Building an Engine

May 23

There is an expression that is used a lot in boxing when a fighter is known for their fitness, that so and so “has a great engine on them.” In this article we will discuss what exactly the meaning behind that term is and how to build one.

Working in The Off Season

The off season is an opportunity to work on technical weaknesses as well as aspects of fitness and strength without the pressures of competition. It is therefore crucial that in the off season, there is a training plan. Off season, over the years, will accumulate to the majority of your technique, fitness and strength training. Specific training at an intense level should only be performed in camp when appropriate to how far out you are.

Building the Base

All the energy systems work together, so your aerobic, anaerobic and alactic systems must all be well conditioned. There can be no chink in the armour, or they will all fail. However as we are talking about the off season in this article, we will be discussing mainly the aerobic system. The reason we will be working mainly on this energy system in the off season is because it requires the most time to build. A good rule is that the longer it takes to build it the longer it takes to lose it, this applies with strength training also.

A Quick Rundown onThe Aerobic System

The aerobic energy system uses oxygen to make ATP and is used for long term energy production
It is the only energy system that can use fats to produce ATP as well as sugars (carbohydrates)
The aerobic energy system can be used for hours
Th aerobic byproducts of the aerobic system are CO2 and water

The Adaptations We Will See

Boxing relies heavily on the anaerobic and the alactic systems, these systems will be worked and taxed heavily in season, the aerobic system plays a key role as it is responsible for clearing the byproducts out and refuelling the anaerobic system’s mechanisms. Without a good aerobic energy system, you will not recover as efficiently as your opponents will.

Not only this, but the faster your aerobic system can produce ATP the longer it takes for your anaerobic system to kick in,raising the average of where the anaerobic threshold is and therefore, allowing you to produce more power at lower heart rates before switching to the anaerobic capacity. It’s like having a high powered engine in a car, the more powerful and bigger the engine, the harder and faster you can drive the vehicle without having to go up gears.

Training For the Engine

Although there are many, I will talk about 2 methods of training to increase aerobic capacity and power in this article - these two methods I think cover most aspects of aerobic conditioning in terms of physiological adaptation, whilst being the most suited for the off season.

The first of the secret formulas for gaining all these features we have spoke about?... old school boxing runs, or road work as old school boxing coaches will call them. Going for a good old fashioned long slow run. It’s not very sexy, interesting or new but it will help.

Long slow duration (LSD) runs will increase how much blood your heart can pump. LSD cardio increases the size of the left ventricle of the heart; it does this because whilst you are training in this way, the left ventricle fills with blood and stretches becoming bigger and more efficient. This then allows more blood and oxygen to be carried around the body – this is called eccentric cardiac hypertrophy.

The official term for thiskind of training is the ‘cardio output method’ and doesn’t have to be in the form of running, what’s important about this training is the heart rate. You want to train at a continuous heart rate of 120-150bpm and you’ll want to do this for 30 – 90 mins, 1-3 times a week. You could do a whole boxing session like this if you wanted as long as the heart rate is in this zone, skipping, shadow boxing, bags or pads.

This method of training is great for a deload session as well or can be done a day before sparring or an intense session. But ultimately, it is always beneficial to do lower intensity sessions if you’re in the off season where technique, fitness and strength can be the main focus.

The second training method I would suggest is the ‘cardiac power method’; this method is basically intensive interval training with a long break in-between the reps and series so that the athlete can be fully recovered and put out maximal power. This method is physiologically similar to the cardiac output method however instead of increasing the size of the left ventricle, it increases how forcefully the heart contracts and pumps blood out.

For this method, you’ll follow this structure:

work as hard as possible on a cardio exercise (I recommend something general far out from a fight and specific when you are closer to the fight) for 20-40 secs
allow yourself to rest for 1-3 mins untilyour HR is down to 110-130
go again.

You’ll want to perform 3 reps in a series and when a series is complete take a long break (8 – 15 mins) of active recovery; shadow boxing, skipping, light jogging… whatever you feel is appropriate for how far out from a fight you are. The break between series may seem like a long time and may seem excessive, however you’ll want to be exerting maximum output during your intervals generating as much power as possible as we are working on…power!

Summary

You should utilise 2 methods of training the aerobic base: the cardio output method, which , will help with recovery in-between rounds, and the cardiac power method, which will help with the capacity in the rounds.

These 2 methods of training are very easy to do anywhere, and are worth working on in the off season and fit well alongside an intense strength block if need be. You will however need a heart rate monitor (which is very much worth investing in), so that you can track your recovery properly and use it to help gauge your progress.

It should be noted I did not invent these methods of training; they have been around for a long time and have been tested and refined over years by coaches and scientists much smarter than myself.

For more in-depth information, a great book for athletes and coaches is ‘Ultimate MMA Conditioning’ by Joel Jamieson, which has a very clear breakdowns of energy systems, as well as how to structure a program leading up to fight.

For more tailored fight programs, message me on our instagram se_strengthltd

Gabriel Marsh