Strength conditioning for boxing

yikes Awesome! I will post some dozzy's when I return from work.


add pullups

leg raises from pullup position in place of crunches.

5 plyo clap pushups every other round of your circuit


Shadoww boxing is good, very good. May want to consider adding ankle weights every other round in the future.


Very Very exciting indeed mate.thumbsup:happy:happy:happy Godspeed.

 

I will be researching more on ballistic training as a means to help us get stronger and faster in sport performance.


Props to our new member, Covert, for piquing my interest in this.:good

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THOUGH MODERN strength training has a history of more than a half-century of scientific progress, its coaches continue to disagree over the best way to develop power or "explosiveness" in the athlete.

Thanks to contradictions in the literature and research studies, strength training remains the province of two different groups of professionals: a traditional ballistic group and a nontraditional, anti-ballistic group.

The traditional group believes in resistance training that emphasizes fast movements, acceleration, and momentum through such exercises as cleans, snatches, push jerks, push presses, and traditional plyometrics.
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The non-traditional group believes in "slowing down" the resistance training and emphasizing higher muscular tension and maximum overload by working to the point of muscle fatigue. Whatever ballistic training it employs is relegated to activities outside the weight room, such as agility-type drills, sprinting, and the practice of specific sport skills.

Because of the on-going debate between the two groups and the absence of a single definitive method of enhancing muscular power, it is doubtful whether the controversy will be resolved in the foreseeable future.

I believe that a spirited discussion and an exchange of ideas can be valuable in educating, enlightening, and hopefully improving the level of respect between the two camps.

I have established six criteria by which to compare the traditional and non-traditional groups in training for power and explosion:

1. Muscle recruitment principles.

2. The speed of the movement.

3. Specificity of training/transfer to sport skills.

4. Olympic lifting and plyometrics.

5. Practicality/reality.

6. Injuries/long-term wear and tear.

Physics of Power

Prior to any comparison of the two approaches to training for power and explosion, I believe a basic review of the physics of power might help keep the discussion in perspective.

Although it can be somewhat confusing, the physics of power can be broken down into three major objectives:

1. Increasing the strength potential of the muscle.

2. Increasing the distance over which the strength or muscular force is applied.

3. Decreasing the time in which the force has to be applied.

Resistance training in the weight room will improve the athlete's muscular strength. By increasing the flexibility of the joints and then practicing his actual sport, the athlete can increase the distance over which he can apply muscular force.

Many people believe that the time in which the force must be applied can be reduced in the weight room via specific resistance training exercises or via the traditional plyometric drills. Not surprisingly, most traditional strength and conditioning programs are based on this premise.

Another logical way with which to reduce the application of force (strength) is offered by the non-traditional approach to power enhancement. Simply put, it involves the use of non-ballistic resistance training to increase muscular strength, then training the nervous system to act as fast and as efficiently as possible by practicing the specific sport skill exactly as performed in competition.

Obviously, you are not going to create a lot of excitement by advising your athletes to increase their strength in the weight room and then go out and practice their sport skill to become more powerful. But it is a reality-based philosophy that forms the basis for the non-traditional group's view on power development.

Let's examine the aforementioned six criteria as viewed by the traditional and non-traditional groups.

Muscle Recruitment Principles

Although various classifications are used, individual muscle fibers can generally be divided into one of three types -- Type 1, 2A, and 2B.

Type 1 fibers have more endurance, but have less force-generating capacity than Type 2A and 2B fibers.

Type 2A fibers are considered intermediate fibers. They possess both moderate endurance and moderate force-generating potential.

Type 2B fibers fatigue faster, but are capable of generating greater force than either Type 1 or Type 2A fibers.

A group of fibers innervated by the central nervous system is called a motor unit. We thus have Types 1, 2A, and 2B motor units (MUs).

In accordance with Hennemen's principle, whenever you perform any activity, MUs are activated or "recruited" in an orderly manner. They are recruited sequentially from low to high threshold as force requirements increase.

The lower threshold Type 1 MUs are recruited first, then, if necessary Type 2A, and finally the higher threshold Type 2B MUs. Whenever Type 2B MUs are recruited, a very high percentage of all MUs are working.

The magnitude of recruitments all depends upon the type of activity and length of time it is performed. For example, when doing a low-level activity such as walking, the Type 1 MUs are recruited. Because walking is of low demand and can be done literally for hours at a time, Type 1 MUs can fuel the efforts without the help of many Type 2 MUs.

