Boxer's Workout and Diet
With a well-designed training regimen, boxers can develop anaerobic and aerobic endurance, power, foot-and-hand speed and hand-eye coordination. Workouts typically split between weight training for anaerobic strength and cardio sessions incorporating boxing for aerobic endurance. By following a balanced nutritional plan, boxers can build a lean physique while maintaining high energy.
A female boxer hitting a heavy bag in a gym. (Image: Jupiterimages/Stockbyte/Getty Images)Hitting the Weights
As a major component of a typically split boxing workout, weight training involves compound and isolation exercises to strengthen the upper and lower body. In a five-day training schedule, you can do resistance exercises for your back and legs on Tuesday and then work your chest and arms on Thursday. Lifts for the lower body can include 10 reps and four sets of deadlifts, squats, wide-grip pull-downs and one-arm dumbbell rows. In addition, you can do supersets of leg extensions with supine leg curls and calf raises, performing 10 reps for three sets. Upper body lifts can include four sets of 10 reps of bench presses, incline presses and incline flyes -- all of which can be performed with dumbbells. To cap your chest and arms workout, do three sets of dips to muscle failure, which you can superset with three sets of 10 reps of dumbbell curls.
Boxing, Jump Roping and Circuits
To build endurance and hone your boxing technique, the second part of your split workout can involve three days -- Monday, Wednesday and Friday -- of a cardio routine. Exercises can include three sets of three-minute intervals of jumping rope, hitting the speed bag, shadowboxing and punching the heavy bag. These boxing exercises can be interwoven into a circuit with other exercises, such as burpees, lunge thrusts and lateral bounds. For bodyweight exercises, aim to complete 20 reps for four sets. Add six sets of plyometric pushups, doing as many reps as possible before muscle failure. You can also incorporate abdominal and shoulder exercises to fill out a circuit. For example, set up a circuit of 30-second stations, which include straight cross punches, overhead punches, shoulder presses and lateral raises with dumbbells. Limit rest periods to 60 seconds between sets or circuits to keep your heart rate up at a consistent level.
Medicine Balls for Power
Boxers often use medicine balls to build explosive force via plyometric exercises, which take advantage of your muscles' stretch-shortening property. By doing a variety of medicine ball throws, such as chest passes, overhead passes, underarm passes, high throws and one-armed shotput-type throws, you can develop upper body power, according to “Medical Aspects of Boxing” by Barry Jordan. The addition of twisting throws to workouts will strengthen your obliques and other core stabilizing muscles. Exercises can include back-to-back passes with a partner, standing lateral throws and seated or standing over-the-shoulder passes. You can incorporate medicine ball exercises into circuits on days dedicated to upper-body cardio.
Stick to the Basics: Nutrition
There is no single magical boxing diet that can be prescribed for everyone. However, 45 to 55 percent of a boxer's diet should consist of carbohydrates, which can include whole grain pasta and brown rice. A plate of brown rice and beans is one of the best and inexpensive meals for a boxer in training. Various sources of protein -- fish, poultry, eggs, tofu, lean red meat, nuts -- should account for 30 to 40 percent of your diet. Fifteen percent of your diet should come from essential fats or fatty acids -- Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats -- and monounsaturated fats found in avocados, seeds and olives. Eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as you can and drink at least a gallon of water daily. Avoid sugar-filled or highly processed foods as well as fried foods.
