Boxing vs Gaining Muscle ! ...and some questions

[Boy Racer]

My personal goal is to gain some muscle (not much, just to make my punches faster and to condition my body and make it stronger) and I would like to take your advice if my training is more or less ok. So this is how my week looks like:

Monday: morning - roadwork, evening - boxing 1 hour at boxing gym
Tuesday: morning - boxing 2 hours (university additional classes)
Wednesday: morning - roadwork, evening - boxing 1 hour at boxing gym
Thursday: morning - weightlifting at gym
Friday: evening - boxing 1 hour at boxing gym
Saturday: evening - weightlifting at gym
Sunday: Roadwork or rest (depends how I feel)

These are my questions:
1. Is this training ok for someone who has normal weight (189cm/6'2" and 86kg/190pounds and I'm 22yo).
2. Am I doing too much cardio? I try to stick to my diet and I try to eat a lot of chicken, rice, eggs, avocados... not to bore you, I try to eat healthy.
3. Should I add or replace roadwork with weight lifting training if I want to gain muscle? (and if so, can I add weight lifting on tuesday evening after boxing?)
4. Also I noticed that my abs are pretty weak. Guys who have more fat than me or train less, can do more reps during my boxing classes, and I need to help myself with my hands or legs. Also I train abs after my weight lifting and I can't even do all the reps. How can I be better at this? I want to have strong abs to better shield the punches.

What do you think about it? Let me know, I would appreciate it

[Madison Boxing]

i would say do 3x a week weights not 2x. do it on the monday and you can always throw in some hiit for 10 minutes at the end as your cardio. if your doing long plodding roadwork you may aswll not bother, i dont really understand it for boxing and my friend whos pretty knowledgable on sports science/PT says the same thing. Not really sport specific at all. in terms of weights, 5x5 stronglifts or wendler 5,3,1. 5,3,1 is probably better to avoid burnout tbh alongside program. i dont really understand the question about weak abs, just train them more? Hanging leg raises or ab wheel are the gold standard exercises in my opinion, do them alongside the big compound lifts and youll be good to go.

[Richard P]

i would say do 3x a week weights not 2x. do it on the monday and you can always throw in some hiit for 10 minutes at the end as your cardio. if your doing long plodding roadwork you may aswll not bother, i dont really understand it for boxing and my friend whos pretty knowledgable on sports science/PT says the same thing. Not really sport specific at all. in terms of weights, 5x5 stronglifts or wendler 5,3,1. 5,3,1 is probably better to avoid burnout tbh alongside program. i dont really understand the question about weak abs, just train them more? Hanging leg raises or ab wheel are the gold standard exercises in my opinion, do them alongside the big compound lifts and youll be good to go.

Probably boring people with my responses but TRX suspension training all the way, works your core and balance even when your not doing ab specific exercises

Roadwork has its place but I'm more about a fast sub 20min 5km or some hill sprints for 15 mins. On a rest day a gentle plod to keep the legs loose. under no circumstances do you just plod along as part of your training it is pointless.

Finally stretch everyday, do not neglect this, good 20 mins of stretching even on rest days.
Flexibility is as important as strength (but I am no longer 22)

[Boxfan83]

My personal goal is to gain some muscle (not much, just to make my punches faster and to condition my body and make it stronger) and I would like to take your advice if my training is more or less ok. So this is how my week looks like:

Monday: morning - roadwork, evening - boxing 1 hour at boxing gym
Tuesday: morning - boxing 2 hours (university additional classes)
Wednesday: morning - roadwork, evening - boxing 1 hour at boxing gym
Thursday: morning - weightlifting at gym
Friday: evening - boxing 1 hour at boxing gym
Saturday: evening - weightlifting at gym
Sunday: Roadwork or rest (depends how I feel)

These are my questions:
1. Is this training ok for someone who has normal weight (189cm/6'2" and 86kg/190pounds and I'm 22yo).
2. Am I doing too much cardio? I try to stick to my diet and I try to eat a lot of chicken, rice, eggs, avocados... not to bore you, I try to eat healthy.
3. Should I add or replace roadwork with weight lifting training if I want to gain muscle? (and if so, can I add weight lifting on tuesday evening after boxing?)
4. Also I noticed that my abs are pretty weak. Guys who have more fat than me or train less, can do more reps during my boxing classes, and I need to help myself with my hands or legs. Also I train abs after my weight lifting and I can't even do all the reps. How can I be better at this? I want to have strong abs to better shield the punches.