 

A different scenario is used in strength training. Strength training becomes a short-term, anaerobic activity because significant resistance is used and a high intensity of effort is required. Therefore, although Type 1 MUs are initially recruited when lifting any resistance, the Type 2 MUs must be recruited due to the higher demand that is created by proper strength training.

The Type 2 MUs then become the critical motor unit type (first Type 2A, and, if needed, Type 2B) to successfully complete an exercise set.

Since, however, Type 2A and Type 2B MUs have less endurance capacity and fatigue at a greater rate than Type 1 MUs, they cannot contract for a long period of time. Type 1 MUs alone cannot meet the demands of the exercise set, and so it must be terminated.
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In short, you cannot lift a significant amount of resistance for a high number of repetitions or for a long period of time.

Proper strength training, therefore, boils down to targeting and overloading the Type 2 MUs, especially Type 2B. To recruit, fatigue and overload the higher-threshold, greater force-generating Type 2B MUs, it requires the athlete to apply significant resistance, maximum muscular tension, and maximum effort.

A properly performed exercise set is, therefore, one that:

1. Is performed with a significant tension-producing resistance.

2. Is lifted with a deliberately controlled movement speed.

3. Is taken to the point of momentary muscular fatigue to recruit, exhaust, and overload a maximum number of MUs, especially Type 2B.

Implications

For the Traditional Group:

A key distinction of the traditional group is its use of Olympic lifts and their variations. A high level of momentum is often exhibited in these lifts, which can reduce the muscular tension and the total muscle involvement -- increasing the potential for muscle or joint trauma.

Most traditional trainers do, however, employ slower-moving exercises and prescriptions in their training regimens that do recruit a greater number of MUs in a safer manner.

Others in the traditional group do not advocate nor prescribe exercise sets being taken to momentary muscle fatigue. This can limit the number of MUs recruited in an exercise set and decrease the maximum potential overload. For the Non-Traditional Group:

Most non-traditional trainers base their exercise programs on a slower, more controlled speed and work each set to momentary muscular fatigue. The cornerstone of their program is maximum unit recruitment with a high-intensity effort over a full range of joint motion.

This optimizes the recruitment of the Type 2A and Type 2B MUs needed for increased power potential.

Minimizing the momentum and accelerative forces will additionally reduce the potential for muscle and/or joint trauma. Without question, this is a valid basis for establishing a non-traditional program.

 

Every athlete wants to jump higher, run faster, and, in effect, become stronger. Who wouldn't?

Until recently much of that ability was considered God given. To some extent, it still is. But today's performance-enhancing equipment -- from jump trainers to weighted vests to heavy-duty rubber bands, and even medicine balls -- coupled with a structured and safe ballistic training program, is giving that higher authority a little help.

Extremely popular among high-level athletes for more than a decade, particularly in the professional and collegiate ranks, ballistic training has filtered into the mainstream, including many high school athletic programs, as an alternative for performance and strength development.
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Traditional ballistic training incorporates faster, lighter-weight versions of exercises such as squats and bench press and applies plyometric routines that involve jumping and working out with weighted objects. Ballistic resistance training involves explosive movements against resistance at the fastest velocity possible.

Over a short period of time these explosive movements, which accelerate the body to a high velocity and actual projection into free space, increase both strength and speed.

"Ballistic training creates a maximal rate of force development," says Jake Wehrell, director of marketing for Genetic Potential, makers of Vertimax, the market leader in jump trainers. "You would create more force development by just doing bench presses and squats. But it's the rate of the forced development, which is mostly neural, which makes the difference.

"When an athlete has an increased rate of force development, he will jump higher and start quicker. His vertical jump and first step quickness are markedly improved. And coaches will notice that their athletes are demonstrating playmaking moves and game winning intensity. It's all because the players are starting quicker, ad******g better, and staying with their opponent tighter."

According to David G. Behm of Memorial University in St. John's, New Foundland, the high rate of force development achieved with ballistic contractions should serve as a template for power training. The extent of muscle hypertrophy is dependent upon protein degradation and synthesis, which may be enhanced through high intensity, high volume eccentric and concentric contractions.

Notice: Our exercise physiologists don't use the terms "contraction" and "extension" of a muscle any more. They use what is now referred to as "concentric" and "eccentric" movements. For example, if you were to perform a bicep curl, you would use a concentric movement to lift the weight. An eccentric movement would bring the arm back down.

Jake Wehrell says that the distinguishing kinetic about Vertimax is that it applies a non-varying level of resistance throughout the complete concentric and eccentric movement, or, in laymen's terms, the entire jumping motion.

