Boxing Crossroads!!!!

Bad Boy

I curently box at a high level, and fitness wise i'm tip top. I was sparring recently and i've noticed that my weight training has caught up on me making me tighter, my coach told me to pack in the weights. I have always trained with weights and have done for the last 16 years, i feel it's the weight training that has given me the strength to compete (i know it got me through rugby for 10 years), now don't think i'm an old fart getthing stiff, i'm 30 and stretch at the end of every session. i've competed internationally so i'm no mug so my training is fairly bang on. I think that maybe i need to give more recovery for my chest and shoulders before a sparring session, i had trained shoulders plus chest hard on sunday, trained legs mon, sparred tuesday, but still felt heavy. any suggestions alternate programs, anything at all. i train most days about 5 to 6 a week.

Bad Boy

i'll back in boxing before weight training so HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

t-ha

Hey Bad Boy, straight off the bat I'd say you should look at total body workouts. Basically, instead of just hammering your chest and shoulders one day, your legs another day, your back another day etc. you work out your whole body every time you go to the gym. You still end up doing the same amount of work (or maybe even a little more) for each bodypart, but because you don't absolutely go to town on them in any one session you shouldn't have too much tightness, fatigue or muscle pain at any given time.

If you need an actual programme here's one, though obviously you can do whatever you want as long as you stick to the basic principle of what I outlined above.

You might also want to get a sports massage if you've never gotten them before. Your muscles will be alot looser afterwards.

Al_Fernz

Has this happened regularly? It could just be a once off.

You might want to your cool down and PWO nutrition - perhaps this is an area that you could reduce DOMS in?

TKD SC

Hi,

Do you know why it's starting to catch up with you now? You mentioned you've been doing weights for last 16 years, and guessing you've been boxing as long. So why now? Has anything different happened recently re training, injuries, etc??

Other suggestion which I'm sure you do anyway is to stretch. Maybe as you're getting older you need to stretch a bit more after each workout?


T-Ha, could you recommend a good place for sports massage?
Thanks,

Simon

t-ha

TKD SC wrote: »

T-Ha, could you recommend a good place for sports massage?

Well I got it done in Sports Med Ireland off Kildare St. and also by a student masseuse by personal recommendation. These days I do it myself mostly. You can pick up massage impliment thingys in sports shops and a bit of arnica will relax the muscles while you do it. Once you've gotten it done properly a few times you can see what to do & how to deal with knots etc. so I find it ok to do myself. Obviously if money was no object I'd get it done in a proper sports clinic all the time, but it is, so I don't!

Bad Boy

I'm going to give the full body workouts a try, maybe my workouts have been a bit too bodybuilder type. I've been stacking the supplements for the last two to three months and have but on 5-6kg of quality beef, which has caused my slow down, but i recon the full body workouts might make me more functional again.

Bad Boy

would supersets help? more explosion?

Colm_OReilly

Can you post your current routine/weekly schedule?

Since you're dedicated, you mihg tbe succeeding despite your conditioning routine. Another thing with dedicated atheltes is a tendency to do too much, or go 100% each training session, which can't be maintained.

I've faced similar problems coaching MMA athletes as well.

Also, could your diet be better? You might be eating foods that don't promote speedy recovery.

Col

cowzerp

Weights make you faster not slower , unless you do the weights at a slow pace! so focus on technique and keep yourself challenged, make recovery a priority by taking enough days between weights to recover..

Roper

It really depends on what you're doing. If you're lifting for hypertrophy, it's hard to maintain speed. If you're lifting properly for strength, there's no reason why you can't increase speed along with it.

Flexibility is often an issue too. BTW I know exactly what you mean by tightness, although I should point out that many, many boxing coaches are anti-weights.

cowzerp

Roper wrote: »

although I should point out that many, many boxing coaches are anti-weights.

This is due to there old school mentality, them days should be gone, but will be there till the dinosaurs die off!! Weights moved concentrically at speed=fast muscles.