Is weightlifting good for not just a boxer's physique but for strength and conditioning? If so, how should I lift weights more often?
I made it to the Detroit Golden Gloves Finals, Open class, while I was lifting weights in the late hours of the morning, hours before boxing. I believed that it helped and would recommend it, if you could work it out.
Absolutely agreed! - Even Marvin Hart from the 1800s lifted weights, John L Sullivan the very first heavyweight champion used to be a strong man for a circus I believe. I don’t think getting muscular will make one slow or less snappy Tyson was a ball of muscle regardless of how he got there… it becomes a problem when guys try to replace the real boxing work with weight lifting but that goes either way… if you do too little boxing in exchange for conditioning you’ll have problems as well… Troy Dorsey was the fittest fighter I’ve ever seen and also one of the most simple / straight up and down, he took quite a few beatings for being so divided. My only advice as a know nothing @dcarlota is to be kind to your shoulders and elbows, you’ll need them for punching people lol - if you’re gonna lift heavy do some work in the 50-100 rep range every time you step in the gym right at the end, pick an easy exercise and bang it out tendons develop a lot slower then muscle and they need more blood flow this will help with that, actually something interesting it was hypothesised by a smart guy that banging on a bag too heavy for you can mess up your elbows absorbing the impact and do something to effect your snap, get a bag you can work around and move that’s not so wide it turns your hook into a slap lol.
Read up on what Louie Simmons has written on strength and conditioning training, actually just go on YouTube he tells everybody everything for free lol… he was involved with a whole bunch of guys in the NFL and some MMA guys/boxers, he conveys ideas really well he got Kevin Randelman in shape back when they did 10min rounds. He’s a good start to explain the concepts.
Weightlifting increases your maximum force output, and as long as you still do plyometrics, it won’t decrease your rate of force development, so you’ll increase your power without worsening your speed, and you’ll be stronger in the clinch. You won’t get ‘too big’ if you don’t take steroids.
If a boxer lifts, he'll explode into red mist. This doesn't happen to any of the athletes in every other sport, all of whom lift to improve their performance, but It Is Known.
