Can i box and lift weights

Meaning those who can jump higher, punch harder. We also can't forget the upper body. Power generated in the bench press and bench throw show very strong correlations with punching power. Using this framework provides a guideline for putting together an effective strength training program specifically for a boxer. There are a couple of small modifications based on the injury research presented in this article. The goal was to develop power and speed as all boxers and boxing coaches want.

This was not the 4 weeks before the competition. This athlete performed resistance training three times a week so I worked with that as to not change their routine.

Their usual strength training program was performing a few random exercises with no real structure. So I wanted to start at a low enough level with some exercises to give room for improvement later on while still providing an intense stimulus as he leads into the European Championships. Strength Train Like A Professional Boxer is a week program designed to rid your pillow fists and turn them into bricks! I've combined my knowledge of research and experience to bring you the most practical bites to be applied to your combat training.

By signing up you agree to our terms. Strength Training For Boxing. October 13, Table of Contents. Should Boxers Lift Weights? It's FREE! Do Heavyweight Boxers Lift Weights? Strength Training For Boxing Strength training for boxing is about delivering a faster, more powerful punch. Boxing Strength Profile Being strong for boxing is about being able to deliver the fastest, most powerful punch possible.

Week 1 Day 1. A1 Open Book. A2 Waiter Walk. A3 Band Pull Apart. B1 Pallof Press. Main Work. C1 Med Ball Explosive Punch. D1 Med Ball Scoop Toss. E1 Squat Jump. E2 Band Assisted Jump. F1 Wrist Roller.

A1 Med Ball Walking Rotation. A2 Med Ball Overhead Lean. B1 Box Jump. B2 Thoracic Ext Foam Roller. C1 Power Jerk. D1 Bench Press Cluster. A1 Quadruped Thoracic Rotation. A2 Band Face Pull. The other issue is that speed kills, because if you can punch faster than your opponent reaction time, you are going to land punches at the target. It is difficult to get at the same time muscles that are fast and flexible, there should be a trade off between muscles and speed, and I would go for speed.

After being on both sides of this issue, I now confidently stand on this side because I know it benefits me the most. I appreciate your comment, andrewp. I love boxing but i do think its a bit outdated when it comes to strength and conditioning. If you lifts heavy weights only and do not transfer your brute strength into explosive power sure any one can become slow by exclusively lifting heavy weights. But if an individual learns how to apply their brute strength quickly with plyometrics and proper skill training they can become an explosive athlete let alone an explosive boxer.

Also a little more advanced set up for weight training would be periodization. How can he do this? How is this possible? Is he pot shoting or picking his momments to attack carfully. Generally for a muscle to get stronger it has to get larger and we all no the larger the muscle the more oxygen it requires. If a fighter elects to weight train, for whatever reason, they should do a mixture of high reps, fast explosive reps with light weights, heavy weights for low reps, etc.

You probably have some fighters and trainers who even swear by weight training and I know you also have fighters and trainers who swear at it. Hell you have critics of long distance roadwork or even running in general for fighters. Baseball used to be as opposed to weight training as probably boxing but proper weight training and not just steroids have helped many players.

There are pros and cons of all training and conditioning methods not just with weight training, but even running long distances, swimming, etc. Hi Johnny, I must say this is a great article. It was a very interesting read for me because I am actually into strength training and boxing right now.

I also had that idea of more strength would equate to more power but thanks for the nice explanation that is not the point. When it goes to a fight, I can say that it almost always go to technique not in the physique and strength one carries.

And btw, I would just like to thank you on all your articles, especially the one on relaxation and breathing through your nose. Before, after two rounds I would be breathing heavily and feel really tired, now I can handle a boxing workout without losing my breath. Many of them can be boring or impractical. Boxing is a bunch of movements that contorts your body into weird angles and forces you muscles to use the entire range of motion.

The angles of force are constantly changing so working out with only one angle is a disadvantage. Isometrics have aesthetic purposes, targeting an angle that makes your muscles look better.

Also functional purposes, like targeting an angle for a perfect handstand. How do you feel about bodyweight exercises such as pullups, chin-ups, dips, ect. You know…the harder ones that take a while to get a decent rep number at.

Calisthenics bodyweight exercises are great, highly recommend for boxing or even general fitness. Interestingly the hardest puncher of the 3, Joe Frazier, performed the most poorly in the competition particularly the swimming event where Joe finished dead last well behind all competitors.