What do you think about it? Let me know, I would appreciate it

1. Is this training ok for someone who has normal weight (189cm/6'2" and 86kg/190pounds and I'm 22yo). What Size frame would you say you are? 190 can look chubby on 1 guy and anorexic on another even though you are 6'2"
2. Am I doing too much cardio? I try to stick to my diet and I try to eat a lot of chicken, rice, eggs, avocados... not to bore you, I try to eat healthy. haha I love cardio but as long as you are not going over an hour of cardio, you are ok. Anything over an hour burns muscle.
3. Should I add or replace roadwork with weight lifting training if I want to gain muscle? (and if so, can I add weight lifting on tuesday evening after boxing?) Why dont you do calisthenics? Burpees, pull-ups, and dips will add good lean muscle. Add a weight vest to it and you will be more than ok. You can add pushups to your roadwork and if you are fortunate like me to have a trail nearby with pull up bars, use it!
4. Also I noticed that my abs are pretty weak. Guys who have more fat than me or train less, can do more reps during my boxing classes, and I need to help myself with my hands or legs. Also I train abs after my weight lifting and I can't even do all the reps. How can I be better at this? I want to have strong abs to better shield the punches. And lol, man I have always had some fat around my stomach but I can do abs for days. I honestly dont know why its hard for skinny guys BUT I can say this. Abs are the LEAST mentally satisfying workout you can do. Of course I am sure you are aware weight lifting releases free testosterone leaving you feeling like a beast after a good weight lifting session. And obviously the bigger the muscle the more testosterone released. So with that said, your abs are very small muscles and not mentally satisfying to workout which leaves me to think this maybe more of a mental thing. Try to do them before your workout so you can get it over with and on to the more satisfying stuff so in the end you still feel like a beast!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

[Richard P]

You will get abs if you go sub 14% body fat, but to be honest genetics play a big part, look at Tyson Fury, had the stamina to dance around Klitch for 12 rounds that is exhausting in its own right but the guy has love handles.

What I'm trying to say is you can have fantastic stamina without the need to have a body like a Greek god

[Boy Racer]

Wow guys! The amount of feedback is great! Thank you for all your responses.

As for the roadwork, I just jog for like 20-30 minutes, but I will add some intensity and pushups and maybe pull ups? to it as you suggested.
Well, I have always been athletic and my friends say that I am rather skinny and definitely not chubby. I have just a littble bit of fat around my stomach and I don't mind it.
I will add one more weightlifting training on mondays and try to be more focused while doing abs!
I didn't stretch quite well before my trainings and neglected it, but everyone says that it is very important, so I will keep that in mind and stretch daily.
Finally I don't care if I will look like a greek god or have my abs visible.. My main goal is to learn how to box and have fantastic stamina
Thank you guys for all the responses. If you want to add something I will be happy to take all of your views into account. I will keep posting how am I progressing in my boxing journey!

[AlexKid]

Good work

make sure your rep ranges are very low for high strength movements you ideally dont want any muscle mass increase only speed power and strength increase!

(if you are a pure athlete)

too much bodybuilding creeps into sports it often gets disguised as endurance work with weights


Keep it all very specific

The bag, sparring running, rope, , pads etc for endurance

Plyos bag pads etc for explosive movements

Very high weight low rep squats and Olympic lifts etc for strength (not a massive part of your regime like some make it)


Dont do some weird mix of strength, speed and endurance with some dumbbells/barbells thats ******ed so is doing a 5-10 -20+ rep range thats almost bodybuilding disguised as sport specific training!

Putting on weight is rarely a good idea in boxing with a few exceptions, infact you stand a better chance at the top of a smaller weight division than bulked up for a division you dont belong in