[Ironhide]

Hi all, I'm basically after information on what sort of weights routines/exercises to boxers do for their whole body, especially legs and shoulders. Any information would be much appreciated, thank you.

[Moahmmed]

Well for legs You do squats using a barbell with a weight that you can manage to do for 20-15reps with 5-4 sets the aim is to make them stronger and not focus on making them big, for shoulders use a barbell or dumbell by doing a barbell press or dumbell press and hold maintaining control at all time, do that for 20-15 reps with 4 sets. If you want a more complete workout its best to do a circuit so the main thing is cardio so running, skipping,shadow boxing, which works the whole body especially skipping and it burns alot more calories. For power you want barbell press and a barbell clean which works the shoulders giving you that punching power allso utilise alot of floor exercises alot of militry press ups which are great for conditioning the shoulders, for abs You want to condition them using leg raises, weighted sit ups, incline sits ups and decline all of which works different angles also side bends. I hope i have helped cheers.

[Ironhide]

Moahmmed, on 27 May 2009 - 02:04 PM, said:

Well for legs You do squats using a barbell with a weight that you can manage to do for 20-15reps with 5-4 sets the aim is to make them stronger and not focus on making them big, for shoulders use a barbell or dumbell by doing a barbell press or dumbell press and hold maintaining control at all time, do that for 20-15 reps with 4 sets. If you want a more complete workout its best to do a circuit so the main thing is cardio so running, skipping,shadow boxing, which works the whole body especially skipping and it burns alot more calories. For power you want barbell press and a barbell clean which works the shoulders giving you that punching power allso utilise alot of floor exercises alot of militry press ups which are great for conditioning the shoulders, for abs You want to condition them using leg raises, weighted sit ups, incline sits ups and decline all of which works different angles also side bends. I hope i have helped cheers.

Thanks man, so boxers do more reps then normal gym going people then? What is the best way to imitate skipping as I don't have the room and will use my bedroom? Can you also tell me exactly what exercises in order would a boxer do for a legs routine? Thanks.

[Mik#1]

Ironhide, on 27 May 2009 - 11:41 PM, said:

Thanks man, so boxers do more reps then normal gym going people then? What is the best way to imitate skipping as I don't have the room and will use my bedroom? Can you also tell me exactly what exercises in order would a boxer do for a legs routine? Thanks.

not all boxers use weights; many top level fighters have never touched them; pretty much all the fighters from the 70s, ali, frazier etc never used them; though of course their competition didnt either

however, even now lots of fighters dont use them; calzaghe never used them, under freddie roach amir khan no longer uses them, marquez doesnt use them, joshua clottey doesnt use them; young mike tyson didnt use them, nor did sugar ray leonard (till be bulked up to supermiddleweight)or floyd mayweather.

however they still all do strength training of sorts; im just pointing out that its not always neccessary to use weights, and the bodyweight exercises can be just as good

I dont buy the whole 'weights slow you down' thing, I think thats an old school myth (though bulking up above your natural weight will, which weights can do, but then so can weight free exercises), but even though I've used weights alot in the past i prefer bodyweight exercises because they're compound, by their nature imitate natural movements, and there is less chance of injury or soreness and less equipment needed if any

With weights routines yes alot of boxers DO use higher repititions but many conditioning coaches now disagree on that, as high reps dont really build much strength, or really even speed; which you should be developing on the pads, bags, sparring etc

generally with weights compound exercises are the best, as they help ur body work as one functional unit; which is what it is; for shoulders, stuff like clean and press or military press, for legs, squats, possibly deadlifts, front squats, legpress

bt as i said even when i lifted weights and got stronger, it was like i couldnt take that strength outside the gym; but after doing exercises like lots of pull ups, push ups (variations of them), squat jumps, burpees, starjumps etc I felt MUCH stronger and more explosive in the ring, and these exercises are great for anaerobic fitness too

[Moahmmed]

Ironhide, on 27 May 2009 - 11:41 PM, said:

Thanks man, so boxers do more reps then normal gym going people then? What is the best way to imitate skipping as I don't have the room and will use my bedroom? Can you also tell me exactly what exercises in order would a boxer do for a legs routine? Thanks.