In the weightlifting competition the contestants would take a weight from squat racks and attempt to lift it overhead, Frazier failed at a modest lbs, Quarry the lightest of the 3 fighters lifted about lbs, and I believe Norton might have lifted about lbs. Clearly Joe had never lifted weights in his life because his lifting form was terrible and his modest weight lifted had as much to do with lack of technique than strength.

Frazier, Norton, Quarry, were all top notch heavyweights from the Golden Era of heavyweights but it was the worst athlete among the 3, Frazier who was the best fighter and puncher. All of boxing history is flooded with examples of these. Some people will simply never understand this is how the human body works. Technology can improve fancy weight lifting machines over the years but the human body will always be the same. Youtube has the clips of Quarry and Frazier weightlifting.

Suprisingly, Ferrigno did quite well in most of the events and was impressive at batting and the bicycle event, but he lost out in weightifting to shot putter Brian Oldfield. Also shot putter Brian Oldfield, who was even bigger than Ferrigno at the time, could compete with sub-World class sprinters at the time, and he barely lost in the yard dash to Pittsburgh HOF receiver Lynn Swann.

Frazier trained for boxing, and he was the world champ for a time. There you go. Nobody is even comparing Marvis to Joe because while Marvis was a decent fighter with wins over much larger fighters like Bonecrusher Smith, Joe Bugner, James Broad, etc. Also many especially today will argue that the best heavyweight fighters do flock to team sports like football, basketball, or baseball instead of boxing. I know football players and basketball players have tried boxing with limited success but then again what if these superior athletes would have elected to train for boxing instead of say football for all those years.

I think MMA has taught people to never underestimate athletic talent and physical fitness. This is all very true, when it comes to boxing. Lifting heavy weights can have some use if fighting but I would avoid it in excess for anything ring based. Lifting light to medium weights in fast explosive movements has, however, greatly increased my punching power.

Pylometric pushups and explosive dips are faves of mine. Of course, if your fighting pro and in weight classes. Bulking up on weight lifting is going to put you at a disadvantage. I have little to no experience in pro fights but a decent amount in sparring and street fights. This subject will always be a topic of debate as long as boxing is around. I was someone else who finally realized that lifting heavy did not benefit me in boxing.

I for one simply prefer to use bodyweight excercises, the medicine ball and very light dumbells i. Additionally, i like the portability that BW, dumbless and the medicine ball provide. I can travel and not worry about finding a gym. I personally now find lifting boring and redundant. On the other hand, I realize that people love powerlifting and bodybuilding. I, for one prefer to be a better boxer and spending hours in the weight room will simply not accomplish that.

I would rather spend that time improving skills technique, working the bags, etc. If heavy lifting benefited boxers, then everyone would be doing it, I suppose. Another consideration with lifting heavy is that the risk of injury, a failed lift, etc is very great. I have seen people with blown out knees from heavy squats, bad backs from deadlifting and such. In fact, had I not stopped the heavy weights years ago, there is no way I could train today with the intensity that I do at my ripe old age.

Not lifting will certainly aid my longevity in this sport. A few weeks ago, I stopped lifting weights and made up a routine of only bodyweight exercises that include pullups, parellel bar dips, chinups, pushups with feet on bench, bench dips and hammer pullups, isometric squat holds against a wall, bodyweight squats, planking and leg raises. My endurance is up, and my punches at the end of my boxing sessions are as hard as those that I throw in the beginning.

What a difference. Boxing is fun again! I got bored of weight lifting just as you did, Gil. After awhile you realize you can get a much better physical and mental workout doing other boxing exercises.

You have a lot of good articles. This one is rubbish. All the top fighters today employ proper weight training methods. You are confusing powerlifting training with weight training for boxers. This sort of thinking went out 30 years ago.

I am talking specifically about avoiding heavy weight training for boxers. Rant,sorry but there is no top fighters today. Thats it! After all swinging a sledgehammer or throwing medicine balls can be considered weight training in a sense. Of course now nearly every sport from football to even golfers train with weights, however for some reason weight training has never really made an impact in the boxing world despite being widely used in wrestling, MMA, and other combat sports.

In the end weights are just a conditioning tool just like calisthenics, plyometrics, medicine balls, sledgehammers, heavy bags, etc. Sorry Daniel, but Foreman and Tyson both lifted weights later in their careers. You are doing wrong conclusions only by watching youtube clips. FMJ lifted only for moving in weight classes.

Holyfield too. Foreman didnt lift weights and still cutted his opponents heads in his young years. And yes,he is from the new era. He said that lifting weights like bench press,deadlift,squats its not efficient,because it builds muscles which are not useful in boxing. He believes in strong core and legs. Which he train with isometrics and plyometrics.

