weight training in boxing

[~AK49~]

I agree with that, and it definitely is a science, down to lifitng regiment, reps/sets, nutrition, rest time between sets, etc.

I think without knowing exactly what ops plans are, whether he is just messing around with boxing, or is 100 percent serious about it(going pro, etc), cant really give a concrete answer.

I think things like squats are excellent for adding size and strength, but if i was planning on being a competing pro, thats probably not the route i would choose, and instead would go with plyo and other body weight exercises. I dont think weight training is as bad as some people make it out to be, but its a balancing act and definitely a science.

[BarryRobinson]

"Specificity of Training"

probly been 100's of threads like this but everytime i search I get an error so thought i'd ask ..

how do people incorprate weight training into their boxing, I used to only do weight training before I got back into boxing so everytime I do lift I still end up training asthough I was body building and find it hard and not very benificial doing light work outs with weights etc , been going to the gym on my days off from boxing 3 days a week, I stopped lifting all together but after having a bad back I ended up back in the gym just trying to stengthen my back I ended up almost back into a body building routine after getting the buzz back a little

read allsorts of different stuff , and others have said things like boxers should stick to things such as just deadlifts, bench press & squats , just woundering what people who box on here do or any routines they have and how many days per week they lift between boxing , do people just have whole body light work outs? or just stick to the routines ive heard people mension that i said above

im not in top shape or anything but quite strong and fit , just woundering what people do and whats going to be most beneficial

Keep it specific to Boxing and do 3 minute reps. If you can't do 3, it's too heavy. Your not just looking to get stronger. Your looking to get stronger for a longer time. Makes sense?

[Gaz Youngs]

Ignore all the bull**** that weight training is bad for boxing - that is outdated nonsense. Provided you train smart, you can get stronger, more explosive without any added bulk.



This article explains it far better than I can, and Ross really knows his stuff and backs it all up with relevant studies.

And to the above poster, high reps low weight? No. That promotes sarcoplasmic hypertrophy which adds unnecessary mass. You want low reps, high weight which promotes myofibrillar hypertrophy - the increase in density of the muscle fibres without really increasing their size.

really good that article , thanks

probably should of said what some asked about how serious I was taking boxing , i havnt fought competetivley yet but I am ready to fight amateur this season & hold a medical card etc , just giving it a few more month to carry on with training and getting in better shape then looking to get a couple of bouts towards the summer hopefully , although im not in too bad condition, get good technical work & sparring with people who have little experience to people who have had 100+ bouts so its great for learning, just wanted a bit of an insight to what to do considering weight training as I still carry on to do it but I want the most benificial routine to suit a boxer, Ive been back into boxing for just under a year now , im at 81kg and my strength regarding weight training isnt too bad after not doing it as much , thinks thats how I end up trying to max-out when im lifting most of the time, just struggling to peice a routine together for a couple days per week, or even if doing something like that is the correct way to go about it , just gonna have to have a go with some things im reading and see how it ends up

thanks for the answers lads

edit * forgot to mension I also diet & eat correctly etc, might seem alot to be doing to some people for some one that hasnt competed yet, theres people in our gym who train like pro's who have had a hand full of fights , i'd rather go down this road than wasting my time drinking etc like most people

makes alot of sense now that rosstraining link after a detailed read , thanks daveJH

[oztheuzi]

Weight training is essential to any athlete. It helps strengthen ligaments and bones, and will help with your strength, both when you are getting hit and when you are punching.
Depending on your body type and current state of muscle/fat ratio, the best bet would be to speak to a certified trainer who has experience training athletes. No 2 people are 100% the same, so he'd need to create a specialized routine for you.
I assure you that all top ranked amateur boxers and ALL pro boxers do incorporate weight training to their routines.

[dctopboots01]

Lol, no. Ultimately, it depends on diet, but lower reps, i.e. higher weights mean you are breaking your muscles apart more...i.e. they rebuild bigger...i.e. you add on bulk. Again, depending on diet, but it is not advantageous for you to break your muscles down, and not rebuild them with proper nutrition. You will get bigger.

What you are talking about is lifting heavy weights, and not having a proper diet. Your muscles will get stronger, but you wont get bigger, might even get smaller as your muscle will actually shrink. Ultimately, this is not advantageous for you. You want explosive speed and power, not one rep and gass out power.

thats bull****...theres no such thing as breaking down muscle.

I was on Ross' program using lower reps/high weight twice a week, improved my 1 rep maxes and lost a stone in two weeks. i lost weight, added no mass and was stronger and faster.

Don't listen to this arsehole, to be a top level fighter you need to whole she****. Strength, endurance, stamina! do low reps, high reps and conditioning exercises. You can also increase strength with bodyweight exercises (1 arm press-ups, 1 arm chin-ups, pistol squats) and isometrics. there is no such thing as breaking muscles, his making **** up.

I was in Vegas once and saw Donaire lifting heavy weights...did that break his muscles and add mass? Obviously not!

[dctopboots01]

Keep it specific to Boxing and do 3 minute reps. If you can't do 3, it's too heavy. Your not just looking to get stronger. Your looking to get stronger for a longer time. Makes sense?

