Frank Bruno

Jonny303

Just reading frank bruno's autobiography at the moment and he says in it that he never ever lifted weights. did little more conditioning wise than hundreds of thousands of pushups and sit ups and running and skipping. what would you make of that?

Esse85

I think its down to good genetics.

Good read.

maradona10

bull****

WHIP IT!

Jonny303 wrote: »

Just reading frank bruno's autobiography at the moment and he says in it that he never ever lifted weights. did little more conditioning wise than hundreds of thousands of pushups and sit ups and running and skipping. what would you make of that?

It's believable, just sounds boring as f*ck as far as a training routine is concerned.

celestial

I've heard the same of Mayweather's training too - that he doesn't do weight training at all. He skips, spars, runs, but no sign of weights..

gabgab

I saw a documentary on Hatton and he does weights work as part of his training,

maradona10

mayweather uses weights. leonard ellerby was brought into his camp to help him move up the weight classes. ellerby is now his main advisor

Wibbs

maradona10 wrote: »

bull****

Maybe not. I have a mate who is built, I mean looks like he spends at least some of his time pushing iron, but he doesn't. His job doesn't involve heavy lifting either. He's just lucky genetically. God knows what he would be like if he actually trained.

Money Shot

A lot of boxers would do little or no weights - Hatton has been criticised in some circles for doing too much weights in his training and suggested that it could have been the reason why he has bombed at the back end of certain fights and some have said it has slowed him down and made him a bit robotic.

Amazingly, there are other ways to get in shape than just using weights.

Roper

WHIP IT! wrote: »

It's believable, just sounds boring as f*ck as far as a training routine is concerned.

Some people would say that lifting a bar repeatedly over yourself was boring as fvck.

Bruno did thousands of rounds on the heavy bags, thousands of rounds with a trainer on pads and thousands of rounds in the ring sparring. He also did squats, push ups sit ups and so on thousands of times.

There is also a commonly held belief in boxing that weight training slows you down, which may have some basis in the fact that most boxers who lift tend to be moving up in weight and so would probably slow down anyway. I know lots of guys who are in great shape who have never lifted a weight but have got that way from sports.

BaZmO*

Don't boxers have to do weights to strenghten their neck muscles?
How could you do that without actually doing weight training?

Petrolium Hat

Jonny303 wrote: »

Just reading frank bruno's autobiography at the moment and he says in it that he never ever lifted weights. did little more conditioning wise than hundreds of thousands of pushups and sit ups and running and skipping. what would you make of that?

Push ups and situps are resistance work. Conditioning, technique, speed and natural strength are so much more important than anything heavy weights could bring. Particularly in the eight weeks coming up to the fight. Different fighters have different training techniques though. Besides that though, I'd hardly take Frank Bruno's life as a model on what needs to be done to be a success.

Money Shot

Roper wrote: »

I know lots of guys who are in great shape who have never lifted a weight but have got that way from sports.

Me too - I'd imagine they'd all be spoofing though, as I doubt it's really possible :rolleyes:

Petrolium Hat

Money Shot wrote: »

Me too - I'd imagine they'd all be spoofing though, as I doubt it's really possible :rolleyes:

I think the point is you don't have to lift weights conventionally to do resistance work. Squat trusts as an example, would primarily used for cardio fitness but it's going to improve muscle stamina and strength no end if done properly. Even if it isn't considered "doing weights".

Money Shot

Petrolium Hat wrote: »

Besides that though, I'd hardly take Frank Bruno's life as a model on what needs to be done to be a success.

Yeah, but he has a six pack, sucess enough for anybody surely

Roper

Every single sporting technique and most training techniques involve resistance of some sort. When people refer to weight training, they are usually referring to the use of dumbells or barbells. We could split hairs and say that because he wore 20oz gloves in sparring, he was doing 20oz weights, or because he shoved up his garage door in the morning he was military pressing. He got his resistance for his training elsewhere.

As for the building the neck question, I can think of about 10 exercises to do that would work the neck without using extra weight other than the body or the head. Very effective ones too.

LOL at the bullsh1t and shock-horror comments though. Weight training not the only way to get strong shocker!

celestial

Roper wrote: »

LOL at the bullsh1t and shock-horror comments though. Weight training not the only way to get strong shocker!

Ha yeah:D Back to class lads - muscle building 101 - it's any form of resistance that builds muscle...

cowzerp

Heavt bag is resistance work, and really works your back, chest and shoulders explosively! most boxers of that time would not have done weights..

now they do but not for bulk, just for explosive power..

siochain

Petrolium Hat wrote: »

Besides that though, I'd hardly take Frank Bruno's life as a model on what needs to be done to be a success.

I take my hat off to anyone who has won a WBC heavyweight title regardless of what other struggles he’s had in life outside the ring. In fact I respect anyone who has the balls to get in a ring at any level.

Last I knew he was still alive too.

Petrolium Hat

siochain wrote: »

I take my hat off to anyone who has won a WBC heavyweight title regardless of what other struggles he’s had in life outside the ring. In fact I respect anyone who has the balls to get in a ring at any level.

