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INSIDE SPORT: THE GRUELING FITNESS ROUTINES OF A PROFESSIONAL BOXER

Professional boxing is one of the most popular sports in the world. The noble art has a history that can be traced back hundreds of years before the rules of prizefighting as we know them today were published and brought into force.

Boxing is a compelling, exciting, and dramatic experience for armchair fans with the biggest title fights selling out huge arenas while pulling in millions of television viewers from around the globe. Predicting the winner of bouts is big business on the Las Vegas sports betting circuit as followers attempt to add even more excitement to the occasion.

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The mindset of a boxer

When the lights dim, the teams exit the ring and only the two fighters and referee are left on the canvas the show begins. Championship boxing is fought out over 12 three-minute rounds although a knockout will bring the bout to a premature end.

If tuning in to the next big fight shown live on television, you will notice the incredible shape both combatants are in. Not only are their bodies defined by muscle, but they’re also athletic with a seemingly endless supply of fitness.

When the first bell sounds to start the fight, we don’t see the product of months of hard work. Boxing, skipping, weights, circuits, running, swimming, sprinting, diet, and lots more. Many hard weeks of training is required before a professional boxer can step into the ring and face an opponent.

Here are three of our favourite boxing-related quotes…

-     ‘Fights are won and lost in the gym’

-     ‘Train hard, fight easy’

- ‘The harder you train the luckier you’ll be’

These explain the mindset of modern-day gladiators. The harder they work in the gym, away from the public eye, the more chance they’ll have of winning the bout when watched by millions. It’s a way of thinking that can be applied in most walks of life, not just boxing. Study hard or work hard and you’ll go places.

Training regime

Calling on the experiences of a professional boxer we were able to give our readers an insight into the fascinating life of a fighter in training. Below you’ll find some of the workouts they use when preparing for a contest.

You don’t have to be a combatant to follow this regime as many of the workouts can be adapted to suit the needs of the person driving to increase their fitness.

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Boxing

Professional boxers often train twice daily, five times a week. Their morning routine starts with a trip to the boxing gym where they shadow box to loosen up, carefully working through moves and combinations of punches. They then hit the heavy bag for six or more three-minute rounds. This is followed by a few rounds of the same duration on the focus mitts.

After their work on punching is over the attention turns to building stamina and explosiveness. This is done by completing round after round of bodyweight exercise circuits such as press-ups, squats, burpees. Each exercise is performed for 30 seconds before moving to the next for three minutes.

The session will usually finish with some light skipping for 10 minutes, either at a steady pace or with intervals of faster work thrown in, such as sprinting with the rope for the last 10 seconds of every minute. It’s then time to go through a sit-up circuit to strengthen the abs. Stretch, shower, and home to refuel and rest before the second session of the day.

Running

There are a few different forms of running used by boxers. To aid weight loss they jog for 45 minutes, sometimes wearing layers of clothing to help sweat off the pounds. The extra clothes and woolly hat associated with boxers running is becoming a thing of the past, however. Modern fights know the best way to lose weight and not water weight is through a strict diet.

Sprinting is another. Boxers will complete 10x 400m sprints with a 30-second rest to replicate the demands of a fight. This is great for improving fitness and losing weight. It can be done at a running track or going up steep hills.

Fancy giving it a try. It’s certainly not easy. Perhaps attempt shadow boxing around the room for three minutes without a break. You’ll then understand the difference between fit and fighting fit.

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