That's not strength...thats endurance.e.g. If I gold a 2kg dumbell and punch for 2 mins it improves endurance. If I punch a heavy Barbell for 5 reps, that improves strength.

You need a mixed bag. It's good to punch hard because it can knock someone out. It's also good to punch constantly for a long time as this improves workrate/points scoring. Don't close your mind off to some peoples arrogance. Look at your weaknesses and improve. If you're a 6ft 8in big powerful heavy, focus less on strength and more on endurance and visa versa.

[dctopboots01]

translation, if you starve yourself you wont get bigger. Ive already said this.

I eat 5000 calories a day and lose weight as well as lifting weights. I also include endurance, stamina building, boxing, sparring, hill running etc. You need a full workout. A short 45min workout twice a week with low reps won't add size.

[Spartacus Sully]

thats bull****...theres no such thing as breaking down muscle.

I was on Ross' program using lower reps/high weight twice a week, improved my 1 rep maxes and lost a stone in two weeks. i lost weight, added no mass and was stronger and faster.

Don't listen to this arsehole, to be a top level fighter you need to whole she****. Strength, endurance, stamina! do low reps, high reps and conditioning exercises. You can also increase strength with bodyweight exercises (1 arm press-ups, 1 arm chin-ups, pistol squats) and isometrics. there is no such thing as breaking muscles, his making **** up.

I was in Vegas once and saw Donaire lifting heavy weights...did that break his muscles and add mass? Obviously not!

wow....soooo when i lift weights and i get micro tears in my muscles that result in hypertrophy, thats not breaking muscles and adding mass?

i think your confused, just because you lift heavy and dont gain weight it dosnt mean that your not adding mass, its just that your losing fat. lifting weights is a low intenisty exercise and tends to burn more fat then carbs.

like say you just bench press 5 sets of 5 reps at 80% 1 rm 4 times a week, and thats the only strength training you do.

now at the same time you maintain the same caloies in as you burn.

is your chest going to get bigger? absolutely.

are you going to gain weight? no, your buring fat off.....

sooo you end up adding unnecessiary mass with out gaining weight....possibly even losing weight...


but really adding mass isnt even the issue. a punch is a properly coordinated use of muscles working from your foot to your fist. its a series of closed concentric circles, kinetic linking. its a fine motor skill, and the muscles best at perform fine motor skills are your slow twitch muscles.

by lifting heavy you activate all your muscle fibers, but due to the explosive nature of fast twitch fibers you are 10 times more likly to cause micro tears in the fast twitch fibers when lifting heavy, which means that when you lift heavy you increase the ratio of fast twitch to slow twitch muscle fibers.

at a point the fast twitch fibers over power the slow twitch fibers and you result in slower punching, less endurance, and worse coordination, because of the loss in ability to preform fine motor skills due to the lower slow twitch to fast twitch muscle ratio.

ploys are good but really only with light weights as it still improves explosive power but the weight is light enough that it dosnt cause such an increased chance of hypertrophy in the fast twitch fibers over slow twitch fibers.

[dctopboots01]

wow....soooo when i lift weights and i get micro tears in my muscles that result in hypertrophy, thats not breaking muscles and adding mass?

i think your confused, just because you lift heavy and dont gain weight it dosnt mean that your not adding mass, its just that your losing fat. lifting weights is a low intenisty exercise and tends to burn more fat then carbs.

like say you just bench press 5 sets of 5 reps at 80% 1 rm 4 times a week, and thats the only strength training you do.

now at the same time you maintain the same caloies in as you burn.

is your chest going to get bigger? absolutely.

are you going to gain weight? no, your buring fat off.....

sooo you end up adding unnecessiary mass with out gaining weight....possibly even losing weight...

well if youre losing enough fat there's nothing wrong with adding a little brawn to your body, but hyperthrohy only occurs between 8 and 15 reps.

[Spartacus Sully]

well if youre losing enough fat there's nothing wrong with adding a little brawn to your body, but hyperthrohy only occurs between 8 and 15 reps.

adding brawn is good if your insecure about your appearence and you dont plan on competing in a sport where endurance is such a factor.


actually there is myofibril an sarcoplasmic hypertrophy

one results in size and thus strength in relation the the increase in size and the other results in size ut with a greater increase in strength in relation to the increase in size.

In the bodybuilding and fitness community and even in some academic books skeletal muscle hypertrophy is described as being in one of two types: Sarcoplasmic or myofibrillar. According to this theory, during sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, the volume of sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscle cell increases with no accompanying increase in muscular strength, whereas during myofibrillar hypertrophy, actin and myosin contractile proteins increase in number and add to muscular strength as well as a small increase in the size of the muscle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_hypertrophy

the sarcoplasmic hypertrophy occurs in reps of 8-12 at 60-80% 1rm while the myofibrils occurs in reps of 3-5 at 80-95% 1 rm

hypertrophy does not tend to occur reps of 1 at 1 rep max.
minimal sarcoplasmic hypetrophy occurs in 12-20 reps while above 20 reps you gain size for a short period of time but then stop, the size increase is mainly due to an increase in blood flow not hypertrophy.