Sprints vs Roadwork

[Sugarj]

Running full out as fast as you can run for 3 minutes straight?

That's ridiculous.

Don't worry, if its in respect of what the opening poster stated about 800m sprints being 3 mins. Trust me, 800m in 3 mins is nothing like a sprint, just a passable effort.

[Dickie Smalls]

Do both,

roadwork is better for endurance, but sprints help with some very technical **** I don't know how to explain it but it helps you maintain an intense burst of movement in the ring. e.g. your combos will flow faster for longer (the quick bursts won't tire you). If you do only roadwork, your general fitness improves, but if you don't push your speed limit you won't get any faster and remember fights are more intense and require more burst fitness than roadwork

[Sugarj]

Do both,

roadwork is better for endurance, but sprints help with some very technical **** I don't know how to explain it but it helps you maintain an intense burst of movement in the ring. e.g. your combos will flow faster for longer (the quick bursts won't tire you). If you do only roadwork, your general fitness improves, but if you don't push your speed limit you won't get any faster and remember fights are more intense and require more burst fitness than roadwork

Correct. Its basically the mix of anaerobic & aerobic training.

[alza1988]

I've been wondering if sprints would be better than roadwork I started thinking about this when I was at a friends soccer practice and he said they do 800m sprints for conditioning and they take roughly 3min depending on your speed but thats gonna simulate a round cause you're going flat out for 3min
the routine I have in mind is this
3x800m
4x400m
3x200m
2x100m
so would something like this be better than roadwork for conditioning?

Read this this is a good article .

It is important to recognize the difference between sprints and intervals. Intervals require a sustained effort for extended distances. Sprints typically consist of 200 meters or less. Sprints require an all out effort, but last no more than 10-30 seconds. Both forms of running are important
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ss11.htm

[theproof]

no reason to complicate things. notice fighters saying they run 4-5 miles a day etc and in the fight get tired after 3-4 rounds. here is the lost art of road work. just look at any fighter you see running. they never lift their legs up. it's just a trot. not pumping the arms/legs. just like triting for the bus. they only lift the lower leg up toward the thigh. if you use full range of motion. lift the knees and keep the arms up in full swing i bet you can not run 4-5 miles a day. conditioning can come in many ways. running, cycleing, swimming, back gammin etc. sprints will not help if you are suddenly in a firefight throwing lots of punches, moving around, tiening up an opponent. sprinting is a good option but can't compare to throwing and taking punches. the best in the world aren't the best by sprinting.

[josh-hill]

Recently long distance running has received alot of bad press, people saying its useless and tabats and sprints are better. The truth is, both are good, for different things.

Many people say boxing is anaerobic, and this is true, but what that means is that the aerobic system is running at 100% and so you have to use your anaerobic system. What long distance running (or any cardio) does is builds your heart size and the ability of your muscles to use ozygen. if you work on these it means that it takes some of the stress off of your anaerobic systems and makes you less tired, and more explosive. Of course sprints are good too, but there is something called tapering.

You use long duration low intensity things to begn with, then closer to the fight use more intense things for less time. Start with long distance running, then taper towards faster runs and sprints.

[ad98]

conditioning can come in many ways. running, cycleing, swimming, back gammin etc.

I like to mix it up but I try to avoid long distance running because a couple of people in my family suffer from joint problems.
So I cycle instead of long distance running cause its safer for the joints and I try to go swimming once a week.

[josh-hill]

I like to mix it up but I try to avoid long distance running because a couple of people in my family suffer from joint problems.
So I cycle instead of long distance running cause its safer for the joints and I try to go swimming once a week.

i also agree with this. I have been doing 25 mile bike rides and it has helped lots.

[deejd]

bump... great thread.

[BennyST]

Forget about long distance running, sprinting is the way to go as it builds explosiveness which is very beneficial for boxing. Just run to your maximum capacity for say 15 seconds then slow running or even walking for 45 seconds and repeat...

Stamina and endurance is also very beneficial for boxing. Having explosive punches is no good if you can't last the distance. Distance running+sprints is needed.

no reason to complicate things. notice fighters saying they run 4-5 miles a day etc and in the fight get tired after 3-4 rounds. here is the lost art of road work. just look at any fighter you see running. they never lift their legs up. it's just a trot. not pumping the arms/legs. just like triting for the bus. they only lift the lower leg up toward the thigh. if you use full range of motion. lift the knees and keep the arms up in full swing i bet you can not run 4-5 miles a day. conditioning can come in many ways. running, cycleing, swimming, back gammin etc. sprints will not help if you are suddenly in a firefight throwing lots of punches, moving around, tiening up an opponent. sprinting is a good option but can't compare to throwing and taking punches. the best in the world aren't the best by sprinting.

The best in the world are the best because of serious dedication to all aspects of training, which always includes some form of roadwork (distance and sprints in whatever form it takes).

Nothing compares to throwing and taking punches (ie sparring) but that's sparring, not conditioning. Sparring and crosstraining should both be done as part of a full training regime, not one or the other.

A full regime of boxing skills, sparring and crosstraining, which absolutely includes sprints and distance running, will get someone to their peak condition and will definitely help them if they get in a firefight. Having skill and being relaxed, along with heart, will help you throw good punches, take good punches or preferably slip and duck those coming your way, but roadwork will enable you to keep throwing and not get winded as well as recover quicker than you otherwise would without it and do it again and again if needed over a long fight.

It's always a bit silly to tell people to ignore a tried and true, 100% tested method that guarantees success (and is always used by the best of the best) and focus only on sparring when that is, you'd hope anyway unless they're going to boxerobics classes, part and parcel of any training regime.