And sorry for my english,maybe I have mistakes. I love to lift weights! Ive been benching,squating,deadlifting,snatching and a lot of other things. Ive been train for explosivness and so many other bullshits. And guess what,it didnt help me so much.

Then I just decided to try the old school method,and focus like Johny said on relaxation,technique,timing,accuracy and footwork. And also to be very calm when I fight. Thats the true behind the speed,power and the good fighter. Believe me…. And one more thing about Foreman. No one said that lifting weights hurted his power. But dont forget he is a big heavyweight. There is just so many skills that must be develope,and lifting weights will obstacle that. Everybody is different and has different needs so while weights might be fine for some, others may find it more beneficial to train in more traditional ways.

You mentioned you like to train in Muay Thai, well there are no better examples than two excellent fighters named Alain Ngalani and Buakaw Por Pramur. Weights used to give me sore muscles and make me stiff in my joints, even while stretching religiously, but bodyweight movements seem to get me loose and allow for more flexibility.

As a result, I would gas quickly. What I find humorous is that many anti-weight training posters espouse the benefits of bodyweight training, plyometrics, isometrics, etc.

Well guess what you can do plyometric pushups, isometric exercises with your fist against a wall in various punching positions till the cows come home and it will do little if anything to increase your punching power. These calisthenics and isometrics will however be great conditioning tools just like weight training. Personally I think most punchers are born with punching power, maybe some exercises might help, but I feel these exercises are mainly for improving strength, flexibility, stamina, quickness, etc.

Where do you draw the line in determining what is weight training anyhow? You could take a lb World Class Olympic lifter and he would probably be lifting overhead what a lot of weight room lb gym rats are benching. Oops, sorry no one has ever officially done an unassisted one-arm handstand pushup. One-arm handstands and one-arm lever to handstand pushups yes, but never an official full range of motion unassisted one arm handstand pushup.

Chopping wood is an old school exercise, very similar to the guys hammering a tire today. I like it. Anybody know a good workout to increase cardio in the ring? ERIC your points about where to draw the line between weights and bodyweight are spot on. Some people can do over 50 with consistent training. Of course some people have such poor upper body strength or low strength-to-bodyweight ratios that pull-ups would be considered difficult. Of course, we can discuss all day and night about the different types of muscle fibers and how muscle adapts differently to different types of weight lifting.

All the science talk is for people with something to prove. I simply take what I know and share it with people who want my opinion. After spending thousands of hours doing something, it gives you a certain confidence to speak about it.

Everyone is free to train and do whatever they want with their BODY. I did my homework and I spoke to many successful boxing trainers some of them with weight lifting backgrounds. When you ask 15 different trainers the same question, and get the same answer along with different reasons, you have to respect that.

More often than not, when I respected my trainers opinions over mine I was more successful. Last note: thanks for putting your thoughts down. If i do train low row machine and put for example 2. But if talk about weight lifting , deadlift, squats or what is good for us?

Hi, what is a good diet todo for boxing, and also what is the best way to get the physique of a fighter. Both of these guides are linked on the right side. Probably another traditional training method advocated by old-time trainers and fighters would be daily long distance roadwork. Old school fighters ran so much it was like they were training for a marathon.

Probably the best thing to go by is if something works for you do it, if not discard it. Weight training does have its pros and cons just like everything else. Olympic Weightlifting, Powerlifting, and Bodybuilding are sports and all three have about as much in common with boxing as ping pong.

But then again you must examine the whole story. We all know that none of these men are proficient strikers and Lashley and especially Pudzianowski are well below average at all phases of the game whether grappling, submission, or striking. Of course Lesnar did win the title and is a far superior athlete to either Lashley or Pudz, but he relied on grounding and pounding and not devastating punches. I assume just because I see a skinny guy with a weak punch or no stamina that all skinny guys are the same.

Also former Mr. While others like Mariusz Pudzianowski will never be particularly athletic or much of a fighter whether they lifted weights or not. Jhonny, can you make an article regarding kettle bells? As you have mentioned before you use it in your exercise, can you show us proper exercise with it to improve on our boxing? The only exercises I use if at all are the basic kettlebell swings. Of course Mercer did ko Tim Sylvia and ex-Cruiserweight James Warring who was an ex-kickboxer did relatively well in MMA, but for the most part boxers have proven to be extremely ineffective inside the Octagon or in K1 competition.

