Tweet
Hey guys,
I am going to go to my local boxing gym next time it is open (it is closed for some time for the holidays) for the first time, and I want some advice before I do. Here is my situation:
I have been playing competitive soccer for about 5 years and the last season was pure **** for me. I began to get really bad muscle cramps in my calves, quads, and hamstrings after running for about 30-35 minutes, and because of this, I had to stop playing soccer for good. People obviously told me that it was because of my body not having enough water and potassium, so I began to drink a gallon (sometimes a gallon and a half) before games to prepare my legs for the matches. I always ate about 2-3 bananas the night before the game, took hot baths to relax my muscles, and usually put on a lot of bengay to warm up my muscles, but all to no avail.
I had a few tests done by doctors, one of which was an EMG. The EMG did not show any abnormalities in my muscles, and the doctor told me that my muscles seemed perfectly fine. Anyway, prior to the EMG, I had a blood test done to test the serum (and creatine concentrations) in my blood. The blood test showed that my creatine level was twice as high as it should be.
After reading up on creatine on various websites and these boxingscene boards, I was able to conclude that elevated levels of creatine can in fact trigger muscle cramps, and a good way to prevent these cramps is to drink more water.
So my question is this: Will my legs be able to withstand (basically, not cramp up) the daily rigors of boxing training, and, if not, what should I do to make sure that my legs don't cramp up during my first training session? Should I drink 2 gallons of water, instead of the 1 - 1.5 that I drank during soccer season? More bananas? Special supplements?
Also, during the soccer training, I would take tablets of potassium and magnesium (I don't remember what doses of these tablets I took at the top of my head, but I took them daily). I did not see a significant difference in amounts of leg cramps I would get, so I would move to say that they weren't much of a help either.
I understand that it is hard for you guys to judge whether my legs will be able to take the pressure of boxing, but based on your experiences, it would really help me to know what kinds of leg exercises you perform on a daily basis in the gym. I know that boxers are almost always on their feet, so telling me something that obvious won't help too much.
Another question: My boxing trainer told me (when I was talking to him for the first time) that once I would start training in the gym, he would start off fairly slow, as to "breakdown" my body? So, my question is this: What did he mean by "breakdown"? The problem is that I have been doing pretty intense weight-training (3 days of weights, 3 days of pull-ups and pushups, with swimming on the pull-up/push-up days) for the past 6 months, and I have noticed a significant difference in my body (for the better, of course). My concern was that his "breakdown" of my body would cause me to lose this body that I developed over the past 6 months, so that my body would start from scratch and would slowly mold itself into a more boxer-like body. Is this what he meant, or am I completely off the mark?
In any case, I really want to start boxing, and I hope that my leg problem won't get in the way of this desire. But, as a way to make sure that I don't waste my money, and my trainer's time, I would like to ask him to let me have a couple of free sessions at the gym to see how my legs fare with his training. If I see that my legs are holding up, I will certainly join up and start taking my boxing training extremely seriously. If not, I will just save some money (the gym charges by the month). Do you guys think the trainer should let me try out the gym for 2-3 days at most for free, or will he just tell me to pay, and then train (regardless of whether I will be able to continue or not).
Sorry about the extremely long post, but hopefully you guys have some good suggestions. I really appreciate your responses.
I am going to go to my local boxing gym next time it is open (it is closed for some time for the holidays) for the first time, and I want some advice before I do. Here is my situation:
I have been playing competitive soccer for about 5 years and the last season was pure **** for me. I began to get really bad muscle cramps in my calves, quads, and hamstrings after running for about 30-35 minutes, and because of this, I had to stop playing soccer for good. People obviously told me that it was because of my body not having enough water and potassium, so I began to drink a gallon (sometimes a gallon and a half) before games to prepare my legs for the matches. I always ate about 2-3 bananas the night before the game, took hot baths to relax my muscles, and usually put on a lot of bengay to warm up my muscles, but all to no avail.
I had a few tests done by doctors, one of which was an EMG. The EMG did not show any abnormalities in my muscles, and the doctor told me that my muscles seemed perfectly fine. Anyway, prior to the EMG, I had a blood test done to test the serum (and creatine concentrations) in my blood. The blood test showed that my creatine level was twice as high as it should be.
After reading up on creatine on various websites and these boxingscene boards, I was able to conclude that elevated levels of creatine can in fact trigger muscle cramps, and a good way to prevent these cramps is to drink more water.
So my question is this: Will my legs be able to withstand (basically, not cramp up) the daily rigors of boxing training, and, if not, what should I do to make sure that my legs don't cramp up during my first training session? Should I drink 2 gallons of water, instead of the 1 - 1.5 that I drank during soccer season? More bananas? Special supplements?
Also, during the soccer training, I would take tablets of potassium and magnesium (I don't remember what doses of these tablets I took at the top of my head, but I took them daily). I did not see a significant difference in amounts of leg cramps I would get, so I would move to say that they weren't much of a help either.
I understand that it is hard for you guys to judge whether my legs will be able to take the pressure of boxing, but based on your experiences, it would really help me to know what kinds of leg exercises you perform on a daily basis in the gym. I know that boxers are almost always on their feet, so telling me something that obvious won't help too much.
Another question: My boxing trainer told me (when I was talking to him for the first time) that once I would start training in the gym, he would start off fairly slow, as to "breakdown" my body? So, my question is this: What did he mean by "breakdown"? The problem is that I have been doing pretty intense weight-training (3 days of weights, 3 days of pull-ups and pushups, with swimming on the pull-up/push-up days) for the past 6 months, and I have noticed a significant difference in my body (for the better, of course). My concern was that his "breakdown" of my body would cause me to lose this body that I developed over the past 6 months, so that my body would start from scratch and would slowly mold itself into a more boxer-like body. Is this what he meant, or am I completely off the mark?
In any case, I really want to start boxing, and I hope that my leg problem won't get in the way of this desire. But, as a way to make sure that I don't waste my money, and my trainer's time, I would like to ask him to let me have a couple of free sessions at the gym to see how my legs fare with his training. If I see that my legs are holding up, I will certainly join up and start taking my boxing training extremely seriously. If not, I will just save some money (the gym charges by the month). Do you guys think the trainer should let me try out the gym for 2-3 days at most for free, or will he just tell me to pay, and then train (regardless of whether I will be able to continue or not).
Sorry about the extremely long post, but hopefully you guys have some good suggestions. I really appreciate your responses.
Comment