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Going the distance in a professional boxing match requires the highest level of fitness. Some of this is built in the ring, but modern boxers also rely on conditioning sessions elsewhere to ensure they are ready for a fight.
Steady-state running has long been a popular option for doing this. But Dr Rhys MorrisA senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University and strength and conditioning coach specializing in boxing says it doesn’t offer optimal bang for your buck, especially if you’re an amateur or part-time athlete.
,[Steady state running] Has its place,” he says. “If you have a polarized athlete – i.e. boxing is high-intensity – you may want to supplement it with long, aerobic steady-state conditioning, but the training volume should be through the roof.”
To achieve the desired training adaptations for a high-level athlete, Morris estimates he will need to spend eight to 10 hours per week on the pavement. For most people, this is not an option.
“You need to go after those low-hanging pieces of fruit,” he says, “and for me HIIT or sprint interval training is where you should spend the majority of your time if you’re a part-time athlete.” “It’s about being efficient with the time you have.”
Below, Morris explains a simple but effective protocol you can use to skyrocket your fitness levels.
How to Do Dr. Rhys Morris’s Boxing Conditioning Workout
Complete four rounds in the following order:
- Four minutes of work at about 85-95 percent heart rate
- four minutes rest
The modalities here are not set in stone. You can run, swim, cycle or complete a circuit workout, as long as the intensity is consistent with the overall prescription. “Intention” is key, says Morris.
He adds, “The body doesn’t know whether you’re asking it to adapt, beyond local muscle adaptations, by getting on an exercise bike or going for a run.” “It’s about generating the necessary tension in those high heart rate zones to drive the adaptations you’re pursuing.”
However, he says there are factors you can use to choose the appropriate form of conditioning.
Morris explains, “If you’re working with a fighter who is heavier than typically expected, they may need to create a calorie deficit and the mechanical stress of running to make sure they’re still making weight.”
In simple terms: running and recovery take more energy, so it can be a useful tool for weight management in athletes. Heavy boxers may find running more taxing on their bodies due to their size.
“If you’re so lucky that your boxer lives in [weight] Whatever parameters you set, off-feet conditioning is probably best for reducing that mechanical load and preventing the body from running faster,” says Morris. “It all depends on the athlete and the situation you find yourself in.”
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Benefits of this workout
“This workout will provide the impetus needed to make a change,” says Morris. “Nine times out of 10, what you need [in terms of fitness, as a boxer] To increase cardiac output and mitochondrial efficiency or biogenesis.”
Cardiac output refers to the amount of blood pumped by the heart each minute – this blood provides oxygen to fuel your muscles and activities.
Mitochondrial biogenesis is the formation of new mitochondria, the powerhouse of muscle cells. Mitochondrial efficiency is the ability of these muscle cells to convert fuel into ATP, the body’s energy currency. If you can improve in these areas, it is likely that it will allow you to work harder physically for longer periods of time, leading to performance in a positive direction.
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How to adapt this workout to suit your fitness needs
“For this workout, you’ll want to manipulate your work-rest ratio based on where you are in your boxer’s camp,” says Morris.
He explains that four minutes of rest between rounds is a good place to start, giving the athlete a chance to replenish ATP stores and feel significantly refreshed at each new interval. This means they can maintain high intensity throughout the entire work period and maximize positive training adaptations.
Morris adds, “As you get closer to the fight, you’ll want to start putting a little more stress on them by reducing the rest.” This comes closest to replicating the fighting format, where boxers alternate between three minutes of work and a one-minute break.
Fights are intense and unpredictable. For this, Morris recommends “off-rhythm conditioning”.
“With one of the boxers I work with, we might have a total 20-minute block of work, but within that we might go for two rounds of two on, 30 seconds off, then change it to three minutes on, one minute off.
“We’re still working on the same work-rest ratio, pursuing the same optimizations, but I’ll be using some different stimuli to keep them engaged.”
This approach also prevents habituation, where the body becomes familiar with a certain type of training, slowing down training adaptations.
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