How Do Boxers Train for Fights?
- Many boxers participate in circuit training regimes. These regimes combine both aerobic exercises with resistance training in intense programs that typically repeat exercises a set number of times, or else over the duration of a predetermined period of time. Typical exercises included in a circuit routine include burpees, star jumps and situps, as well as skipping and even shadow boxing. Such routines tend to mix up these exercises to imitate the fast-moving nature and demands of a boxing bout.
- Running distances helps to build fitness and endurance levels. Boxers may choose to undertake running exercises in a traditional fashion, by taking part in long, slow distance runs; however, the Body Building website recommends instead that boxers train via interval running. In this exercise, the boxer runs over a short distance, generally between 650 and 2,500 feet at a time, which replicates the round-based nature of a boxing bout, where participants fight for brief, intense periods of time before resting.
- Boxers in training need to carefully plan the foods they'll eat in the run-up to a fight. In general, boxers should eat five or six meals each day, spaced out over the course of the day, but as the fight approaches, individuals should eat less at each mealtime, as the Talk Boxing website suggests. Foods suitable include cereal and fruit, as well as starchy foods such as pasta, while foods to avoid include beans and vegetables that can lead to diarrhea. Boxers should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
- Boxers need to keep their strength up for maximum impact inside the ring. For that reason, they undertake plenty of power training to prepare for a bout. Such activity includes heavy strength training, such as lifting weights or medicine balls; ballistics, high-velocity exercise generally involving throwing medicine balls; and plyometric exercises, which feature short, powerful movements such as jumps.
- Being physically in shape to box is vital, but mental strength can also contribute to a boxer's in-ring success. Boxers need to have the confidence in their abilities to succeed. Boxers should analyze their own strengths, and also look at their own preparation, as a method of raising their self-confidence. As suggested by the GB Boxing website, boxers who simply base their confidence on their win record are more likely to succumb to doubt, while individuals who take comfort from their overall preparation retain their mental strength.
