Why were many old time boxers so scrawny looking

[Seamus]

I have lifted off and on for 25 years now... shit am I getting old. I have done it under the tutelage of coaches, trainers and at a D1 track program. Generally, it has helped avoid injuries and absorb the rigors of training to in my middle age made everyday things a lot easier. My only complaint is that my body always reacted by getting a fuck of a lot bigger. I went from a 155 pound rail to a guy who was 195 with 5% body fat (to what I am now which is just fighting off the Grim Reaper)... My one reservation is that I feel like I had a lot higher power to weight ratio somewhere well before I got to 200 pounds. And like I said, I went through every fad and regimen that came along in the 90's and 00's. Had I to do it all over again, I would have skipped on the mass increase. I imagine if one were a competitive boxer who was not a heavyweight, the sacrifice of that power to weight ratio would be highly detrimental.

[Seamus]

Originally Posted by highguard

well here is the thing
doing a lot of reps actually puts muscle on

it still blows me away how many people do not understand this...

[highguard]

Originally Posted by Seamus

I have lifted off and on for 25 years now... shit am I getting old. I have done it under the tutelage of coaches, trainers and at a D1 track program. Generally, it has helped avoid injuries and absorb the rigors of training to in my middle age made everyday things a lot easier. My only complaint is that my body always reacted by getting a fuck of a lot bigger. I went from a 155 pound rail to a guy who was 195 with 5% body fat (to what I am now which is just fighting off the Grim Reaper)... My one reservation is that I feel like I had a lot higher power to weight ratio somewhere well before I got to 200 pounds. And like I said, I went through every fad and regimen that came along in the 90's and 00's. Had I to do it all over again, I would have skipped on the mass increase. I imagine if one were a competitive boxer who was not a heavyweight, the sacrifice of that power to weight ratio would be highly detrimental.

all great points

[highguard]

Originally Posted by Seamus

it still blows me away how many people do not understand this...

yes well some these guys think
that if they lift weights a week
they will look and move like a bodybuilder lol

[Sugar Nick]

Boxers are not bodybuilders-some dont lift weights at all

[highguard]

Originally Posted by Sugar Nick

Boxers are not bodybuilders-some dont lift weights at all

boxers not are runners ether

but my point was the ignorance these guys here have about weights.
thinking that doing
any weight training will make them look and move like bodybuilders


i dont want to be a bodybuilder, and dont train like one

but i do understand how much work these guys put into into

[Manassa]

This is a slightly off topic.

If I had to choose - great stamina or great strength - these days I'd choose stamina. Not just for boxing but life in general. Strength is a great asset and ideally you want both, but I find the ability to keep up a high work rate for longer is more beneficial.

Am I alone in this?

P.S. - when people say 'body weight' they basically mean training somewhere in the 15-25+ range. Not strictly accurate, as body weight exercises can be modified to increase strength in the 2-4 range, although progression is generally easier with weights and sometimes safer (many high end body weight exercises are plyometric; one legged squat jumps, for example; you should be naturally stocky to attempt these regularly, in my opinion, and with other, more extreme exercises such as one-arm pull ups, which can stress joints). Some body weight exercises are hard to replicate with weights, like the planche or muscle-up. From my own experience I think traning is best kept varied; an ideal routine will incorporate everything; high repetitions with kettle bells, hill sprints, swimming, bear complexes, low repetition compound lifting, calisthenics, cycling, plyometrics and more. With a particular sport in mind, it should be geared towards that, but you will find there are a lot of cross over benefits; a boxer may respond well to swimming, for example, where he may stimulate muscle areas usually under trained, and improve his balance.

[SP_Mauler]

Originally Posted by Bill1234

Light weight, high reps can be helpful, but only using your own bodyweight can help ensure your don't get more bulky than your body frame can handle without suffering the consequences that Hasim Rahman and Frank Bruno suffered from being too muscular.

Jack Johnson,Joe Gans,Jim Corbett all used light weight and high reps to gain their muscle tone

[MagnaNasakki]

Originally Posted by Manassa

This is a slightly off topic.

If I had to choose - great stamina or great strength - these days I'd choose stamina. Not just for boxing but life in general. Strength is a great asset and ideally you want both, but I find the ability to keep up a high work rate for longer is more beneficial.

Am I alone in this?

P.S. - when people say 'body weight' they basically mean training somewhere in the 15-25+ range. Not strictly accurate, as body weight exercises can be modified to increase strength in the 2-4 range, although progression is generally easier with weights and sometimes safer (many high end body weight exercises are plyometric; one legged squat jumps, for example; you should be naturally stocky to attempt these regularly, in my opinion, and with other, more extreme exercises such as one-arm pull ups, which can stress joints). Some body weight exercises are hard to replicate with weights, like the planche or muscle-up. From my own experience I think traning is best kept varied; an ideal routine will incorporate everything; high repetitions with kettle bells, hill sprints, swimming, bear complexes, low repetition compound lifting, calisthenics, cycling, plyometrics and more. With a particular sport in mind, it should be geared towards that, but you will find there are a lot of cross over benefits; a boxer may respond well to swimming, for example, where he may stimulate muscle areas usually under trained, and improve his balance.

