Wow, I didnt realize there so many benifets to lifting weights........

[SplitSecond]

do what you like, go lift as much weights as you want and end up like a kelly pavlik, see how slow and borderline **** of a boxer you'll turn into

and i can't believe the ******ity and ignorance, is it that hard to believe that calisthenics(which will use your whole body aka all your muscles) would leave you more ripped than bench pressing and doin arm curls?

[SplitSecond]

a little somethin from an expert

By Tamir Katz-
Let's move on to the bodyweight vs. free weights debate. Bodyweight exercises are superior for wrestling and other grappling and martial arts, gymnastics, and for those who want to join the armed forces. Weight training is superior for brute strength, football, lifting competitions, and many of the sports. However, when training for other sports, free weights should be combined with sprints, some bodyweight exercises, as well as sport specific drills.


Why are bodyweight exercises superior for grappling, combat, and gymnastics? For several reasons. First of all, in each of those activities one needs the ability to use a muscle group over and over again at high levels - that is, muscular endurance, which is developed very well by bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, sit-ups, etc. Second, each of those events requires body awareness.


I define body awareness literally as being aware of every part of your body at any given point in time in any given position. The problem with weight lifting exercises, even the good ones like snatches, cleans, jerks, or bent pressing, is that you use "weight awareness" - that is, you have to be aware of where the weight is at all times more than where your body is. As long as the weight is lifted and caught in the correct position(s), the body will naturally follow suit (or else the lift fails).


However, bodyweight exercises take the weights out of the equation. To successfully do such challenging exercises as handstand push-ups, one-legged squats, headstands, and bridges, you have to be focusing on every part of your body. That is why they are so good for wrestling, and other combat sports where your body is in many different positions during a match, and to be able to successfully recover and counter attack, you must have full awareness of where each part of your body is at all times. Similarly, in gymnastics, where you flip and end up in many different positions, body awareness is crucial.


Not all bodyweight exercises develop body awareness equally. Some of the ones I mentioned above such as handstand push-ups and bridging do a very good job, but regular push-ups on the other hand develop it to a lesser extent. The more a bodyweight exercise requires agility and balance, the more body awareness it develops.


Bodyweight exercises are also good for people always on the road, those without money to purchase weights, and those with very little time, as a set of push-ups or squats can be squeezed in at odd moments during the day.

Let's sum it all up. Use machines very sparingly. They have poor crossover to real life activities. Use a predominantly bodyweight exercise regimen when training for such activities as wrestling and combat sports in general, gymnastics, diving, acrobatics, and the military, where you have to use muscles again and again and need highly developed body awareness, or simply if you're always on the road or have very little time. Use a predominantly free weight exercise regimen for most other sports and activities, but include some bodyweight exercises, and no matter what kind of activity you're engaged in, sprinting in all its forms will enhance your athleticism and fitness.

there you go again, calisthenics INCREASES athletism

[SplitSecond]

and when i say calisthenics i mean proper workouts, not just pushups/situps/pullups etc

i mean hand-stand pushups, one arm pushups, i mean **** like this

[Phenomkidd]

do what you like, go lift as much weights as you want and end up like a kelly pavlik, see how slow and borderline **** of a boxer you'll turn into

and i can't believe the ******ity and ignorance, is it that hard to believe that calisthenics(which will use your whole body aka all your muscles) would leave you more ripped than bench pressing and doin arm curls?

You are the ignorant troll in this thread, being so scared of weights thinking you will turn into a slow ****, this being untrue. It is hard to believe calisthenics will leave you ripped because it works your MUSCLE ONLY. Same **** with people who want 6 packs, you could have the strongest abs in the world, it doesn't mean **** if you eat McDonalds and you can't see em, "Abs are made in the kitchen." You also talk about calisthenics as if they are all one workout, this is not true.

[EzzardFan]

and when i say calisthenics i mean proper workouts, not just pushups/situps/pullups etc

i mean hand-stand pushups, one arm pushups, i mean **** like this

I'm totally with you on this one. Those Barmasters guys are awesome!

Years of weight training made me good at... umm... lifting weights. Calisthenics are very explosive exercises which produce very lean, muscle that is rock hard when tensed and soft and supple when relaxed. The muscles I got from weights were poor quality in comparison, they always felt and looked slightly rubbery.

I'm stronger at 175lbs after 2 years of purely calisthenics, than I was at 200lbs after years of weight training.

Properly executed Calisthenics also provide an extremely intense cardio workout which is ideal for boxing. Doing a fast set of pushups to fail leaves me gasping for air. I NEVER got that with weights. The only other time I'm left gasping for air is when I'm boxing all out.

IMO the heavyweights we see now are too big and lumbering. The smaller heavyweights from the past would make mincemeat out of them. Ali, Frazier, Norton, Marciano, Charles, Walcott, Louis, Liston, Dempsey, Tunney, Langford, Johnston, Wills... none of those guys trained with weights, and they all fought at under 215lbs. Charles, Dempsey, Tunny, and Marciano all fought at well under 200lbs.

