How important is running?

[Sugarj]

some say walking fast is as good as running.

For calorie burn, possibly. In other words you'd burn a similar amount of calories walking 5 miles as opposed to running it. But the walking would take longer and your heart rate wouldn't get as high.....so I'd doubt it would be as useful in ring terms or for ring fitness.

[Tommo1]

biolink your post is very good and valid. Running is the best pure exercise for stamina, it uses the most muscles of any natural exercise and simulates boxing unilateral foot movements. However other exercises also have benefits different to running but equally applicable to boxing such as swimming.

Klitschko doesn't run anymore, he swims. David Haye runs but does only interval sprints for 3 min blocks to simulate rounds, no sustained jog for miles.

Modern training methods have shown that while valuable, long slow jogs are not essential ingredient for boxers. However I would definitely include some running whether sprints or some distance work in my own training and in my fighters.

I would just not spend too much limited time for training (amatuers like me do not have the luxury of training all day long) on running.

The 5 most important exercises are of course the same as they have always been...

1. Sparring
2. Focus Mitts
3. Shadow Boxing
4. Double-end Bag
5. Skipping

Then running, sit ups and heavy bag etc.

[New England]

Depends on the type of running you do. Long distance steady state cardio is a bit of a waste of time, although interval training is good. Boxing is mostly anaerobic. Long distance cardio doesn't prepare you for the type of endurance you need in the ring. Sparring, jump rope and interval sprints are far superior.

rofl...........

[New England]

For calorie burn, possibly. In other words you'd burn a similar amount of calories walking 5 miles as opposed to running it. But the walking would take longer and your heart rate wouldn't get as high.....so I'd doubt it would be as useful in ring terms or for ring fitness.

not to mention that running does a whole hell of a lot more for you than just burning calories.

you need to condition your legs for the strain of training and fighting, TS. roadwork (several hard miles,) is really the only thing that will do that properly.

i know wladimir and vital klitschko swim, but that's only because theyre too big to run.

[Sugarj]

not to mention that running does a whole hell of a lot more for you than just burning calories.

you need to condition your legs for the strain of training and fighting, TS. roadwork (several hard miles,) is really the only thing that will do that properly.

i know wladimir and vital klitschko swim, but that's only because theyre too big to run.

I couldn't agree more.....

I'm a very keen runner and am sure that less boxers would have weight making issues if they did more roadwork.

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

LOL@ people that think running is obsolete....

Like New England said, running is more about long distance endurance. It strengthens your legs, it works out your entire body. It does things for you the tredmill, jump rope and all those other exercises can't do.

It's essential in boxing and should of course also be incorporated with sprints and strength and conditioning training.

[Biolink]

Bro, how much do you run/jump rope in a week? Did you build it up gradually or just went all out most of the time? Thanks

6 miles 4x a week running and ill usually do like 20 minutes of jump rope.

I got up to a competent level on the jump rope firstly(skipping Fast and adding footwork into my skipping along with some tricks). Eventually the rope didn't feel challenging anymore so I started running about a mile everytime I would finish skipping. I was tired at times, but you just gotta persevere(Music makes runs interesting). Eventually I got to the point where I was like "Okay I ran this far last time lets see if I can run a little further. Once I established that I could run a suitable enough distance(for me anyways) I was like "Okay, how fast can I run it this time". Took about 3 or 4 months to get up to that point, but everyone progresses differently.

[Tommo1]

Yeah what I said above is true still but I should elaborate that I still run, sometimes sprints but most often distance.

After the 5 things I listed, Running and core work is probably the next most important. Anybody who has ever fought before in boxing knows that boxing is as much a legs sport as an arms one!

What you said about the Klitschko's swimming instead of running might be true but I don't think they're too big to run.

Whatever they do obviously works for them!

Swimming does not have the footwork, leg drive, leg toughening effect running has etc but it confers different benefits like how it trains you to throw your whole shoulder, torso and trunk into power punches and provides isokinetic tension throughout an entire punch like movement unlike any other exercise and teaches control of breathing/working under oppressive pressure.

But yeah, I consider running important.

[Pony Boy]

Running is indispensable. Whether it's distance, sprints, hills or on sand. What really makes a difference is how you combine your running and knowing the benefits of each type of running. For a hundred years boxers have religiously done road work. Now all of a sudden people have started substituting it with other forms of cardio, HIIT, CrossFit, swimming, cycling and many others but today's boxers can bearly make it through 12 rounds. It's obvious that old school road really works.

[New England]

Yeah what I said above is true still but I should elaborate that I still run, sometimes sprints but most often distance.

After the 5 things I listed, Running and core work is probably the next most important. Anybody who has ever fought before in boxing knows that boxing is as much a legs sport as an arms one!

What you said about the Klitschko's swimming instead of running might be true but I don't think they're too big to run.

Whatever they do obviously works for them!

Swimming does not have the footwork, leg drive, leg toughening effect running has etc but it confers different benefits like how it trains you to throw your whole shoulder, torso and trunk into power punches and provides isokinetic tension throughout an entire punch like movement unlike any other exercise and teaches control of breathing/working under oppressive pressure.

But yeah, I consider running important.

it's well documented that the klitschkos get lower body injuries when they run. they're too big to run several miles a day on pavement.