Does anybody have a detailed breakdown of Chuvalo’s training routine or insights into his camp diet? I have seen bits and pieces of it (chopping wood, etc.) but I would love to have a detailed breakdown if possible. Thanks in advance.
I wonder whether some details of these programs are deliberately kept quiet during the fighter's competitive career, either to avoid tipping off the opponent about how you're training, or because your coach has some secret sauce training methods he keeps as a proprietary secret. If so, it may be lost to time and poor memory of what happened 50+ years ago, since I doubt they'd write it down. We have open workouts for the press, but that's not the whole program.
I know George was into weightlifter all the way into his 70's. He was still pushing some very heavy weights. He also stated his trainer was one of the very first guys to utilize mits on a regular basis.
Yes, did I read somewhere that he could still bench press something like 300 or even 400 lbs into his 70’s? Crazy strong!
It would be interesting to read about if anything ever came up. He was a very tough man by all accounts. Very strong and durable. Could punch fairly hard too. If it’s true that he chopped wood and lifted weights then that would explain some of these things
https://outlet.historicimages.com/products/rsn22425 One example of him chopping wood for a fight pictured here. This is before the Patterson fight according to the image description.
Wood chopping was a fairly popular ancillary training method for boxers for a fairly long period of time — especially more rural fighters (not a lot of wood to chop in big cities). Builds up the shoulders and core. Among the favored methods (of a similar nature) for the storied Cuban Olympic boxing program was having fighters swing sledgehammers/mallets at tires (laid on the ground), basically the same thing (but be careful it doesn’t bounce back and hit you in the mouth).
Recently read that he wasn’t particularly fond of steak but ate it in training anyway. “Chuvalo orders tea with lemon and a medium-rare steak for lunch but makes it clear that steak isn’t one of his favorite foods. As a professional, more conscious of the need for good training habits, he became particular about his eating. He still is. He refuses to eat pork before a fight, avoiding milk because, he says, it produces phlegm (he takes calcium pills instead) and delighting in chicken and lamb. Tea. he says, quenches thirst faster and is easier on the nerves than coffee.”
