Hey Sports scientists!

i can tell you
when doing squats keep the sets short in duration that way no hypertrophy will occur, also keep the calories down

 

But what actual gains are you getting from them which are more beneficial to a fighter than the more explosive ploymetrics?

 

In boxing EVERYTHING starts with the legs. Squats build a powerful base a strong core required for punching. Tua and Tyson were both powerful punchers because they had powerful legs.

 

You do whats best for your body and you adjust accordingly. Squats are great thats not questionable but they don't work for everyone. I used to squat and fairly heavy. But because of years of running track and playing basketball iv developed an imbalance in my quads and knee's that i now have a very tight ITB and also suffer from Arthritis in one knee. I can barely do normal squats let alone hack squats.. Dam shame as my legs performed much better when i could squat and they also loosened up my hams so i didn't get the lower back pain from tight glutes.

 

I agree, but, I feel that there are better ways to develop a fighter legs, although if someone is a total beginner then yes, squats might be the best place to start. The reason that I say this is becasue the two best leg exercises that I have come across for building strength and 'balance' in a fighter are Glute ham raises and One legged squats (aka pistols). The reason that I specify these two exercises in particular are the fact that 90% of the population focus WAY to much on there quads, hammies are nearly always neglected. Strong hamstring will do more for pace than ANY other exercise, period! When they are neglected, we become quad dominant, which leads on to poor posture and instability in our core, which ultimately impacts on our strength and ability to throw a punch. Secondly, the one legged squats. I know people who squat 400lbs for reps who can't do a one legged squat. One legged squats are fantastic for building strength, agility and balance. As an athlete, all three are critical to your success. A standard barbell squat is fantastic for building strength, and you are correct in saying that it is also good for the core, however, from a purely athletic standpoint, it does not offer the same amount of benefits as the One legged squat. If you note some of my earlier posts, you will see that I have also listed several other exercises such as rdl's, powercleans and o/head presses which all bring fantastic gains right throughout your legs and core. Add in isometric wall sits, or even isometric squats, which are both excellent max strength developers, and a series of plyometrics such as squat jumps, juck tumps and lunge jumps and you have the perfect, multifaceted lower body workout for a fighter.

Perhaps, I misworded my feeling about squats. Don't get me wrong, squats are a very good exercise for developing max strength and hypertrophy if this is your aim. I have seen too many fighters build their leg workouts around squats and the end result is always the same, they end up very strong, but they have limited speed, mobility and balance. For me, I would much prefer to see my fighters with a blend of speed, explosiveness, mobilty and balance, and to attain every one of these aspects, you need a programme of exercises which will elicit the best possible gains in every aspect. Squats simply cannot deliver the various aspects that a fighter needs to become 'complete'.

 

I know. :thumbsup I suffer from that because of playing ball solid 3-4 days a week for the last 15 years. Im now paying for bad habits that i knew nothing about when i was a teen. One legged squats are great but its extremely important to work secondary and tertiary muscles as well as the surrounding stabilizers and the overall muscle group as a whole. When you perform isolation on particular muscle groups and ignore the surrounding muscles you end up with the problem i have. Which is massive quads glutes and hams but a extremely poor abducutors and medialis. The primary reason for this is basketball and running track as a kid right the way through to my early 20`s. As a result i now have an in- balance that is extremely hard to work on because of the knee pain as a result of injuries i never rehabbed. Of course as you get older they get worse and possibly atrophy. Because of the muscle memory i have now its very difficult to train my body otherwise now.

 

Agreed, we are singing from the same hymn sheet, although our opinions do vary on the benefits of squats, which isn't a problem.

I understand your comments re muscular imbalances and injuries, which is why I am such a fan of glute ham raises, as quad dominance is a huge factor in most leg injuries, and a multifacted approach to training whereby we create a 'balanced' programme through varying our exercises whith a view to maximizing intermuscular co-ordination.

As you have mentioned the problems that you have been having with 'old injuries', I don't think that I need to tell you how troublesome referred pain can be, so I think we both know that the most important factor in each workout programme is that we must provide 'balance' to our workouts by using various exercises.

 

What iv learnt over the years since i started lifting some time back was to always work opposing muscles. If you do your quads work your hams and likewise if you work your bi`s do your tri`s, abs/core > lower back etc.

 

Well, its cool to speak with someone who actually knows what they are talking about. What you describe above, is the secret to a good training programme, yet it is all to often neglected!

 

I work out with IFBB pro`s. Iv gone from just under 170lbs to 240lbs with around a 14% or so bf. Note i am NOT a BB. I don't work out like one and have simply grown naturally over the years to the size that i am merely through diet and a hard work ethic and getting older resulting in better muscle maturity. The plus is because iv spent my entire life playing sport im used to fast results and i don't have to force my body to learn new tricks. My workout is always explosive. Sometimes i lift heavy to increase my metabolism but not that often as my muscle memory always remains. That being said my workouts are for explosive power not overall strength. I do alot of body weight exercises which BB`s tend to neglect. Most guys simply do what they like or whats easiest. I also box. Now that is fun as when the young guys see me there quite baffled as to how someone as built as myself can be as fast as i am. I move on the balls of my feet because i used to run track and i throw just as fast as guys 2 or 3 stone lighter than me because of the hand to eye from basketball and the drills we had to do with the ball. Iv been asked to fight for the gym many times but i turn it down. Im too old for all that jazz now but i love to train. Thats what i was put on earth to do!!!

 

Weight training for boxers should be done lightly to moderatley, and only as a supplement to regular boxing training. I think guys have gotten carried away with it past 15 years. Also why move up in weight? Your head ain't gonna grow to the size it should be a divison or 2 up, no matter how hard you train.