Unsure about weight class...

[TMT Hassan]

I am 16 years old and 5'8, I spar at 120 pounds which is bantamweight. I am wandering if that is a safe weight, BMI indicators tell me that I'm underweight but the BMI indicators which include age tell me I'm fine. I have tried to put on weight, but no matter what I try I just cannot try.
Who are some of the tallest bantamweight/super-bantamweight boxers of all time, just out of enquiry?

[Ryn0]

I am 16 years old and 5'8, I spar at 120 pounds which is bantamweight. I am wandering if that is a safe weight, BMI indicators tell me that I'm underweight but the BMI indicators which include age tell me I'm fine. I have tried to put on weight, but no matter what I try I just cannot try.
Who are some of the tallest bantamweight/super-bantamweight boxers of all time, just out of enquiry?

Panama Brown was 5'9 and a Bantamweight. but 5'8 is pretty damn tall for your weight. Especially as lots of boxers lose weight to get to that weight class.

I guarantee that you aren't eating anywhere near enough, in 99% of cases where you are training and not putting on weight you aren't eating at a caloric surplus. You're only 16 too, chances are you'll get taller. The alternative is some sort of medical condition which is extremely unlikely.

At 18 I was 6'2 - 147lbs and doing lots of boxing, cardio work. I'm 24 now and weight just over 190lbs (after a cut, a few months ago I was 220lb) pretty lean I blew up in weight when I was 20 and changed my diet, routine. It's all about your diet, try eating 4-5 meals a day every 2-3 hours. They don't have to be massive. I assume you're in school so maybe make food to take with you. Make sure it's a clean bulk otherwise you risk being skinny fat, and starting hitting free weights build a routine. Limit workouts to 1-1.5 hours it's the best range to build muscle. Look for weight gain powders (I like ones where the carbs are low GI, low sugar) and protein powders if you can't get enough food in. The rule tends to be 1g of protein to every lbs of body weight to grow.

But also remember you're only 16, you will bulk up if you hit the weights and eat right, free weights will just help your boxing if you do them in conjunction.

[TMT Hassan]

Thanks man. The most I've ever seen myself at is 125 pounds and that was on a diet of burger and fries for like 2 months. I will begin eating higher calorific foods from now on, and begin eating more meals. I'll report back in a month to see if there's any improvements.

[Ryn0]

Thanks man. The most I've ever seen myself at is 125 pounds and that was on a diet of burger and fries for like 2 months. I will begin eating higher calorific foods from now on, and begin eating more meals. I'll report back in a month to see if there's any improvements.

You don't necessarily have to eat super high calorie foods. Just eat a lot, super high calorie foods are usually mostly carb/fats. You don't need to eat anywhere near as much as I'm going to list because I have a caloric maintenance level of 3000-3500 calories depending on what my work day entails but it's just a small guide.

An example is I got up in the morning about 7am and I hate eating breakfast, so I have an all in one shake and whatever supplements I need to take (creatine, multivit, fish oil etc). Get to work at 9 and I'm pretty hungry by 10 but I work at a desk, so I have some peanuts which are high in good fats and some biltong (it's like beef jerky but I prefer it, about 55g of protein with only 2g of carbs/1g of fat).

Lunch at 12-1 I made Paella last night with Chicken, Black beans, peas, prawns, Chorizo and substitute half the paella rice for Quinoa. Good carbs, lot of proteins and fats and quite calorie dense. It's a relatively big lunch so I won't eat again until like 4 which will be almonds and seed mix. Finish work, go home get changed go to the gym for about 1 to 1.5 hours. More if I'm doing cardio too or boxing.

Get home I made 2 grilled garlic chicken breasts, with an omelette and baby sweetcorn and other greens. Before I go to bed I might eat a can of tuna and a protein (usually casein) shake (not the same as the all in one shake from the morning).

[TMT Hassan]

How long will it take for me to hit 130 pounds?

[Mr.MojoRisin']

At 16 and being skinny, there is little you can do about it. In your 20s you will probably fill out. I'm like you. I'm 5'10" and around 135. What you can do though is lift weights and eat more. The downside of lifting weights and boxing is you can get slower in my experience and stamina will suffer. My recommendation would be to periodize your training. Meaning lift weights for 2 months then do calisthenics for two months and keep switching on and off. I have seen good boxing results like that. A few months ago I was around 120-122 then gained a lot of weight just lifting weights and eating more than usual.

That's what I did so I know it works.

[Butt stuff]

Don't follow BMI, it's intended only for people with eating disorders, e.g. obesity/anorexia. It doesn't apply to athletes because you could have a low fat percentage but lots of muscle mass and it would say you were overweight.

At the other end of the spectrum, if you were like santa cruz at bantamweight (tall and skinny), last week of camp with all your water drained out, then BMI would say you were dangerously underweight.

[TMT Hassan]

So am I good?

[Ryn0]

At 16 and being skinny, there is little you can do about it. In your 20s you will probably fill out. I'm like you. I'm 5'10" and around 135. What you can do though is lift weights and eat more. The downside of lifting weights and boxing is you can get slower in my experience and stamina will suffer. My recommendation would be to periodize your training. Meaning lift weights for 2 months then do calisthenics for two months and keep switching on and off. I have seen good boxing results like that. A few months ago I was around 120-122 then gained a lot of weight just lifting weights and eating more than usual.

That's what I did so I know it works.

This isn't true, as long as your diet is in check and you are training explosively and doing plenty of cardio you shouldn't slow down and weight training and calisthenics should be performed in the same organised routine.

Roy Jones Jr. has a great interview about how he trained and he said he would play loads of basketball, jog and cycle but also do heavy Leg days using free weights. Squats, Deadlifts, Barbell Lunges etc. He would mix in weighted pull/chin ups, dips. He also said everytime he tried to move up in weight he would weight train to pack on lean mass, especially when he moved up to Heavyweight.

Shane Mosley would hit the weights and play basketball on the same day to make sure he is gaining strength but keeping flexible.

Mayweather and Manny weight weight training under Ariza, just because you lift weights doesn't mean you have to lift weights like a bodybuilder. Boxers aren't doing 3x8s they have higher rep ranges and sets.

James Toney was weight training also, especially as he moved up in weight. There is a massive misconception about lifting weights, if you lift weights like a power lifter or bodybuilder you might have problems if you combine your workouts and plan out how to keep that flexibility and keep doing cardio you'll be better for it.

[Mr.MojoRisin']

This isn't true, as long as your diet is in check and you are training explosively and doing plenty of cardio you shouldn't slow down and weight training and calisthenics should be performed in the same organised routine.

Roy Jones Jr. has a great interview about how he trained and he said he would play loads of basketball, jog and cycle but also do heavy Leg days using free weights. Squats, Deadlifts, Barbell Lunges etc. He would mix in weighted pull/chin ups, dips. He also said everytime he tried to move up in weight he would weight train to pack on lean mass, especially when he moved up to Heavyweight.

Shane Mosley would hit the weights and play basketball on the same day to make sure he is gaining strength but keeping flexible.

Mayweather and Manny weight weight training under Ariza, just because you lift weights doesn't mean you have to lift weights like a bodybuilder. Boxers aren't doing 3x8s they have higher rep ranges and sets.

James Toney was weight training also, especially as he moved up in weight. There is a massive misconception about lifting weights, if you lift weights like a power lifter or bodybuilder you might have problems if you combine your workouts and plan out how to keep that flexibility and keep doing cardio you'll be better for it.

I was just stating from my experience and also I was highly recommending he lift weights.