The Vertimax, already a staple at such powerhouses as Miami, Florida, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, has 60 feet of cabling that is routed underneath the platform and coils around 16 bearinged pulleys. An exclusive hip tracker underneath the platform follows the athlete back and forth on the platform and helps maintain a true center of the earth gravity vector.

Best of all, you can set any resistance level on the machine. It could be the only such machine on the market that does so.

As the athlete rises, he increases the resistance exponentially throughout the concentric movement. A neuro fiber in the body called the proprioceptor locks onto and memorizes the overload that the musculature involved is trying to overcome.

"Previous platform trainers that used bungee cords did not work" says Wehrell. "They used 28-inch long surgical tubing attached to the top of the board. When an athlete dips down, the surgical tubing goes flat. That means there is no resistance at the bottom."

The X factor

Training to increase lower body strength and speed will always fall into one of three categories: Heavy Resistance, Light-Load/High-Speed, or Plyometric Training.

Exercise physiologists now unanimously agree the Light-Load/High-Speed training (now referred to as "Low-Load/Velocity-Specific" training) produces the most transferable benefits to sports-field performance.

This kind of training allows an athlete to carry out sports-specific movements at sports-specific speeds under a light load (approximating 15% of the athlete's bodyweight).

Two companies that offer a complete line of performance-enhancing equipment to meet those needs are Power Systems, Inc. and Perform Better. You name it, they have it.

Power Systems claims its Power Plyo Boxes, adjustable from 12 to 42 inches, is a terrific plyometric product that increases leg power, speed, and strength. For the upper body, the Power Med-balls (available from 2 to 18 pounds and light or heavy sets) are perfect for optimal dynamic workouts because they bounce off any hard surface.

The Uni-Vest (available in 20 and 40 pound models) utilizes flexible rubber weights that conform to the contour of the body. A wide array of speed trainers, running chutes, running sleds, and resistance harnesses complement the hard-core training program.

 

Perform Better's Super Vertical Leaper safely develops explosive power, balance, and acceleration, according to the company. And the Sled Dawg II (for use with 2-inch Olympic weight plates) enables an individual to resistance train solo for improved strength and power in running starts.

Bruno Pauletto, president of Power Systems, Inc., is an expert regarding ballistic training. As the former strength and conditioning coach at the University of Tennessee, he implemented ballistic movements into the Vols' sports programs.

"Ballistic training bridges the gap needed to improve athletic. performance by providing functional strength," says Pauletto. "If a person just does weights, he is missing out on a very strong component that translates onto the field.
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"If you want to jump higher for a rebound or make a better block or tackle in football, ballistic training is a real benefit. It's much more closer to the actual movements that are done on the field, court, or baseball diamond."

"Ballistic training enables the athlete to initiate a maximum amount of muscle fibers to produce a maximum amount of power in a short period of time," says George Morrison, COO and designer of the Xvest, which relies on "overloading" the body with properly positioned weights to provide an extreme work-out and produce dynamic respiratory resistance.

Designed for serious athletes seeking to improve their event-specific strength, the Xvest tricks the body, brain, and muscles into believing they have gained extra weight. When the vest is removed, the body functions and reacts as if the weight (available in 20 and 40 pound models in addition to a customized version) is still there. This produces increased power, endurance, and speed.

"The difference between the Xvest and every other vest out there is the ability to adjust the length of vest to fit the proper torso," says Morrison. "So we don't really disturb the center of gravity. Secondly, the Xvest doesn't restrict range of motion. Therefore we don't really change the biomechanics of any type of movement."

"You don't want to ****** the biomechanics by more than 10 percent," Morrison added. "Otherwise you are retraining the biomechanics. You are disturbing the kinetic chain of the biomechanics."

The Xvest, which is the vest of choice of the U.S. Ski Team, the Super Bowl champion Tampa Buccaneers, and many other professional and college teams, is ideal for any sport and can he used for both ballistic and plyometric training and in or out of water.

While the Xvest has become popular on the scholastic level, Morrison cautions prebuscent or slightly older children from going the ballistic route.

Strike up the band

For more than 20 years, Jump Stretch, Inc. has promoted the use of heavy-duty rubber bands for alternative strength training.

"I was brought up during the Hank Strain era where you put as much weight on the kid as you could and made him as strong as you can," says Dick Hartzell, president and owner of Jump Stretch. "But there is only so much you could do with a 150-pound kid. Then I came up with the idea that strength training, or some portion of it, should be done as fast as possible with resistance."