Last I knew he was still alive too.

I didn't say don't take your hat off to him and I didn't mention struggles outside the ring. It was a tongue in cheek comment really anyway more to do with HP ads than anything else. Just as much to say take it with a pinch of salt. Like anything.

As for "In fact I respect anyone who has the balls to get in a ring at any level. " m'eh, life's not the rocky anthology, I tend to respect people for more than just deciding they want to punch someone with shorts and gloves on. If that's your prerequisite fair play though.
Each to his own.

siochain

Let’s be very clear I have no prerequisite at all for respecting anyone.

Everyone is in titled to respect first up, in particular I would have more respect for anyone who can get up most days and make a positive difference in theirs or others lives and for those who have the guts to step out of their comfort zone to achieve their dreams, regardless if those dreams are sports related.

Petrolium Hat

siochain wrote: »

Let’s be very clear I have no prerequisite at all for respecting anyone.

Everyone is in titled to respect first up, in particular I would have more respect for anyone who can get up most days and make a positive difference in theirs or others lives and for those who have the guts to step out of their comfort zone to achieve their dreams, regardless if those dreams are sports related.

Sorry boss but you're sounding even more like a tag line from a rocky film mixed with some flick where tom cruise stops the world blowing up.

Relax a bit I don't think you know Mr Bruno personally, so don't take anything said about him so much to heart. I was only making a throw away comment in the first place, have a wee bit of perspective and just let it go. My main point was about resitance work and how it doesn't have to come from lifting a barbell. Concentrate on saying yay or nah to that if you want to comment on my posts, and leave the insprational speeches to someone else (and this is intended to be constructive) it ends up sounding really cheesey otherwise.

Dragan

Back on topic please, and that topic is NOT Frank Bruno's personal life or what may have come before in this thread.

Careful now.

Dragan
- Moderator.

siochain

apologies OP for taking this off topic, haven't read the book, whats your impression of Frank winner or looser in life?


Petrolium Hat, I let if go at Today 15:35. You have a go at a pro athlete and dress it up as off the cuff then have a pop at me as dress it up as constructive. :rolleyes: Enough said…..

Roper

Frank Bruno has clinically diagnosed psychological problems which have nothing to do with his athletic achievements. Leave him be.

Petrolium Hat

siochain wrote: »

apologies OP for taking this off topic, haven't read the book, whats your impression of Frank winner or looser in life?


Petrolium Hat, I let if go at Today 15:35. You have a go at a pro athlete and dress it up as off the cuff then have a pop at me as dress it up as constructive. :rolleyes: Enough said…..

Think you meant "loser" rather than "looser" unless you were on about the loosing of his belt through weight loss. God forbid I dare mention the word of a professional athlete in vain. Again though I was more on about HP ads, getting killed by tyson than anything else. The man was both respected and laughed at far before anything came out about his mental health problems. Jaysus pub conversions with you about last nights footie must be really exciting. "but he gets paid to do a sport please don't slag him". Have a bit of a sense of humour and perspective about it, and stop freting it's not like I'm talking about your mate. Do you scream at dunphy on the telly every night?

Being really non off the cuff or anything else now. He is a really interesting character there's no doubt. Fascinating in fact. And your question above is a decent one. He's biggest success is agruebly over coming all his demons or certainly being to cope with them. In many ways his title win in the ring is kind of deminished by the way he was annilated as champ by an old, soon to be beaten by an even older holyfield, Tyson.

rubadub

Roper wrote: »

He also did squats, push ups sit ups and so on thousands of times.

Petrolium Hat wrote: »

Push ups and situps are resistance work.

Exactly, he did lift weight, in the form of flesh and blood. For some bodyweight exercises you need a lot of strength. I have done 78 pushups before, 70 would be standard for me, but put my hands close together and I am down to 15. Some gymnastics moves take a hell of a lot of strength.

I did some searching and found many saying Bruno did not do well because of his "bodybuilder physique"

I found this site
This quote is only from some guy in a forum, so dunno about the truth in it. ("mike" is tyson)

Mike told Ian Darke (Sky commentator) his above
workout regime when he visited England to watch a
Frank Bruno fight in March 1987. Durke told Mike that
Bruno trained like a bodybuilder and asked Mike about
this, but Mike said that floor exercises and natural
exercises work better.

A search gives Brunos weight as 224-248lb a fair amount to be using. That would be like me doing weighted work with a 30kg vest on.

I do know a guy who is pretty strong, not huge, high testosterone, beardy and very tall. I now reckon he is strong from unconsciously doing isometrics. I only thought of it recently, he always gripped peoples hands hard and I since noticed that he is always very tensed up. Also takes recreational drugs that only seem to increase this habit.

Roper

Petrolium Hat wrote: »

Think you meant "loser" rather than "looser" unless you were on about the loosing of his belt through weight loss.

You are both big and clever.

celestial

Petrolium Hat wrote: »

Think you meant "loser" rather than "looser" unless you were on about the loosing of his belt through weight loss.

Rule #1 of correcting other folks' linguistic mistakes - make sure your own grammar and spelling is up to scratch first.

