Strength Training for Boxers

Tom pre strength training session

Optimising Time

Compound weight training should be a key component of any boxer’s strength and conditioning diet (see ‘Why You Need to Squat in Boxing’ for more information on the king/queen of compound exercises). Planning strength training around boxing training can be complicated, however, and it can be a challenge to fully optimise one’s time in the ring, track and weights room.

Most boxers at an amateur level and even many pros are either working full time, part time, or studying - there are very few who have the luxury of training full time without financial stressors bearing down on them. Therefore, naturally it would make sense to prioritise boxing over any other aspect of training. However, I think it’s safe to say, most boxers can and should aim to squeeze in at least 2 solid strength sessions a week.

Volume and Intensity

With programming I have found more often than not, less is more in the weights room, especially with the volume and intensity.

If I was working on absolute strength/general strength and training two times a week I would spend those days in the gym as follows…

Day 1, Volume Day:

• Squats 5x5

• Bench Press/Over Head Press 5x5

• Pull Ups/Weighted Pull Ups/Rows 5x5

• Power Cleans 5x5

Day 2, Intensity Day:

• Squats 5RM

• Bench Press/Over Head Press 5RM

• Pull Ups/Weighted Pull Ups/Rows 5RM

• Deadlift/RDL/Good Mornings 5RM

This is very closely based off the Texas Method (see Mark Rippetoe’s Book, Practical Programming for Strength Training, Edition 3, for more detail about this program), however the Texas Method has a deload day using the barbell which I have excluded from my version, for reasons I will reveal later in the article.

Much like the Texas Method, the volume percentage of the weights used for the volume day should be 80-90% of a 5RM for each exercise.

For the intensity day the athlete will aim to add a small amount on to their 5RM each week, thus increasing the 80-90% percentage used for the volume day.

At the start of the program the amount of weight being added on each week may be a fair amount, but will get incrementally smaller as the weight gets heavier. Also much like the Texas Method, if the athlete gets to the point where they are barely making the 5RMs on the intensity day, they should drop from a 5RM to two sets of 3 reps, for as heavy as possible. They should aim to do this for a few weeks, when this occurs they should also take 5-10% off the weight they have worked up to on their volume day the next week for a slight reset.

The volume day will always remain 5x5 and should be kept at a weight where the athlete can complete the 5x5. They may have long breaks between sets (up to 10 minutes) and there must be a heavy focus on technique and form throughout, as there should be in any program.

Once the athlete can no longer make the 2 sets of triples on intensity day (which may take some athletes only a couple of weeks), they should drop down to 2 reps for 2-3 sets so they further up the intensity with this new rep range. In a couple to few weeks, once the lifter has exhausted this rep scheme, they should drop down to an intenser still rep range of singles, aiming to do 5 sets of 1 rep on intensity day for a few weeks, always with the aim to increase weight on the bar and again, much like the Texas Method, once the athlete has exhausted the five singles, they may want to attempt a 1RM at the end of the program on intensity day, however this will not be a true 1RM as the athlete will still be fatigued from the previous volume day.

I want to make it clear again, this is very closely based off one of the variations of The Texas Method which I did not write, all credit for this format goes to Mark Rippetoe and his team for their knowledge and contribution to strength training. The big differences with my variation are the absence of a recovery day and options of exercises I have put in.

The reason I haven’t put the recovery day in which requires a deload with weights, is because as a boxer your recovery day should be something more specific and useful for boxing. This could be a light run or light technique day on the pads or shadow boxing. The exercises I have added that differentiate from the OG TM are pull ups, weighted pull ups, rows and DL variations. Rippetoe’s Texas Method consists of the squat, bench press, over head press, power cleans and deadlifts. For boxers I think that pull ups or pulls in the form of rowing must be trained as much as the push - the back is a key driving force for punching power as well as the reversal strength to getting the hands back to the face.

My reasoning for adding variations of the DL in is because the DL is extremely taxing on the central nervous system (CNS) and can take a long time to recover from ordinarily, but especially alongside training boxing. Therefore, in most boxers’ cases, it might be beneficial to focus on hinge lifts that aren’t going to be as taxing and perhaps every other week try and improve your 5RM on DL rather than weekly. After all, boxing is a skill sport, not a strength sport.

When To and When Not To Train Strength?

Boxing is heavily fatiguing with all the aspects of training needing attention, there will rarely be a time in season or in a camp where an athlete is feeling one hundred percent and ready to go until the tapering phase.

Having said this, as a general rule I would strongly recommend withholding the volume day at least 24 hours before sparring. With the intensity day, I would aim to allow at least two full days of recovery before sparring. This is to allow the CNS to recover so that the athlete can react, maintain good technique and ultimately get hit less in the spar preserving health in the long term. Clever training can and will prolong a fighter’s career and their cognitive ability after boxing.

For more in depth information about strength training programming for the general population and athletes, see Mark Rippetoe, Practical Programming for Strength Training, Edition 3.