Bulking up.

[Turing]

I'm currently ~107 lbs. and 5 '2. I'm trying to pack on some muscle. I also realize as a wannabe boxer I'm gonna want to jump rope and perhaps run some as well. I also know that that is cardiovascular, and that cardiovascular activity is bad for gaining muscle. How heavy do you think I should try and get up to before I start adding some cardiovascular to my activity?

[platinum_angel]

cardiovascular is not bad for gaining muscle where did you get that. do cardiovascular eat eggs and peenut butter. in fact look at my thread called 8 great food. those will help you bulk up. if you are just geting fat then your workout is not intense enough. weight lift alot. don't have weights? then use your body.

[Guest]

Cardio training can be bad for muscle gaining, if you overdo it. You may see body builders doing light cardio sessions to trim away fat, but you won't see them hitting it hard.

Heavyweight boxers do hard cardio, but they also spend loads of time eating and sleeping.

Don't get me wrong. I think cardio is very worthwhile. But if you want to really bulk up, just do a couple of hard cardio sessions each week. Up your weight training, eating and sleeping.

[Turing]

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular IS bad for gaining muscle. It puts you in a more catabolic state. It also depletes your glycogen stores more. Can anyone else back me up here that cardiovascular is bad for keeping your body in an anabolic state of muscle gaining? By the way I'm not 100% sure on anabolic and catabolic, I may have the terms reversed.

[Guest]

No, you have them the right way round. You should, in my view, be able to at least maintain your aerobic fitness whilst bulking.

Lift, eat and sleep.

go here www.hardgainer.com for common sense and safe weight training advice.

[Turing]

Gaining

I'm familiar with how, and I think I have a good fitness program, and something much overlooked, a good meal plan. What I was planning on doing was something like I hear bodybuilders do. They go in 2 phases. They bulk up, then cut up. I'm trying to bulk up. What I'm wondering is how much weight do you think I should put on before I start doing more cardio to cut out some of the fat put on while gaining. Like do you think I should try and bulk up to 135 before starting a more traditional boxers workout? Cause right now I feel too small and if I jump into a boxers workout I won't be able to gain the muscle as quick. What do you guys think?

[terry]

30 lbs of muscle can take a while. 10 lbs a year is really good, and the 2nd year you have to work twice as hard as the first year. It's easier to do if you're only concerned with hypertophy and not functional strength. But for boxing you'll need it to be functional.

[platinum_angel]

i don't care what you say aerobic exercise is not BAD for gaining muscle. what do you think happens to your legs when you run. you think it makes them smaller or something. its not as good for bulking up as eating and weight lifting but its still good. by the way what do you think your heart is.

[Mateo]

I think a good way to build muscle and get in shape for boxing is to drop the distance work and focus on interval running and sprints until you gain the desired amount of weight.
Building muscle requires you to focus on targeting the fast-twitch muscle fibers.This is accomplished by performing heavy lifting or explosive movements like plyometrics and sprints.
I have also heard(and believe) that too much aerobic training can hamper gains in size and strength.The key words here are "too much".For reference, look at the legs of most long-distance runners.Many have very skinny legs.Now look at the legs of practically any short-distance runner(sprinter).Very strong and muscular.
Intervals(such as 400 or 600m runs) are a much more sport-specific way to prepare you for a boxing match than distance running is.

[Tom Yum]

Bulking up and strengthening are two different things. Keep in mind if you bulk up to 135 and then lets say cut down to 128, you will face fighters that might be as tall as 5'7". I sparred 3 rounds with a pro-boxer who is 5'6" and 130 and he kicked my ass; I'm 5'10" and weigh 164. I landed one clean hit; he landed 6 and they were hard for a smaller guy! People get cocky when they fight smaller guys, but looks can be decieving.

In boxing size isn't as important as power, speed, technique and stamina. You will naturally gain weight with regular lifting while training in boxing. Also eat alot of protein.

[Guest]

Originally posted by platinum_angel
i don't care what you say aerobic exercise is not BAD for gaining muscle. what do you think happens to your legs when you run. you think it makes them smaller or something. its not as good for bulking up as eating and weight lifting but its still good. by the way what do you think your heart is.

Yes. You're right. I mean, just look at all those marathon runners. They have massive legs.


ps - and I sure hope nothing makes you're heart bigger. Personally I don't want to die.

[terry]

Lack of proper sleep will affect your weight lifting ability the fastest. Lack of proper eating will do so as well. You'll hit the wall quickly. If you eat enough calories and protein, you actually have to do quite a bit of cardio before you start burning muscle. And you'll notice the drag on your strength performance rather incrementally. I'm not sure what the threshold is, but if you get less than 12 hours of cardio a week I think you're fine.

However, if you train for a marathon you'll burn muscle. One friend of mine figures he burned off about 20 lbs of muscle training for a marathon. While I couldn't quantify the muscle loss I do know that he lost 90 lbs off his squat and about 50 lbs off his bench. He can get the strength back, of course, but it takes work.

An endurance athlete like a marathoner doesn't need fast twitch muscle or upper body strength. And, if you train like a marathoner, you'll loose it.

Terry