Roadwork is part of the game obviously, is it better to be able to run 45 minutes straight let's say for 5 miles, a frenetic pace; or is it more beneficial to be able to sprint for 3 mins straight 12 times in a row? My thoughts: Deontay used to run in a weighted vest, Mayweather would run at like 4 am at a slow pace while his team's jeep would follow him and provide light in the dark. Mosley was on a show running with scattered athletes from other sports, he gassed near the end his cardio was poor. Also rich ace franklin from UFC does 25 mins of running on the treadmill every morning. He hated it but it's not even that much! Also Brandon Rios said "Margarito you like to run eh?" Knowing Tony ran lots, perhaps that was why he was such a great pressure fighter.,. Kevin McBride for a big man could run miles more than 5 miles (great heart) and ken rido from the teddy atlas show says there is an art to running: you have to set a pace that you anticipate that will serve you first place, either speed up or coast. And lastly Pacquiao s running has become a thing of folklore, with grown men joining him on the side of the mountain to show their loyalty and support as diehard fans. Guys like toney- said eff roadwork, Manny (rip) steward said Holyfield had bad knees so roadwork was probably switched to a different activity me thinks. What do you guys think about running coexisting with the sport of boxing?
Sprints are more applicable to most sports. As someone who loves distance running I disagree that there is no benefit for boxing though. I used to go on long runs to clear my head and mentally prep for a fight. You aren't going to get much useful cardio or even weight loss out of it though so if you had to pick one it would be sprints.
That whole idea of getting up to run in the early morning is about discipline, making yourself do it. What you find frequently is guys that run, between fights, 5 miles every other day, then when preparing for a fight they will start running minutes and start integrating sprints and so on. That is pretty common and has been the case for a long time. If you alternate sprints and running at a good pace for three minutes, then catch your breath while jogging for one minute, it will do a lot to sharpen your wind.
Cool thread. Informative. What about rope skipping? How beneficial is it and how does it compare to running in terms of common and/or separate benefits? I’ve tried skipping - seems a very intense exercise relative to duration. I guess the better skilled you become at it the intensity drops proportionally and you can do it for longer. Amazing to see how adept big men like Jeffries and Liston were at skipping rope.
Some trainers don't like the idea of a fighter skipping rope and running on the same day, most do not think that. You don't run or skip rope on days that you spar. In my opinion it does not replace running.
I know of some early pugilists who didn't even practice running but rather long distance walking as asinine as it may sound.
Yeah, the old guard like Corbett, Fitz, Jeffries etc. liked their long walks didn’t they? Handball was well favoured also.
Some guys just have massive calves like pacman and major bounce in their step like Cotto. I think this comes from skipping! It's all about timing and being nimble, good hand eye coordination too. The first time I went to cougar boxing club in Edmonton, the coach made us noobs skip rope the whole first day, it was hell. My uncle told me not to go back there but I did. At Orioles club in Winnipeg, they had a formula: 4 rounds of skipping, then 4 rounds of shadow boxing, then 4 rounds of heavy bag, then 4 rounds of hitting the pads on non sparring days. Both of those gyms had national professional champions in Canada. But the first place was kinda like rocky lol, but the second place was more catered to learning shet. My uncle also said "there's probably drugs floating around that place" and when I had a head ache he said "next time that happens hang em up! " Lol only the love of a relative.
A few years back, with a guy on the verge of the top 10, this was the routine. Five mornings each week, Monday through Friday, at 6, we would meet and he would run 6 miles, and he would run them, no jogging. Under 40 minutes. At noon we would meet at a gym with the s&c guy and he would do a hard hour with him, then we would do 8 rounds working on specific things. If my memory is correct, 3 times a week he would do sprints on the treadmill, 3-4 rounds. At 6 we would go to our gym and hit the bags, work mitts, do 12 rounds and call it. Three weeks before the fight, we started sparring hard and dispensed with the morning run and moved the s&c session earlier in the day; I don't know that I would have done it that way, but a major promotional company was involved and a manager with more knowledge than I, so that is what we did. Two weeks before the fight we were sparring every day. The last week is very minimal work, watch the weight, some work on the mitts to keep sharp, but really letting the body recover for the fight. That is the trick- you want to walk into the ring on fight night as sharp as you can be, but you don't want to prepare so hard that you leave your fight in the gym. Further down the road I learned a ton more about this from my partner, who has extensive world championship level experience. I don't think that you can overstate the importance of those days of recovery before the fight.
That's awesome man!!! What do you think of the myth "always run on your toes" or "keep your chin tucked and eyes up while running?"