 

A former football coach at West Branch H.S. in Beloit, Ohio, Hartzell first padded a barbell and had one of his players do a couple of reps before hurting his back. Next, Hartzell utilized a leaper machine, which is an isokinetic exerciser that provides a force downward equal to the strength forced upward. Again, one of his players hurt his back.

Then Hartzell had a brainstorm to apply the same principles but with a rubber product. As he soon discovered, nothing existed similar to the heavy-duty continuous-loop bands he had patented. It wasn't long before he could guarantee vertical jump gains of one to 10 inches in six weeks.
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"That is real speed training," he says. "I firmly believe in ballistic stretching. The medical market teaches this wrong. They say all you need to do is static stretching, whereas all of the games are ballistic."

Initially scoffed at when introduced in 1980, the Flex Bands -- available in six sizes that range from 25 to 200 pounds -- are currently used by 90% percent of Major League Baseball, half of the NFL and NBA, and a host of colleges and universities. Since 1998, powerlifters have begun to incorporate the bands into training routines by wrapping the bands around squat racks and other pieces of equipment to enhance performance.

The weight from the bands is a direct result of the pressure when an individual stands up at full height. The rubber band is pulling down on the shoulders and applying the same principles as if an individual were squatting a barbell.

"A rubber band will bring the weight down faster than gravity," says Hartzell. "It builds up kinetic energy. Therefore it takes more strength, more stabilizer muscles to reverse the initial movement. I can give you from 50 pounds to 1,000 pounds on rubber band squats."

 

This will be a lifelong program focusing on strength and explosivness. It's quite simple really. Obtaining and maintaining a very extraordinary weight to power ratio that can be put into affect not only in close quarters combat, but in everyday situaions as well. Functional strength in its purest form.




Pistols (one legged squats)

One armed pushups

Pullups/Chinups


Kettlebell Swings and presses.


Running and jumping rope (kept to a minimum but must be used as an effective means of maintaining desired weight)


Each excercise will be explained in detail, as well as thier brutal variations.



Additonal ways to add weight and diffuculty include, rubber workout bands,weighted vest, and holding a kettlebell.





Pistol Classic

To do the conventional one-legged squat pull yourself in the hole as you
have for the rocking squat but instead of sitting on the deck sit on your
haunches. Try to keep your back as straight as possible but do not expect to
get it truly straight. Unless you have medical restrictions, a slightly tucked in
tail on the bottom is acceptable.


Pause long enough to eliminate the bounce. This makes the drill both harder
and safer. Pressurize your abdomen and pop up. Stand up all the way, make
s u re to stretch your hip flexors by aggressively driving your hips forward.

As before, do not let your knee slip forw a rd or bow! An effective technique
for learning to keep your shin nearly vertical and to drive from your heel is
to do your one legged squats off a barbell plate or a similar elevation. NOT
by elevating the heel the way bodybuilders do it, but by placing the back half
of your foot on the plate and letting your toes hang in the air.

As soon as you cheat and shift your weight to the balls of your feet your toes
will touch the ground and you will be punished! Do not let your knee bow
in, your ankle cave in, or your body rotate .



Dynamic Isometric Pistol


Go down rock bottom and pause there for a few seconds without relaxing

Slowly go up until your thigh is parallel to the ground and pause again.
Breathe shallow, stay tight, and enjoy the pain!
Go up another couple of inches and repeat the drill. Then finally stand up
all the way.

The essence of this powerful technique is interrupting a normal, dynamic lift
with stops at certain brutal positions.

The standard duration of this pause in
Russia is 1-5 sec but this is not writ in stone. There can be one or more stops;
always at the most difficult points of the exercise .

Weighted Pistol

heavy weighted pistols
are closer to powerlifting style squats:
t h e re is more forw a rd lean, sometimes
almost as much as in the good morning .
Accordingly, there is more hamstring and
even lower back involvement




WeightNote that weighted pistols allow you
to do forced reps by hooking your free
heel. It is not a good idea with
bodyweight only pistols as this
maneuver is likely to make your knee
slip forward .ed pistols allow you
to do forced re

Isometric Pistol

Just stay in the rock bottom pistol position for up to a couple of minutes.
Do not just sit there relaxing as you did when working on your flexibility.
P u s h — remember the “static stomp” —steady but not too hard. Make sure
to keep your hamstring tensed. Slowly build up the tension to half your max,
take two to three seconds. Once more: hold it steady! If tension wavers all
over the place you are wasting your time.
About half your max intensity is plenty. Be clear that 50% intensity does
not refer to trying half of your best throughout the set. It means you start out
with 50% of your max strength and hold it. As you get tired, you will be
working harder and harder to maintain that level of force. Just like lifting a
50% 1RM weight for reps .