If a professional boxer doesn't say the same thing(stamina over strength) he's a damn idiot. Lack of strength is an easily navigated weakness, just requires stylistic tweaks. Lack of stamina means getting KTFO early time and time again. I had the advantage myself of being absolutely massive, and a massive puncher; I was hard to press, and I was dangerous to press. But so many times, at my biggest, I felt incredibly vulnerable to being overwhelmed if only the other guy just attacked me. I'd surrender 70 pounds of this muscle and whatever goes with it for Manny Pacquiao type endurance.

And your post script is totally accurate. Old timers said it was "keeping the body guessing". I don't know the science behind it, but great variety by far and away works best for every single fighter I've ever met, which is thousands.

[AnthonyJ74]

Originally Posted by Bill1234

Light weight, high reps can be helpful, but only using your own bodyweight can help ensure your don't get more bulky than your body frame can handle without suffering the consequences that Hasim Rahman and Frank Bruno suffered from being too muscular.

All the weight lifting in the world won't build any muscle unless the weight lifter is eating extra calories to fuel that muscle growth (unless steroids are involved).
A boxer could lift tons of weight and not gain any muscle mass if they were eating a substandard amount of calories.
I'm sure Rahman and Bruno (and also Briggs) were eating to fuel their muscle growth.

[MadcapMaxie]

Originally Posted by Manassa

Hmmm... Either Ike Williams or your mother. Only joking

Either Jose Napoles or your mother.

Absolute nails...his mother was...don't make em like they used to NO SIREEE BOB!

[PetethePrince]

Originally Posted by Manassa

I am so, so sorry if I pissed you off, I was only joking. Fuck, I didn't mean all that, you'd kill me, I know you would. I am going to Canada but please don't come looking for me, I'll be with my family, I really don't want any trouble! If you give me your address, perhaps I could send you some money or something to pay your gym fees, I know you train hard. I'm more than happy to sort this out peacefully.

Thanks and sorry again.

[MadcapMaxie]

Originally Posted by MagnaNasakki

If a professional boxer doesn't say the same thing(stamina over strength) he's a damn idiot. Lack of strength is an easily navigated weakness, just requires stylistic tweaks. Lack of stamina means getting KTFO early time and time again. I had the advantage myself of being absolutely massive, and a massive puncher; I was hard to press, and I was dangerous to press. But so many times, at my biggest, I felt incredibly vulnerable to being overwhelmed if only the other guy just attacked me. I'd surrender 70 pounds of this muscle and whatever goes with it for Manny Pacquiao type endurance.

And your post script is totally accurate. Old timers said it was "keeping the body guessing". I don't know the science behind it, but great variety by far and away works best for every single fighter I've ever met, which is thousands.

Agreed.

When I first started boxing all I did before hand was lift weights I had alot of strength and a big punch but it didn't mean shit when after 1 round of lively sparring I was knackered. Nowadays I've barely touched a weight in over 2 years yet can still lift more weights than I could before simply by body weight exercises, but my stamina and speed has notably increased. Then again like you said, variety is the best thing you can do for your body to keep it guessing, I've noticed recently that adding Rowing to my regime on top of all the calisthenics, swimming, running and boxing has helped alot.

[Johnstown]

Originally Posted by Seamus

it still blows me away how many people do not understand this...

true...i am now the assistant coach at my boxing gym....the head coach guy is older than me who has allot more techniques and tricks to teach on boxing...but i cringe when he tells the guys what to do for weight lifting....

[Johnstown]

I think it is good to have a core set of things you do more or less all the time...for me it would be shadow boxing, jump rope (I think jump rope is really underrated..it keeps you on your toes..literally). heavybag, double end bag, Mitt work, sparring, push ups, sit ups, and six inches. I do other things, but they very..sometimes medicine ball throws, sometimes static strength training, sometimes weight, which is usually lower reps but on occasion high reps. I do run, but the kind of running i do varies, and I sometimes skip running to give my joints a break and do things like stepper machines and elliptical (which i dont like nearly as much as running, workout wise). And sometimes really mixing it up is a damn good thing (going on a all day hike, swimming all day, doing a strong man type circut, things like that). Also I try to watch out for overtraining in case my training is over lapping...like when I am doing boxing training 3 days a week, and mma training (which is usually more grappling related) I tend to back off any weight lifting..just because that wrestling gives you allot of heavy resistance type training and i dont want to over train.