Jimmerson actually entered the Octagon wearing a single boxing glove, duh! This ties in with the whole anti-weight training for boxing agenda. If we just judged boxing training for self defense on what we actually saw in the MMA we would say boxing is useless for on the street encounters or MMA, but we all know that boxing is as useful as muay thai, wrestling, jujitsu, etc.

MMA has evolved since Royce Gracie dominated without much of a striking game out all. They need to weight train but only because it helps with their grappling. Matter of fact exceptionally tall fighters who are successful and hard punchers are rarer than short arm shorter punchers. Different arm lengths can perform better at different angles and different punches using different techniques.

At the amateur level, all the power punchers are usually long armed because amateur boxing relies on a lot of reach. At the pro level, you see more short armed power punchers because people like seeing aggression and guys that come inside. The pro game also relies more on making weight so shorter guys have room to make weight whereas taller guys cannot. They have the Gene Lebell vs. This bout took place in , years before the first UFC. Think about it, you can replicate any or most kettlebell exercises with dumbbells and dumbbells are much easier on the wrists.

Ross covers specific training for boxing, sandbag training, bodyweight training, isometrics, medicine ball exercises, dumbbell workouts, sprinting and running workouts, core training, and even exercises for the often neglected neck and forearms. Ross is also an ex-boxer and currently trains boxers. Of course you can always visit his website Rosstraining.

Hope this helps and good luck. I like kettlebells for resistance exercises. I would recommend using a light weight within the rep max range. What is doubly amusing is that somehow a kettlebell is different than a barbell or its modern brother the dumbbell.

While kettlebells are a valuable tool and really work wonders doing non-conventional exercises such as Turkish Get Ups, Windmills, Swings etc. Kettlebells are great for strengthening the grip because of their awkwardness and thicker handles but at the same time they pose a greater risk for injury.

Kettlebells have been around forever, and the reason they all but disappeared except for maybe in Eastern Europe for decades, is that people found out the dumbbell is a superior tool. Unless you have adjustable kettlebells the increments are usually over 8lbs and that sometimes can make progressing to a heavier load difficult.

Just like internet guru Matt Furey took a few exercises performed by Indian wrestlers grouped with some basic gym class bodyweight exercises and made heaps of cabbage off all the suckers willing to shell out exorbitant amounts of their money to purchase books filled with exercises they performed in gym class.

What Furey neglected to tell his gullible audience is that Gama would often use some stone-like weights around his neck when performing these exercises or even for running, in addition to using weighted macebells, and of course Indian clubs.

Now this is how to get proper torque and hip rotation into your power punches. He actually looked normal to me. Sure he has a thick build but there are many guys are naturally like that. More modern versions of short pit bull like fighters have been jr.

As far as I know none of these fighters ever lifted weights while boxing in their prime even though Tyson would later lift at the end of his career , and all had physiques that looked like they could have belonged to people who had weight trained for years.

Who knows maybe it comes from climbing coconut trees and eating coconuts. After all they say coconuts are very good for you. I agree with you Johnny. In most cases these guys are built just as good if not better than a prime Tyson. Tyson being massive is all relative of course. Herschel Walker was another athlete who built an impressive physique using bodyweight only exercises. I think you just have to in most cases go beyond the norm of standard pushups, dips, and pullups to even more advanced exercises.

I typically pick the skinnier guy assuming he is not THAT much skinnier. But ideally, the guy with the better and more effective training should win.

While a brutish George Foreman was certainly physically stronger than Joe Frazier judging by how he manhandled him in both fights, in his first career his power and strength would weaken considerably the longer the fight went. Bodyweight exercises are resistance exercises like weights.

But at the same time weight training can always give that little bit of added extra strength and also be used as a change of pace from doing bodyweight exercises.

Resistance exercises should be no different than running workouts. Mike, when I shadow box, I use these gloves that I put on and they are each one pound. I think those are better. Ive seen a difference in my speed but thats only if you use those often. Using weights, I prefer you use a maximum of three pounds. They will make you faster. Just be sure that your getting faster and not stiff or any slower.

Ive also seen a difference in my punching power when I lift weights that arent so heavy. The trick is, to do them fast with explosive power. Remember you dont want to be a body builder. I think the explosive weight lifting will get you bigger but its for more strength and speed. Always remember to work on speed though. This site rocks! Try it for yourself. It has been shown that explosive lifts, in low reps of heavy weights, can increase your ability to generate power — but like you said, there is a difference between push and snap.

