creatine supplementation, as far as I know it’s only been shown to have a couple seconds improvement on time in sprint-based cycling for elite athletes. It won’t make a difference in how long you can go without fatiguing in a round of boxing.

My final nitpick in your program is the sit-ups you’re doing, you don’t need to do sit-ups, nobody needs to do sit-ups, nobody should ever do a sit up!!! Sit-ups are just going to guarantee that people in the rehab business always have clients with bad backs. The amount of loading that your spine undergoes while doing a sit-up is enormous; when the spine is curved during a sit up all the strain gets delivered to the ligaments and discs within the spine because the muscles aren’t in a position where they can resist that load. There are much better ways to train the abdominals (such as plank and side plank positions, which can graduate to plyometric bursts off one side while in the plank) that will spare your back. Sit ups also groove motor patterns that are counterproductive to the ones you want for throwing a punch (the ones that utilize the core and deliver maximum power). Another really good core exercise is to start with a 5lb medicine ball (ideally one that has a hole in the middle of it) and attach it to a rope. While maintaining a stable core where your hips are locked to your torso with your spine in a neutral position and the whole structure not moving, (proper form is very important) you swing the ball over your head. Eventually you can add ‘pulses’ where every time the ball swings around a certain sector (front, back, etc) you briefly flex (pulse) that aspect of your core, so as an example, as the ball is traveling, the process goes: front ‘pulse’, back ‘pulse’, front ‘pulse’, back ‘pulse’. This exercise was briefly shown during that ****e TV special on the training leading up to the UFC fight between GSP and B.J. Penn and is a great training and neuro-facilitation tool.

In general, for your program always think explosive and sport-specific. A final caveat is to make sure that you train in a way that utilizes perfect form, this way you won’t hurt yourself and you will groove the proper movements in your brain that will allow you to take your training and performance to an elite level. If you are really serious about your training I would recommend you go see a Kinesiologist (yeah yeah I know, I gotta plug my fellow kin people), ideally one that deals with athletes, and have them work with you in grooving proper movements that are sport specific and doing some explosive neuro-facilitation exercises. A lot of people underestimate training the mind but it is absolutely essential for a serious athlete.

Ok, that was a really long post and I hope you don’t take any of it as being condescending. Those were just some general suggestions based on what you’re training is now and I’m still fairly naïve when it comes to all the aspects of training that make an elite boxer. I would love to have more discussions about it with people who do have experience. Please message me for more discussion about training, I’m open to any criticism as well, and I love talking training.

great post

most of my stuff I do explosively, with my dumbbells I drop enough weight on my reps of 5 so I can fire them up as fast as possible.

http://www.sportsci.org/news/news9709/hatfield.html

here is Holyfield's routine, very advanced and extensive.

I don't do sit ups, I do crunches. I got slight back pain from the sit ups and instantly stopped.

[TrainingTrainer]

great post

most of my stuff I do explosively, with my dumbbells I drop enough weight on my reps of 5 so I can fire them up as fast as possible.

http://www.sportsci.org/news/news9709/hatfield.html

here is Holyfield's routine, very advanced and extensive.

I don't do sit ups, I do crunches. I got slight back pain from the sit ups and instantly stopped.

Thanks for that link, it's just a great example of when you take an elite athlete's strengths and weaknesses and using good science, develop a personalized program to improve their performance.

Sorry about saying sit-ups, I group them into the same category as crunches. Crunches are most likely not going to cause injury in a healthy young male with no previous back pain, that being said I would still never do a crunch because it trains poor movement. The act of rounding out your spine and making that little lift off the ground is not training the development of that rigid structure you want to make with your body.

For good core workouts (and I say core, not abdominal, because training the back is equally important to the front) I would recommend you take a look at this site http://www.powerbypavel.com/
Pavel Tsatsouline was measured by one of my professors a while back and he had the strongest core he's ever measured in anyone (keep in mind he has looked at almost every kind of professional athlete around the world), Pavel has absolutely pristine movement and this guy is only 185lbs. It kinda sucks that you have to actually buy a book or tape off his site to get any training advice, but it would probably be money well spent (I don't get any kind of compensation for recommending this by the way, I'm not a marketing whore).