Like mik said not everyone utilises weights but for me i have found that im stronger and faster than before, for legs you would do squats first and you can use your own body weight if you dont have any weights, for running if you have a park near by try and do laps and make a note of how many you do then better it the next time, allso invest in a skipping rope and take it with you to the park.

so a typical routine i use is :

Squats 5 sets 20-15 reps each set

lunges 4 sets 20- 15 reps

calf raises 5 sets 20 each

skipping for 18-20 mins

running 20 mins

[Ironhide]

Moahmmed, on 28 May 2009 - 01:54 PM, said:

Like mik said not everyone utilises weights but for me i have found that im stronger and faster than before, for legs you would do squats first and you can use your own body weight if you dont have any weights, for running if you have a park near by try and do laps and make a note of how many you do then better it the next time, allso invest in a skipping rope and take it with you to the park.

so a typical routine i use is :

Squats 5 sets 20-15 reps each set

lunges 4 sets 20- 15 reps

calf raises 5 sets 20 each

skipping for 18-20 mins

running 20 mins

Wow you must really be fit if you can do that all in one go, by the way your lunges, is that 15-20 reps on each leg or in total?

[Moahmmed]

Ironhide, on 30 May 2009 - 02:19 PM, said:

Wow you must really be fit if you can do that all in one go, by the way your lunges, is that 15-20 reps on each leg or in total?

I was'nt allways i started muay thai 3 and half years ago and thats helped get me in shape.This may seem tough but once you get into a routine it becomes second nature so you have challenge yourself to get fitter and stronger, what i would say is start with 6-10 on each leg once you can do that with ease increase the number of reps and write down everything so you have a progress report, that way you know if you have progressed.

[Ironhide]

Moahmmed, on 30 May 2009 - 04:53 PM, said:

I was'nt allways i started muay thai 3 and half years ago and thats helped get me in shape.This may seem tough but once you get into a routine it becomes second nature so you have challenge yourself to get fitter and stronger, what i would say is start with 6-10 on each leg once you can do that with ease increase the number of reps and write down everything so you have a progress report, that way you know if you have progressed.

Today I done:-

Squats (excluding bar weight):

10kg for 15 reps
20kg for 15 reps
30kg for 15 reps
25kg for 12 reps

Lunges:

7.5kg dumbells for 20 reps total
5kg dumbells for 20 reps total
Bodyweight for 20 reps total

Leg curls:

10kg each leg for 26 reps total
10kg each leg for 20 reps total
10kg each leg for 16 reps total

Hamstring curls:

35kg for 15 reps
40kg for 12 reps
35kg for 12 reps

Calf raises on machine:

Cannot remember weight but all sets for 20 reps.

Finished off by stretching, how is that in your honest opinion?

[jimmy]

Today i done nuthin! was my day off!

[FitNessMonster]

Mik#1, on 28 May 2009 - 12:39 PM, said:

not all boxers use weights; many top level fighters have never touched them; pretty much all the fighters from the 70s, ali, frazier etc never used them; though of course their competition didnt either

however, even now lots of fighters dont use them; calzaghe never used them, under freddie roach amir khan no longer uses them, marquez doesnt use them, joshua clottey doesnt use them; young mike tyson didnt use them, nor did sugar ray leonard (till be bulked up to supermiddleweight)or floyd mayweather.

however they still all do strength training of sorts; im just pointing out that its not always neccessary to use weights, and the bodyweight exercises can be just as good

I dont buy the whole 'weights slow you down' thing, I think thats an old school myth (though bulking up above your natural weight will, which weights can do, but then so can weight free exercises), but even though I've used weights alot in the past i prefer bodyweight exercises because they're compound, by their nature imitate natural movements, and there is less chance of injury or soreness and less equipment needed if any

With weights routines yes alot of boxers DO use higher repititions but many conditioning coaches now disagree on that, as high reps dont really build much strength, or really even speed; which you should be developing on the pads, bags, sparring etc

generally with weights compound exercises are the best, as they help ur body work as one functional unit; which is what it is; for shoulders, stuff like clean and press or military press, for legs, squats, possibly deadlifts, front squats, legpress

bt as i said even when i lifted weights and got stronger, it was like i couldnt take that strength outside the gym; but after doing exercises like lots of pull ups, push ups (variations of them), squat jumps, burpees, starjumps etc I felt MUCH stronger and more explosive in the ring, and these exercises are great for anaerobic fitness too

