old school boxers who lifted weights

Another type of strength work was wrestling. Now this had a very practical direct application under London Prize Rules, where fighter could throw one another. The wrestling continued as a strenghth and conditioning tool into the 1920s, but he really started to die out by the 30s (I think so anyhow, I don't hear any accounts of hevyweights wrestling for training after Braddock)

Now I have sparred wrestlers years ago as well as more recently at mma gyms. I can tell you they tend to be strong as chimps, but they are also tight, however more mobile then guys who are weight lifting tight. Now I think that tightness can be minimized or erased if one makes explosive sports specific activites your priorty, something old school guys did.

 

Dempsey used small handheld weights and I have a picture in a book that has Marciano lifting rocks overhead. Others carry logs and other heavy objects.

 

I always knew that punching power comes from the back! i cannot name one fighter without a strong back!

 

this is 100% true, mind you evander holyfield has a big muscular back and huge traps but doesnt hit too hard.

 

Dum bells have been used since the bareknuckle era. For example, Yankee Sullivan did dum bell exercises. Going into the gloved era, George Dixon and Joe Walcott used them.

Use of weights is nothing new.

Trying to add muscle mass is what is new.

 

You mirin?

 

The new footage of Jack Dempsey training for the Carpentier fight that was recently posted, is an excellent example of old school training. And to think they did with dress shoes and sporty sweaters. Hardcore.

 

Many boxers did do some form of weight training (even if only occasionally). The following is a list from the heavyweights of boxers who used weight training at some point in their lives:

-John L. Sullivan started out as a strongman.
-Jim Corbett workout with small light dumbbells doing slow intense exercises.
-Tommy Burns trained with the famous strongman Thomas Inch.
-Jackson Johnson occasionally lifted weights.
-Jack Dempsey occasionally lifted weights.
-Gene Tunney occasionally lifted weights (once again light dumbbells)
-“Bombardier” Billy Wells, British heavyweight champ, also trained with Thomas Inch, as did his successor Phil Scott.
-Max Schmeling started out as a weight lifter in Düsseldorf, but gave it up when he switched to boxing.
-Primo Carnera was a circus strongman
-Max Baer occasionally used weights


Some things to remember though are -

1. Weightlifting was an occassional or supplementary activity. It was well behind the regular training (roadwork, sparring, bag work...).

2. Weightlifting was mostly used by heavyweights, who did not have to worry about making a maximum weight.

3. Many boxers did not need weightlifting. They were either a "one-in-a-thousand" body that was naturally strong, or they build strength before becoming boxers by following occupations that required hard physical labor - miner, blacksmith, lumberjack...

4. If you substitute "resistance training" for "weightlifting" then you can see many boxers did this (carry logs, chopping wood...).

 

True on the muscle mass. Randy Turpin did some weight training, but it was some light flys for pecs, and a few other things thrown in. Nothing heavy, just to supplement training lightly. Turpin is only guy who came to mind regarding old timers, he was known for it, although now what he did with weights would be considered practically nothing.

 

George chuvalo was well known for using weights

 

It really comes down to how you define weightlifting. Everyones lifting their own weight with pullups/presses so I think it's bull**** what all say. Ofcourse not max lifting 3 reps on the squat but weightlifting is REALLY good for you.

 

Good Lord, was he juicing?

He makes Barry Bonds look like a microcephalic.

 

Remember Aaron Pryor saying he only used 5kg weights for shadow boxing.

 

Interesting. Hard manual labor can develop muscle. I remember
one winter I was breaking more ice than I ever had in my life with an old
garden hoe, whatever it was it wasnt and ice pick but anyway
my forearms were shredded from it. Ken Norton maybe?
I would be much obliged if anyone had the strentgth routines
of Tyson, Foreman, etc. Ali didnt look like he used weights.
I know Joe Louis chopped wood, and did other labor type
of workouts. Ive posted before Lyle attested to developing
the strentgh and stamina to do 1000 pushups a day
in prison. I wonder if he lifted weights as well.

 

Firpo was a weight lifter