Hanley

celestial wrote: »

Rule #1 of correcting other folks' linguistic mistakes - make sure your own grammar and spelling is up to scratch first.

How many times did you check that post for mistakes before posting it....?

celestial

Hanley wrote: »

How many times did you check that post for mistakes before posting it....?

Hahaha:D Actually only very briefly!

Verry, verri breefly.

Petrolium Hat

celestial wrote: »

Rule #1 of correcting other folks' linguistic mistakes - make sure your own grammar and spelling is up to scratch first.

No rule number one is make sure any spelling mistakes don't change the meaning of the word. I actually wasn't trying to be awkward, anytime I've noticed that mistake on boards and been active on a thread I've done that. It's quite a common and a bit weird it's not picked up on more.

Petrolium Hat

Roper wrote: »

You are both big and clever.

Thanks not as big and clever as frank clearly.

Dragan

Which part of back on topic did you people not get?

Infractions on the way.

Dragan
- Moderator.

Roper

BTW, I'm not anti-weights in boxing just pointing out that people have achieved strength without them. Here's an excerpt from Evander Holyfield's training in the 90s. Pre Buster Douglas. Interestingly, a lot of boxing commentators observed that Holyfield had slowed considerably. But then again, he was a very small heavyweight always trying to be heavier.

Weight Training: initially (during mesocycle one) Evander followed a modified
bodybuilding and basic strengthening program using a "variable split"
format. A, B and C specify whether the workout is to be a very easy one (A), a moderately
difficult one (B), or a high intensity one (C). This part of Evander's
program was monitored by Lee Haney, multiple "Mr. Olympia" bodybuilding
champion, and a former student of mine.

EVANDER'S VARIABLE SPLIT EXERCISE LISTING (precise schedule of when to do an
A, B or C workout was adjusted to match Evander's recuperative
abilities)

Chest A workout -- bench press
B workout -- add dumbbell bench press
C workout -- add incline dumbbell bench press

Shoulders A workout -- seated dumbbell presses
B workout -- add frontal dumbbell raises
C workout -- add lateral raises

Back A workout -- bent rows, back extensions
B workout -- add modified pull-ups
C workout -- add pull-downs

Arms A workout -- EZ curls, pushdowns
B workout -- add hi, moderate and low rep system
C workout -- add dumbbell curls, dips

Legs A workout -- safety squats, keystone deadlifts
B workout -- add lunge walking, glute-ham raises
C workout -- add twisting squats, leg curls

Midsection A workout -- Russian twists
B workout -- add pre-stretched crunches
C workout -- add sidebends

In mesocycle two, Evander switched to a sports-specific weight training
program.

Petrolium Hat

Roper wrote: »

BTW, I'm not anti-weights in boxing just pointing out that people have achieved strength without them. Here's an excerpt from Evander Holyfield's training in the 90s. Pre Buster Douglas. Interestingly, a lot of boxing commentators observed that Holyfield had slowed considerably. But then again, he was a very small heavyweight always trying to be heavier.

Weight Training: initially (during mesocycle one) Evander followed a modified
bodybuilding and basic strengthening program using a "variable split"
format. A, B and C specify whether the workout is to be a very easy one (A), a moderately
difficult one (B), or a high intensity one (C). This part of Evander's
program was monitored by Lee Haney, multiple "Mr. Olympia" bodybuilding
champion, and a former student of mine.

EVANDER'S VARIABLE SPLIT EXERCISE LISTING (precise schedule of when to do an
A, B or C workout was adjusted to match Evander's recuperative
abilities)

Chest A workout -- bench press
B workout -- add dumbbell bench press
C workout -- add incline dumbbell bench press

Shoulders A workout -- seated dumbbell presses
B workout -- add frontal dumbbell raises
C workout -- add lateral raises

Back A workout -- bent rows, back extensions
B workout -- add modified pull-ups
C workout -- add pull-downs

Arms A workout -- EZ curls, pushdowns
B workout -- add hi, moderate and low rep system
C workout -- add dumbbell curls, dips

Legs A workout -- safety squats, keystone deadlifts
B workout -- add lunge walking, glute-ham raises
C workout -- add twisting squats, leg curls

Midsection A workout -- Russian twists
B workout -- add pre-stretched crunches
C workout -- add sidebends

In mesocycle two, Evander switched to a sports-specific weight training
program.

You do have to take into account that in the early 90's holyfield was in his early thirties so slowing down naturally anyway. And as you said his size meant he had to do more strength work anway. I mean he was fighted at 208 an awful lot, up against guys at 250. He's not going to nearly as quick as he was for cruiserweight, and he's going to have to hit so much harder.(considering in the 80s he was fighted guys at 75 pounds lighter than he was in the 90s) Think his slowness had as much to do with his in ring tactics as much as anything else. If he went hell for leather with a guy much younger than him for 12 rounds he'd be gassed.(well you have to exclude foreman and holmes from this bracket but still...). You also have to take into account that the guy had contracted hepatitus which wouldn't exactly put a spring in your step.