But how would you improve your muscles mik if your using just bodyweight training? I heard just by doind more pressups your muscles wouldn't improve, just stamina improves, I currently practice kickboxing but i am thinking of taking up ju jitsu incase a streetfight goes to the floor but i'm not sure about that. Obviously weighlifting would help with ju jitsu but after what you have said it doesn't sound as though the weightliftin will not help with kickboxng. I would like to know this for sure as i am thinking about joining a gym in the next few days and it would be a big decision as i have to sign up for a whole year, so please clarify this. Also do you know ways to improve your hand/foot speed i have been told its just simply by moving fast that you get faster but i dont know how feesible that piece of info is. Also if some of those boxers you mentioned above dont do weightlifting then gow do they have ripped muscles and six pack etc.. Thanks.

[Mik#1]

FitNessMonster, on 22 June 2009 - 08:21 PM, said:

But how would you improve your muscles mik if your using just bodyweight training? I heard just by doind more pressups your muscles wouldn't improve, just stamina improves, I currently practice kickboxing but i am thinking of taking up ju jitsu incase a streetfight goes to the floor but i'm not sure about that. Obviously weighlifting would help with ju jitsu but after what you have said it doesn't sound as though the weightliftin will not help with kickboxng. I would like to know this for sure as i am thinking about joining a gym in the next few days and it would be a big decision as i have to sign up for a whole year, so please clarify this. Also do you know ways to improve your hand/foot speed i have been told its just simply by moving fast that you get faster but i dont know how feesible that piece of info is. Also if some of those boxers you mentioned above dont do weightlifting then gow do they have ripped muscles and six pack etc.. Thanks.

once you can do something like 50 (good) push ups, its true that just doing more wont keep increasing strength and size much; so its good to do exercises that you cant do so many reps on, like clap push ups, one handed push ups, push ups where only 1 leg touches the floor etc

check out bodyweightculture.com and look at http://www.youtube.c...h?v=UF1F4E_mfs4 some of these videos on youtube. The guys dont lift weights but their training still makes them big and ripped. Pull ups are also a definate bodybuilding exercise.

im not saying weightlifting wont help kickboxing, its just a question about the degree to which it helps compared to the amount of time you spend doing it when say you could be doing kickboxing instead.

The guys i mentioned got their physiques from general boxing training, which in itself develops muscles and removes fat, exercises like pull ups, push ups, plyometrics, and old school strength training, i guess you might even class it in the same category as weightlifting but stuff like chopping wood, hitting tyres with sleghammers etc. Apparantly for the mayweather fight marquez has been lifting boulders, so i guess in a sense he is now using weights

I've just found that the strength weights give in the gym doesnt always translate into ring strength; it does to a degree but unless i became a full time athlete i consider it more productive to do other stuff like the boxing training itself, interval training and intense circuits, occasionally i hit the weights gym, maybe once a week

As for improving speed, handpads are possibly the best boxing exercise, all explosive work, which can be weights (explosive compound exercises)but doesnt have to be (until roy jones bulked up to heavyweight i read that he didnt use weights, and Muhammad Ali certainly didnt)

some people say shadowboxing with light weights works, occasionally i do it but i dont really like it, i prefer tying some elastic tubing to a wall or door handle, holding each end in each hand and punching out with it, so it provides resistance.

I also like this exercise that joe calzaghe did to improve his speed, i've started doing this: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=yU3BpXNCyL4

[FitNessMonster]

Mik#1, on 23 June 2009 - 12:10 AM, said:

once you can do something like 50 (good) push ups, its true that just doing more wont keep increasing strength and size much; so its good to do exercises that you cant do so many reps on, like clap push ups, one handed push ups, push ups where only 1 leg touches the floor etc

check out bodyweightculture.com and look at http://www.youtube.c...h?v=UF1F4E_mfs4 some of these videos on youtube. The guys dont lift weights but their training still makes them big and ripped. Pull ups are also a definate bodybuilding exercise.

im not saying weightlifting wont help kickboxing, its just a question about the degree to which it helps compared to the amount of time you spend doing it when say you could be doing kickboxing instead.