It is also a great tool for weight management. You say lifting weights will not increase punching power, but would you agree it can develop your overall explosiveness? Assuming, of course, you are not lifting for size. Yes, weights can increase explosiveness. When done a certain way for a certain purpose it will work. In my personal opinion, I dont believe lifting heavyweights increases punch power. At my local amateur boxing club we use light weights , I suspect for toning the arms and working different muscle groups , do you use light weights at your gym.

Lifting weights can help you increase punching power, speed, and muscle endurance. I have to disagree with people who say lifting weights does not increase punching power. I was scrawny freshman on varsity not so long ago and my coach made me a long with other teammates lift weights..

Well, lifting weights will enhance you.. Thats why you see NFL players doing quite the numbers in their combines.. Roy Jones Jr is a perfect example of someone who strength trains.. Why was he so much faster and a beast in his prime? He was fast as hell in his middleweight and amateur days..

You want just general strength with size and tone? Do 8 reps as fast and explosive as you can. Like pushups with a clap…but i can do like 50 of those.. I believe strength training a long with my natural athletic ability helps me and prepares me to enter the ring..

I usually the strongest and faster guy. Big hefty muscles will not help you punch faster or harder.. But if you do 3 sets or high reps …and 8 reps of exploding it will help olympic lifts. That was on the money Josh. Heavy weight training along with plyometrics can make you a superior athlete.

Believe it or not the best athletes most of the time are the most athletic and conditioned ones. Still you never want to neglect skill work but to me if you want to be serious about boxing than you should be serious about strength training. So no one can dispute that heavy squats will produce impressive speed and jumping ability. Another reason why Olympic lifters are renowned for their leaping ability and explosiveness is many perform plyos and other various bodyweight exercises that a bodybuilder or powerlifter would never perform.

Also look at how an Olympic lifter performs the back squat with the bar high on his shoulders instead of low, and he squats all the way down arse to the ground, and not just some ridiculous quarter knee bend you see people performing in gyms. You mentioned you were just a freshman so you probably would have naturally gained mass and even punching power just by your body naturally maturing.

Weights have been proven to increase speed, explosiveness, jumping abiltiy, and even flexibility but not punching power. But weights? Being able to do more reps increases your ability to do them with proper form and get more out of the exercise.

Nothing personal, but you are talking big bullshits about Roy Jones Jr. He used weights only for one fight in his entire career and this is against John Ruiz. And he did it because he needed to gain mass for weight class. And he said after that, that he will never do this again! I can find the interview, and i will give you a proof , that he said that.

He never lift weights before…never. I know heavy weightlifting isnt good for a boxer, but could it work if I start with heavy slow reps for becoming bigger and after that do light fast reps for boxing? I know that if I get muscle I will become slower, but I prefer becoming a bit bigger and musclar.

And if I reach the musclar body I want, then I will decrease the amount of weight lifting and concentrate more on boxing. Could this work and not affect my boxing skills? Everything you do has a reaction. The more you do it, the stronger the reaction.

Weight lifting can affect your performance but not your skills. If you do it alot, yes. If you do it a little, probably not. Now look at two completely different body types of two all-time greats in the boxing world, former multi-weight world champion, the late Alexis Arguello, and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Tyson was thickly muscled and built like a pit bull, while Arguello was rail thin and almost built like the typical emaciated marathon runner.

The same could be said for thick legs and foot speed in a boxer. Back in the seventies you had a massive shot putter Brian Oldfield who could compete with sub world class sprinters in the meter sprint and would in fact race world class women sprinters for show.

I think the massive Oldfield weighed in at about lbs and even competed well against former Steeler wide receiver Lynn Swann in the meter sprint. No one is making any assumptions, at least not me. All my statements have no correlation between muscle size and boxing performance.

Exactly man…what is the conclusion? Its not the muscles,its the skills. There are muscular punchers, and skinny punchers. There are out of shape good punchers, and there are fighters with great phisuqes who cant punch.

Same thing with Holyfield, while Holyfield unlike Tyson certainly lifted weights, there are also rumors he was helped along by steroids. Thanks for the info! I like your comment about form and technique. If I understand correctly, I want to keep my body as relaxed as possible not tense while coordinating my punch, and then have my body contractions come together at the point of contact? You are correct. Keep everything relaxed and contract only at the very split second of exerting force through your punch.

As for the body dynamics, I could write a whole book on that subject so I do that later. The guides on this site will help you figure that out though. Please revisit your thought process and take into consideration some natural inhibitors such as type of mucle fibers the person has fast twitch or slow twitch and what is his week link genetically. Some guys are born with stronger push or pull muscles which are the protagonist vs antagonist function of any movement.

