Many people that just start out boxing are told by their trainers at the local gym not to lift weights. They say the only exercises that should be done for strength are bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, pull-ups, and dips. But are bodyweight exercises enough for the strength needed to compete in a boxing match? Wouldn’t lifting weights be beneficial to your workout? Many old school trainers will say that lifting weights will pack on too much muscle and slow you down when you fight. But there are ways to lift weights that will benefit your body and improve your performance in the ring.
Weights should be incorporated into every boxer’s workout. 70% of your power comes from your legs. To achieve powerful legs you must do exercises like squats, deadlifts, and leg presses. These exercises will give you strong calves which will help immensly in the ring. You also need a lot of leg strength to carry you around the ring. Having weak legs will make you more likely to be knocked down when hit by a hard punch. You should also do a lot of chest work and work on your arms especially your biceps and triceps. Your biceps and triceps are used to throw your punches out and pull them back in. They are also useful for clinches. Your abdominal muscles should also be worked with weights. Strong abdominal muscles are one of the most important things a fighter needs to win. Exercises like situps and crunches used with weights will make abs much stronger and your ability to take a punch will improve. Strength is huge advantage in the ring and it allows to you to control the pace of the fight.
Some trainers argue that packing on muscle from weightlifting will affect your coordination and reflexes because your body will be heavier and slower. This is incorrect because by dieting correctly and lifting light to moderate weights you can strip a couple of pounds of fat and tighten up your muscles which will increase your strength. However weightlifting should not be the core of a boxer’s workout. The core of your workout should consist of cardio exercises like shadow boxing, jump roping, hittng the heavy bag, and jogging. If you do cardio in addition to the weightlifting then you will not become slower. All that cardio should keep you real lean with a low bodyfat percentage. Your speed and strength will improve and you will be a much tougher competitor in the ring.
Not using weights for boxing training comes from old school training method that many trainers today still follow. Most of the top professional fighters strength train with weights. However you should not train like a bodybuilder. Having big steroid type muscles are not going to do very much for you in the ring. You should lift moderate to light weight which will increase your strength but not bulk you up too much. All of your focus should go into what will help you win and not what looks good. The bottom line is that you should weightlift to increase strength and not weightlift to increase your bodyweight. For more information on boxing training visit www.secondsout.com. They have many great articles on how to train and condition your body for boxing.