There is a whole industry that sprang up around weight training in the 20th Century. It sells equipment, supplements, and gym membership. It's big business which is why it's marketed so hard as being the "default" option. To train calisthenics you only need the floor, a couple of chairs, a pull up bar, and sensible diet. Total cost $20.

John E Peterson has never trained with weights and he did 57 consecutive pull ups without stopping on his 57th birthday. I'd like to see someone who only trains with weights pull that one off.

Weights are just needless gadgets.

I remember a TV show a few years back where a bunch of fit guys all attempted a special forces selection course. The gym **** were the first to fail. Calisthenic exercises and roadwork are the staple of combat soldiers the world over.

My apologies if anyone is offended by this post.

[Spartacus Sully]

You are the ignorant troll in this thread, being so scared of weights thinking you will turn into a slow ****, this being untrue. It is hard to believe calisthenics will leave you ripped because it works your MUSCLE ONLY. Same **** with people who want 6 packs, you could have the strongest abs in the world, it doesn't mean **** if you eat McDonalds and you can't see em, "Abs are made in the kitchen." You also talk about calisthenics as if they are all one workout, this is not true.

strong abs are strong abs regardless if you can see them or not. though i dont think thats has anything to do with the point your trying to make.

[Quitali Bitchko]

Also pre-pen Tyson lifted weights, there is evidence he lifted during his stay at the all boys school/boarding school/juvie he attended, making bets with staff about how much he could bench.

Yes he was lifting 250 pounds at age 12 beacuse it earned him bet money. However as soon as he got to Cus that stopped and all the way up to when Kevin Rooney left Tyson DID NOT LIFT WEIGHTS and Rooney himself said that.
Cus trained Tyson for SPEED not brute physical strenght (as weights would do). Tyson was doing sprints and alot of calisthenics plus a special heavy bag regime - Cus would make him work on one bag until he could ˙˙kill˙˙ it so to speak then they got a heavyer one all the way leading to him working on bag's nobody else in the gym could move. Thats how he developed his power.
Mark my words: If Tyson got to any other trainer who would have him doing weight training we would never talk about his speed and explosivness in the way we are today.

[SplitSecond]

You are the ignorant troll in this thread, being so scared of weights thinking you will turn into a slow ****, this being untrue. It is hard to believe calisthenics will leave you ripped because it works your MUSCLE ONLY. Same **** with people who want 6 packs, you could have the strongest abs in the world, it doesn't mean **** if you eat McDonalds and you can't see em, "Abs are made in the kitchen." You also talk about calisthenics as if they are all one workout, this is not true.

i think your the ignorant one, if weights does not slow you down it will cut your stamina in half, it's one or the other

learn to face facts, i've quoted from an expert, lets see you quote from some other expert suggesting weight lifting is required or even more boldly better than calisthenics for boxing, this i gotta see

[SplitSecond]

I'm totally with you on this one. Those Barmasters guys are awesome!

Years of weight training made me good at... umm... lifting weights. Calisthenics are very explosive exercises which produce very lean, muscle that is rock hard when tensed and soft and supple when relaxed. The muscles I got from weights were poor quality in comparison, they always felt and looked slightly rubbery.

I'm stronger at 175lbs after 2 years of purely calisthenics, than I was at 200lbs after years of weight training.

Properly executed Calisthenics also provide an extremely intense cardio workout which is ideal for boxing. Doing a fast set of pushups to fail leaves me gasping for air. I NEVER got that with weights. The only other time I'm left gasping for air is when I'm boxing all out.

IMO the heavyweights we see now are too big and lumbering. The smaller heavyweights from the past would make mincemeat out of them. Ali, Frazier, Norton, Marciano, Charles, Walcott, Louis, Liston, Dempsey, Tunney, Langford, Johnston, Wills... none of those guys trained with weights, and they all fought at under 215lbs. Charles, Dempsey, Tunny, and Marciano all fought at well under 200lbs.

There is a whole industry that sprang up around weight training in the 20th Century. It sells equipment, supplements, and gym membership. It's big business which is why it's marketed so hard as being the "default" option. To train calisthenics you only need the floor, a couple of chairs, a pull up bar, and sensible diet. Total cost $20.

John E Peterson has never trained with weights and he did 57 consecutive pull ups without stopping on his 57th birthday. I'd like to see someone who only trains with weights pull that one off.

Weights are just needless gadgets.

I remember a TV show a few years back where a bunch of fit guys all attempted a special forces selection course. The gym **** were the first to fail. Calisthenic exercises and roadwork are the staple of combat soldiers the world over.

My apologies if anyone is offended by this post.

nah man, no one should be offended, you made alot of good points, and are sharing your opinion from experience, as am i, i've always been an active kid since i can remember

[doomer36]

tehMatrix - Im assuming from this thread you implemented a weight training programme in the past into your boxing training, so please let me know what training you was doing and also at what part did you notice a reduction in stamina and quickness for the boxing side of things through lifting weight?

Thanks