Lumping all weight training under your basic definition of Pushing and punching your really only talking about bench press and that is pointless for any sport exempt and offensive lineman in football. Hower maximizing fast twitch muscle fibers with heavy weight training then conditioning them with explosive training will leave you just as you were with faster snapping motion you are speaking of.

That snapping motion by the way comes from the hips not the arm, just look at a hook. Also stamina comes from heat rate, and cardiovascular training which has nothing to do with why you got tired sparring.

Yes you had more muscle to move and used more energy, but with proper diet you would have had more energy or ATP in your muscles to prolong your power in the ring. Do not body build, do not do a lout of bench, and do get a elite trainer that is up to date on the latest findings of the college of sports medicine and the national strength and conditioning association and find out why age old myths have been busted.

Ultimately, everyone is free to use as much weights in whatever manner they wish if they know that it benefits them. I trust the coaches I trained under and the world champions I trained alongside so I know how I feel about the subject. The result of my comprehensive experience is founded in this article. Think about it, if you can increase your vertical leap with heavy weight training what makes you think you cant increase your punching power with heavy weight training!

Of course you have punchers who fit the bill of what the general public thinks a puncher should look like, thickly muscled fighters like Ruben Carter, Sonny Liston, George Foreman, Mike Tyson, etc. I believe Elson had some state records in olympic weightlifting but he was certainly not a noteworthy weightlifter or fighter for that matter. To be fair to Elson he had only a handful of professional fights before meeting a fighter the caliber of Galindez, and he still gave a relatively respectful performance considering what he was up against.

Hi Johnny, I totally agree with the mechanics you describe about punching and the techniques about strengthening your punching but I do honestly think lifting weights can be helpful in some ways.. I personally powerlift twice a week and train in muay thai thrice.

As you can see I still have a lot of room for improvement when it comes to weightlifting and I love seeing the muscle build — i feel stronger. SO… what do you think?? I have faith in my experience and the experience of my coaches.

Do whichever one you feel helps you. But if you want to do what I do, I generally stay away from heavy weights and I punch like a fricken beast. You can go to any serious boxing gym with pros and you will see the same. Im addicted to both boxing and lifting weights. I do realize how lifting weights slows me down and gets me tired faster. So i try to minimize my weight lifting time into 30 minutes and 1 set excersizes of reps with only 45 second rest in between.

Dont think I will stop lifting until im lb 25 to go , because im addicted to it. Like i do. If you really want to gain weight faster, I would stop boxing and only lift weights until you get to the size you want. Boxing is naturally an exercise that slims you down. Could you clear this up for me? Also, I love the site. The equation remains correct and accurate. The human body punches in a much more complicated way.

Each mass may or may not be conjoined together to contribute to part of the overall force generated. A punch is therefore not really a powerful moving object but more like a projection of power. You must understand that the body moves BUT does not displace itself during a punch.

In other words, your body is moving in position rotational and centering movement, not displacement but it is not traveling from its initial position.

In your simple physics equation, more weight and more speed equals more power. In boxing, you need to decrease the weight at first relaxing your body.. If you want to be a simple fighter and move with simple definitions, then keep treating your body as a simple mass moving and generating force along a singular vector. If you want to be more advanced and more powerful , you will find out how to use your body as several complex masses and generate force along multiple vectors. Somewhere in there, you will find the truth in where true power comes from.

Or you can be smart and punch harder by simply letting yourself fall. If it confused you, good. If you disagree with it, even better. Makes me doubt the credentials jonny. The idea is to let your weight drop and ground a bit when you punch. You are absolutely right. Lifting heavy weights will never increase punching power, nor increase your boxing!

I can only support you. A very good site. It is a pleasure to read all this stuff, which goes far beyond what trainers and coaches are teaching their boxing students today most of the times. At least from what I know and that is more than 49 years of boxing. Keep up the good work. It's an age-old question: to lift or not to lift before a sport or activity?

There are several ways you can answer that question. However, regardless of which side of the argument you land, one thing is for sure — strength training is an essential component of your overall fitness program.

When you lift weights, it affects your muscles and overall energy. During a workout, resistance training causes microscopic tears to form in the fiber and connective tissue of the muscles. Your muscle fibers grow thicker and stronger by repairing these tears. Your heart and breathing rate also increases, which causes your body to fatigue quicker. Anything you do after you become fatigued, you're going to do less effectively.