Done right with proper training weight lifting can be massively beneficial for a boxer. Theres too many people around on these forums, who have 1. Not boxed 2. Dont even work out. They think boxers should ttrain like guys from the 50s. Name one other sport where guys train like they did in the 50's?
That routine looks good, for the opponent you will face. You'll be so worn out he won't even have to sweat. Also good luck for when you'll be in your late 40s.
Since Usain started lifting weights his running time has gone down. His best record was before he started bulking up and lifting weights.
There we have it, conclusive proof that weights slow you down. Better tell every professional athlete and strength coach in the world that the truth has come out. Not from a meta-analysis or anything science related, but from a poster on a boxing forum who believes there are only two variables related to running fast, lifting weights versus not lifting weights. And N=1. Brilliant.
It depends on how you've put the muscle on, if you did it by doing bench press and bicep curls it's not going to do you any good but if you did it by doing heavy squats and explosive movements utilising the triple extension to put the the muscle on your trunk and proximal to your trunk then it can only do you good in terms of punching power and speed. No fight is truly 'long' anyway, 12 x 3 rounds doesn't require you to be an exceptional endurance athlete. And muscle is not going to give you problems in the long run, in fact the opposite.
Feel like backing that up with some articles showing his changes in training since 2009 when he set his fastest times. I find it highly unlikely Bolt only started using weights in the last few years when every world class sprinter has probably been using weights to increase their speed since they were juniors.
Do you see any point in doing long runs, then? I have read MMA trainers' articles where they disdain steady runs for sprints and more explosive type training. I also remember Angelo Dundee saying 3 miles of roadwork was plenty. Is there still a place for any old school training in your opinion?
Generally, modern professionals spar less. They work out on the pads more. Sparring is better to develop boxing skill, but there's brain damage to consider.
There's plenty of room for old school work ethic, but old school training should stay where it belongs. A long run isn't going to do anything for fitness, but it can help with losing weight. But as a consequence of that you also decrease your RFD (the rate at which you can apply force) so you're decreasing your power. It depends if you think the trade off is worth it (big for a lower weight class versus more powerful in a higher weight class). Long runs don't enhance boxing fitness because they develop slow oxygen kinetics, which aren't relevant to boxing and most sports. The repetition over that duration plus the losses in strength mean that injury risk is going to be increased by doing long runs also. In my opinion if you're a boxer you should get fit by boxing, fitness from any sort of running has limited transfer. Guys like Pernell Whitaker, Holyfield, Haye etc. did repeat sprints rather than roadwork and the literature shows that increasing fitness is greater with intensity. You also maintain strength/power by training in that way.
:bowdown You my friend should be inducted into the BN24 hall of fame. Excellent analysis on proper training regimen, and ethics. Most people here prefer to propagate older more obsolete methods of training because they think that they are breaking some sort of social taboo in clinging on to old past ideals in these modern times, thus making them above the ever present present problem of social conformity; ironically it's quite the opposite in the case of boxing fans no matter how they try to twist things. Thank god for modern science! :happy
Agreed. The bigger issue with packing on muscle is how the boxer does it- going for a bodybuilder-style upper body like a 90's heavyweight isn't optimal in boxing (except for impressing the fans) since it can harm flexibility and stamina and makes it tougher to throw straight punches. Doing explosive and lower body work, as you mentioned, is gold. That gives a better bang for the buck power wise. Olympic lifts can work on explosiveness and flexibility without putting on too much mass. To borrow an engineering term, optimizing the power-to-weight ratio ought to be the goal, not winning a beach body contest.
There's certainly a stigma of weight training when it comes to boxing. People seem to associate weight lifting with the bodybuilding mentality of gaining maximum hypertrophy for the sake of looking aesthetic and being big. Depending on the individual's training method, weight training has great benefits for any athlete. Even bodybuilders and powerlifters do not train the same but both lift weights for separate purposes.
Good points. The stigma is based in reality- the maximum hypertrophy phase in boxing was mostly a 90's heavyweight kind of thing (complete with the right chemical help to keep the mass on while maintaining conditioning in numerous cases). Given the visibility of the division at that time, it's only natural many fans would just associate that with the sport at large. Generally speaking, I do think professional boxers have a smarter attitude about weights today. That's not to say most of today's heavyweights couldn't stand to trim up, however.