ps
Release the tension just as gradually. Quit before you fail; it is import a n t !
Do not sweat it if you can hold the contraction for just a few seconds in the
b e g i n n i n g .
Do not hold up your free leg; that would be just asking for worthless hip
flexor cramps. Just rest the heel of your unloaded leg on the deck in front of
you.
Although the tension is submaximal you must make an eff o rt to use all the
high-tension techniques, just powered down. Use the exact technique you use
for the dynamic pistol.
Keep your abdomen compressed but do not hold your breath; breathe
shallow.
Make sure to stretch the front top of your thigh afterwards; the hip flexors
are easy to overwork .y



hookinCossack Pistol
Another advanced pistol variation calls for sitting in the rock bottom
position with one leg straight in front then explosively switching legs.
Keep your weight on your heel!

Doing this off your toes is nothing but a balance stunt; off your heels it is a
power drill. Make sure to lean and reach forward for balance.

Explosively grunt as you switch feet; imagine placing a focused front heel
kick into a target. Naturally, this drill is only for healthy knees and powerful
legs .




FI E L D- ST R I P PI N G T H E
ON E- AR M PU S H U P


Isometric One-Arm Pushup

Lie on your stomach, tense all over, and push. Even though your body will
not clear the deck make a point of keeping your legs and waist rigid. Your
body should feel lighter, like it is almost ready to take off .
You might prefer working these with your hand up on an elevation, even a
wall. In that case keep your chest airborne. Advanced Naked Warriors can
stay off the deck even in floor one-armers.

Breathe shallow, stay tight and work on your mind-to-muscle connection.
Look for “leakages” and weak spots and plug them up with tension; pick out
the slack. Your body should feel like one rigid block. This strength skill
enhancement is one of the many benefits of isometrics.
Employ a long, steady, submaximal tension; the same drill as with the iso
pistol. Take your time working up to a minute and more; it is okay to start
with seconds.

The One-Arm Dive Bomber Pushup

To do this evil variation of the Navy SEAL favorite you need to descend at
an angle rather than straight down, squeeze under an imaginary fence, and
end up in the one arm cobra.

Then reverse the movement. Do not push back with a straight arm as you
would in a Hindu pushup; go back under the fence! This exercise is easy to
cheat on by cutting depth and not moving in an arc — don’t !

The One-Arm/One-Leg Pushup
g
Unless you brace your whole body and form a tight “power line” from the
toes of your left foot through your rock hard stomach, through your flexed
right lat, and all the way into the fingertips of your right hand, you will topple.

Keep practicing the tension and you will get the hang of it.
Do not even think of resting your weight on the edge of your foot—that is
c h e a t i n g !








The following is a modfied training sechedule of Pavel Tsatsouline's SWAT strength training program blended with the GTG method.

If you are a guest or recipient of this program, please reference the guide to High Tension Techniques and Greasing The Groove in the Training Principles file.



3 sets of 3 reps

5sets of 5 reps

and combinations of 5x3 3x5 are also acceptable depending on many factors. Rest, body feel, nutrition, and mental state determine the volume and intensity of the session.













Running


As far as running goes, a 3mile limit seems acceptable so as to not disrupt, stunt or negate any current or futire strength gains.

Using a moderately intense pace in a Fartlek style running program can maintain a healthy weight and maximixe aerobic conditioning and capacity.

Good substitutes include bicycling, jumping rope, punching the heavy bag and burpees.




We as humans are designed to throw a rock at the rabbit, not chase after it. Long and slow running has absolutely no benefit to the goal of maximizing strength and body composition to mirror that of a hardened warrior. Lean, wiry and ready to perform at a moments notice.


"Fighting and running are the original forms of competition. It's built into everyone to either step up or run. We choose to step up.

 

The preceding was an archived program in my files. Enjoy yourselves

 

Hi Mohak!:happy


It's been a personal experience of mine that for strength gain, training to failure leaves me very sore and weak. This GTG method of going as strong as you can when you are fresh and walking away stronger at the end, suited my goals perfectly.


It seems the high rep to failure moves are best suited to get a muscle more of the "pump" that bodybuilders look for and to tear the muscle up so when it recovers, it comes back bigger and stronger. Law of diminishing returns does apply however



Glad I could answer this for you and I will see you guys tomorrow "Yeh c'mon":good