Was told don't need long distance running for boxing?

[Clubber Lang]

I asked this question a month or two ago on another board.

Ok, here's a question I was discussing with a coworker. My coworker is a personal trainer and used to wrestle competitively in college (not a major school or anything). I told him I used to box amateurs and that I used to hate running because I would always get shin splints and that all the running I did burned alot of my muscle and not to mention the fact that even with the running my stamina was always sub-par.

He suggested that running 5 days a week while boxing was foolish because I was already getting enough conditioning from my boxing workouts (sparring,bag work, mitt work, jump roping,etc.). He said that I was probably overtrained and that's why my stamina was lacking. He also said that the running was killing my legs, knees, and feet thus hampering me in the ring.

He also said that sprinting 2 days a week would be more beneficial than running long distances 5 days a week for a number of reasons. He said that it would build your fast twitch muscle fibers better, that it would strengthen your legs and abs better, that because it was an anaerobic exercise it would burn fat instead of muscle, that it would take a FAR less toll on your feet, knees, and shin splints, that it would help you get into far better "fight" condition, and that seeing your only doing it 2 days a week you would still have enough energy to devote 100% into your boxing workouts. He also said to only weight train twice a week and to only do abs three times a week (in addition to my 5 days of boxing training). He said that if I do this I will be in MUCH better condition and I will have more energy and be more explosive. He also asked me to look at marathon runners and sprinters and asked "who do you think would be in better condition to fight a 3 rounds of 3 minutes amateur boxing match?" Ofcourse I said sprinters.

He is NOT the first person that told me this? So what do you guys think? Should I ditch the long distance running for sprints? Is sprinting 2 days a week enough? Should I bump it to 3? Cut it to 1? Please help me.

 

[Synpax]

Maybe ask on the Cardio board.

 

[eat big]

all i know is muhammad ali ran his ass off.

 

[tbuz67]

That does make some sense. As far as the roadwork that professional boxers like Muhammed Ali did, they're training for 10 or 12 round fights. 15 rounds back in Ali's day. They need the conditioning of both sprinters and marathon runners.
Speaking of Ali, I remember seeing a clip of him doing roadwork. It went something like this. As he was running, he was telling the camera something like, "I'll run to the point where my lungs feel like bursting, my legs feel like jello and they're about to give out on me, where every step hurts so bad that I feel like collapsing and that I can't take another step. Its at that point where I know I'm half-way through."

thats what it takes i guess

 

[tbuz67]

Clubber, you said you posted this on another board. What kind of responses did you get?

 

[sasharawkz]

If you are fighting 3 minutes rounds...you need to work on cardio some. Your anaerobic switches at about the 2 minute mark to aerobic. However, his points on working the anaerobic are valid too. Being able to perform all out work for those few minutes and then recover in between rounds is key to a succsseful fight. Best of luck!!

 

[Bulldog_10]

All you have to do to figure this out is do an analysis of your sport. You work for 3 minutes, and rest for a bit, work 3 minutes, rest, and so on. So long-distance running is a pretty ineffective method of training for boxing.

Interval running would be more appropriate. Not sprints, but what we call "striding" would be the most effective method for you. Striding isn't quite sprinting, but it's more than a jog.

I was the strength coach for a football team for a while, and we used to stride the length of the field, and then walk the width of the field, then repeat. This will build both your cardiovascular endurance and also fit more with the demands of your sport than simple long-distance jogging would.

I'd do something like the striding method I outlines (maybe, for you, it would be better to jog 3 minutes, walk a minute, and repeat 10 or so times 3-4 days a week)...while also incorporating days of sprints and days of long-distance jogging in between, maybe once a week...just to keep all your other energy systems up to par.

 

[not_big_enuf]

bulldog hit it RIGHT ON THE HEAD.

i boxed when i was younger and here's what i'd suggest. it's hard but worth it. i don't know what you do for cardio, but for me, a treadmill actually works the best. run your ass off for 3 minutes, and i mean hard. almost as hard as you can, probably 90%, then do 3 minutes low paced, then go hard again. continue this cycle until you can't walk. give yourself a few days rest and repeat. keep the cycles short, i'd go 10 hard sessions total. that'd be an hour a session. you might not be able to do that right away, but try it and see, you won't regret it!

 

[KOArtist]

bulldog hit it RIGHT ON THE HEAD.

Yep, he said exactly what I would have too. Throw in a set of 10 all out 100m sprints on one of your running days too, boxing is more anaerobic than aerobic. Science has progressed damn far since Ali's days, he wouldnt be doing the exact same stuff if he was a fighter today.