The guys i mentioned got their physiques from general boxing training, which in itself develops muscles and removes fat, exercises like pull ups, push ups, plyometrics, and old school strength training, i guess you might even class it in the same category as weightlifting but stuff like chopping wood, hitting tyres with sleghammers etc. Apparantly for the mayweather fight marquez has been lifting boulders, so i guess in a sense he is now using weights

I've just found that the strength weights give in the gym doesnt always translate into ring strength; it does to a degree but unless i became a full time athlete i consider it more productive to do other stuff like the boxing training itself, interval training and intense circuits, occasionally i hit the weights gym, maybe once a week

As for improving speed, handpads are possibly the best boxing exercise, all explosive work, which can be weights (explosive compound exercises)but doesnt have to be (until roy jones bulked up to heavyweight i read that he didnt use weights, and Muhammad Ali certainly didnt)

some people say shadowboxing with light weights works, occasionally i do it but i dont really like it, i prefer tying some elastic tubing to a wall or door handle, holding each end in each hand and punching out with it, so it provides resistance.

I also like this exercise that joe calzaghe did to improve his speed, i've started doing this: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=yU3BpXNCyL4

Thanks for that Mik

[deano]

I think the trick with weights in boxing is what makes YOU personally feel strong.

For me, I like to do lots of weights on the upper body, but not very much on the lower - mainly bodyweight excercises. Granted this is for thai boxing, but my kicks are crap so I basically just use my hands.

I tend to split my workouts into different days such as:

Day 1: 5 min skip warmup or running if you can't skip
Bench press pyramid (eg. 15 reps of a really light weight, 11 of a bit heavier, then 8 reps, then 5, 3, 1 and back up).
Lateral pulldown pyramid - same thing
Pull ups - max
Dips - max
Super curls: 2 dumbells (one each hand). Bicep curl, then twist and do shoulder press, then bring back down like a hammer curl and do whole thing again. 2 sets of 11.
Bent over rows - 2 sets of 11
Quick swim if poss. - if not then a light run.

Day 2: 5 min skip
3 x 3mins. shadowboxing - concentrate on footwork more than anything else. 1 min rest btwn rounds.
75 sit ups.
REST
20 press ups
REST
10 burpees, 10 seconds rest, 9 burpees, 9 secs etc. If you can start higher start higher
BIG REST
One minute of mountain climbers with head up.
REST
50 squats
REST
Sit ups and press ups as earlier.

If you can mix those in with the training you're doing then you'll become really explosive. These can be any 2 days of the week.

These aren't perfect for everyone. For me these are great because they give me lots of power, and I would rather be a banger and quick and gas out in the later stages than feather fisted and be able to go forever because I started late and don't have the technique of a lot of people.

Phew... That was a long post. Hope this helps.

[Moahmmed]

FitNessMonster, on 22 June 2009 - 08:21 PM, said:

But how would you improve your muscles mik if your using just bodyweight training? I heard just by doind more pressups your muscles wouldn't improve, just stamina improves, I currently practice kickboxing but i am thinking of taking up ju jitsu incase a streetfight goes to the floor but i'm not sure about that. Obviously weighlifting would help with ju jitsu but after what you have said it doesn't sound as though the weightliftin will not help with kickboxng. I would like to know this for sure as i am thinking about joining a gym in the next few days and it would be a big decision as i have to sign up for a whole year, so please clarify this. Also do you know ways to improve your hand/foot speed i have been told its just simply by moving fast that you get faster but i dont know how feesible that piece of info is. Also if some of those boxers you mentioned above dont do weightlifting then gow do they have ripped muscles and six pack etc.. Thanks.

Sorry for not replying sooner, but since your doing kickboxing i can help, the question is whats your goal? if its to become a better fighter then your training should focus on your skills and utilise weights to aid you but it shouldnt replace the kickboxing, watching thai fighters their training is foccusing on cardio so an example of what u could do is split your training in to five days with the majority of it consisting of drills and working on techique and cardio and then two days where you focus on weights. What you have to remember is also to have a good nutritional plan, to keep muscle and to burn fat u want to think about talking BCAA(branched chain amino acids) and a Fat burner and also upping your protien intake to support you while training these supplements aid in protecting the muscle u have and helping in building lean muscle, also explaining why many boxers who dont weight train seem to have a lean and muscular frame. And to help with becoming faster i would suggest using resistant bands which help in increasing speed and to just practice with drills and time urself the more u train the better you will get.