Powerlifter vs Boxer

[JFG]

hi JFG

I'm one of those guys who lifts heavy weights and is trying to bulk up, I can't seem to understand though why coaches wouldn't want a boxer to liftweights heavily and get bigger and stronger muscles, wouldn't having strong powerful arms add to the amount of punching power a boxer already possess and make them more devastating in the ring?? Boxers like Mike Tyson & Roy jones all look pretty big don't they weight lift?

I do want to take up boxing, just don't got the money right now to join another gym so I'm weight lifting instead to bulk up, I do want to compete and become a better street fighter. I just want to know does strength and size make even a remote difference when it comes to boxing??

Concentrating on weight lifting to get big and bulky will generate some power in your punch. However, more important is speed and technique.

Also time and energy spent bulking up is time that would be better spent sparring, heavy bag work, skipping, speed bag, double end bag, focus mits, long distance running, wind sprints, push ups, sit ups etc. You will learn yourself when you put the gloves on and do a proper heavy bag work out or sparring session where time spent bulking up gets you.

If you want to be a bodybuilder who knows the technique to throw a decent punch... you can keep going with the weight lifting. If you want to seriously be competitive in amateur and/or pro boxing, you're gonna have to focus much of your energy elsewhere.

Also, you may still be able to beat on a good boxer who is smaller than you in the street because the streets have no rules. You could take him down, get on top of him and ground and pound. That being said, a good boxer who is smaller that you will probably hit harder, faster and more accurate than you.

Hope this helps. I'm not getting down on body building... it's just a very different thing than boxing and the conditioning focuses on very different areas with different goals.

[Cyclops]

Both Holyfield and Tyson did weight training along with thier boxing training. Holyfield mentioned that it greatly helped his overall boxing. The were not powerlifters though.

[twtguy]

Both Holyfield and Tyson did weight training along with thier boxing training. Holyfield mentioned that it greatly helped his overall boxing. The were not powerlifters though.

Im guessing their training was with lower weight and higher reps though. That type of weight training can help because it helps build muscle endurance.

[georgie]

if you want to train with weights for boxing then keep your reps low and explosive do lots of plometrics and your main goal should be "how can i get faster?" for the record on the street brute stength has won more fights than anything else in history.......but overall speed is KING....strive for it , master it ...think fast to be fast.

[warriorsingh86]

what exactly are plyometrics?? are those like compound exercises (squat,benchpress, BB rows??)

[georgie]

plyometrics are exercises done in an explosive manner to develop your fast twitch fibres for the development of speed and power...sprinters, track and field, speed skaters etc. all use this type of training for explosive performance ....used a lot now by MMArtists , boxers ...here some good articles on ithttp://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/plymo.htm http://www.weightsnet.com/Docs/plyometrics.html http://http://www.sport-fitness-advi...yometrics.html