Go the distance: use boxing conditioning to build knockdown, drag-out endurance and a champion's body

Men's Fitness, June-July, 2006 by Ross Enamait

Think about your toughest workouts--times when you lifted so heavy your head ached, or you ran so long your lungs burned. Now imagine doing both those things simultaneously, for 12 three-minute rounds, while being punched in the face. That's what a boxing match is like--a constant output of power and stamina that tests a fighter's psychological resolve as well as his physical limits.

This month, it's our goal to give you a taste of this kind of training (without making you taste leather in the process). We've put together an all-out endurance program based on the routines real fighters perform when readying themselves for the ring. But be warned: These workouts hit back. The pace you'll be working at will place a great demand on your cardiovascular system. Just as fighters must learn to dig deep and continue the battle when they're tired and hurt, adapting to these exhaustive workouts will prepare you for tougher weight workouts, cardio sessions, or any other physical activity you're into. Not only will you sculpt a knockout body--lean and tautly muscled--you'll gain the mental fortitude to gut through bouts of anything life can throw at you.

ANSWER THE BELL

Since not everyone has a legendary Gleason's or Kronk Gym in their neighborhood, we made sure the workouts don't require any specific boxing equipment, such as a heavy bag or focus mitts (although you will need a jump rope). Most of the time, you'll use your own body weight, performing familiar exercises like pullups, pushups, and jumping jacks--all full-body movements and great calorie burners. You'll also use a medicine ball, a longtime favorite of boxers for its ability to improve punching power and core strength.

The most important aspect of each workout is explosivity. You must move fast--popping up into the air, chucking the ball onto the floor, or throwing punches with bad intentions. More challenging still will be maintaining this intensity over the course of a circuit--one set of each exercise done back-to-back with no rest. Most athletes, such as football or baseball players, train to be explosive for only short periods, such as charging to make a tackle or running to first base. In fact, maintaining power for longer than a few seconds, and generating it repeatedly with little rest in between, is almost unheard of outside of boxing. That's where exercises like the burpee (the full-body power move seen in Workouts A and C) become so effective. You'll drop from a standing position into a crouch, then shoot your legs behind you and go into pushup position. Immediately reverse the motion, tucking your legs under your chest and then exploding upward into a jump. An old-time drill used by combat athletes and soldiers, the burpee is intended to tire you out, forcing you to work harder at the other exercises when you're already in a fatigued state.

While the first few sessions might leave you on the floor to be counted out, persistence will eventually reward you with superior conditioning. Soon you'll be able to maintain a high output of exercise for prolonged periods, and you'll find you can recover quicker between weight-training sets and cardio intervals.

WORKOUT A

DIRECTIONS

FREQUENCY: You'll work out three times a week (Workouts A, B, and C), resting at least a day between each session.

HOW TO DO IT: Perform Exercises 1-4 as a circuit, moving from one to the next with no rest in between. Set a timer: You'll complete an additional circuit every two minutes. For example, one circuit should take you approximately 75 seconds, so you'll have roughly 45 seconds before your next circuit (which begins at the 2:00 mark on your timer). Do as many circuits as you can in 20 minutes--your ultimate goal is one day to complete 10 circuits in 20 minutes.

Perform each exercise explosively, completing the reps with the highest speed that allows you to maintain good form.

For Exercise 2, lean back with the ball overhead at arm's length. As soon as you feel a stretch in your abs, immediately reverse the motion and throw the ball down into the floor. That's one rep.

WORKOUT A

1. REPS: 5

PULLUP

2. REPS: 10

MEDICINE-BALL SLAM

3. REPS: 15

BURPEE

4. REPS: 20

JUMPING JACK

[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

WORKOUTS B & C

DIRECTIONS: WORKOUT B

Perform the exercises as a circuit, resting as briefly as possible after Exercise 4. Perform eight total circuits.

Perform each exercise explosively, completing the reps with the highest speed that allows you to maintain good form.

For Exercise 4, place a ball on the floor and hop to the left and right of it. Stay light on your feet--the goal is to jump back to the other side of the ball as soon as you touch down on one side. Each landing is one rep.

DIRECTIONS: WORKOUT C

Perform the burpee for 30 seconds, then shadowbox for another 30 seconds. Continue alternating between the two exercises without rest for a full two- to three-minute "round." After the round, rest one minute. Perform four to six total rounds, For the shadowboxing, focus on throwing swift combinations of punches, such as jabs, crosses, hooks, and uppercuts (see page 150 for a description of each). Note: The shadowboxing is not to be done for active recovery--work hard, throwing powerful punches in succession.