I heard various opinions about punching with weights. Some say it improves speed/power and some say it's an "illusion of speed" and it's bad for the joints etc So anyone aware of any studies actually carried out on punching with weights and performance?
Not aware of actual studies. I think alot of people just do it because their coach told them to, and their coach did it because his coach told him to, and so on. I don't punch with weights to improve speed becasue to me, I don't see how I will get faster punches by holding weights in my hands which just slow me down. Even if you can (or just feel like you can) punch faster when you put the weights down. I train for speed by punching as fast as I can, without sacrificing technique. Again I'm not aware of any actual studies, just my opinion.
I did some research on the net and apparently the russians did some studies: http://www.rosstraining.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=425900 Quote:The objective of our study was to determine the optimal variant of alternating weights in training sessions devoted to speed-strength development... Three sequences were tested on several competitive amateur boxers. The sequence that proved most effective is listed below: Quoteerforming exercises (punching) in heavier than competition, then competition like, and then lighter conditions. 10 second max effort punch out intervals were used. For example, the sequence above would consist of weighted work first, then competition weight (ex. competition gloves), and then lighter than normal (ex. very small gloves). The results showed that the group (using the above sequence): Quote:Increased its total punching force, average punching force and frequency of punches... The research lists the following reference data: Teoriya i Praktika, Fizicheskoi Kultury, 7:43-44, 1986, V.V. Stolbitsky
I had to remove this from my training regime as it was believed to be causing a lot of lower back issues. Mostly thoracic + upper lumbar pain, lots of tightness and knotting in this area.
I'm known for my speed at my gym and I never shadow box without weight. I always shadowbox with 1 or 2 lbers though. Anything heavier I feel is bad for the shoulders. Ill frequently strap one of those stretchy bands around my back too, holding either end in each hand.
I use hand weights specifically made for boxing. They come in various weights and sizes, mine are 16 ounce. They can be worn around the hand, and have padding on the outside so you can even punch people in the face with them.
For clarification, the weights I was using when told to stop, were 5 lbs. I mean, our gloves for traning on average are prob. 14-16 oz. so can't see how anything in that range is going to do any more harm then the nature of what we do. There was an interesting show on discovery regarding the feeling of quickness, in relation to baseball players warming up before stepping into the box with donuts on their bats or 2 bats or w/e. For like 100 + yrs baseball players have been doing this because once that weight comes off you get the feeling you are now faster. So therefore hit harder, further. Seemed logical, right? Was proven to be false. It actually slowed bat speed, and is a deterrent as science proved. Not sure how that translates to other sports, but interesting stuff.
Using resistence will not increase the speed at which a muscle can contract. Bagging with 16s on is doing nothing for your speed.
