Is it true lifting weights will make you slower in boxing?

[SoldierOfPeace2]

Can you counteract it by doing stretching so your body gets use to the new muscle and flows more with it. I don't know just a theory I thought of based on that you get stiff when you lift weights and you lose that elasticity in your arms and swing so maybe stretching counteracts that???

what you guys think

[#1Assassin]

lifting too much weights, or doing it in a fashion that is incompatible with boxing and/or your body will make you slower. stretching is absolutely something you should be doing regardless as an athlete of any kind.

there is no one size fits all solution. you need to fins a regimen that fits your physical conditions and your style in the ring.

i would recommend starting with compound lifts and a lot of stretching. it is often when you get too caught up in building a particular muscle group that you may become unbalanced and less fluid as a result. even if you work every muscle group, doing so for strength and slacking off by comparison in other athletic departments will have the same effect.

compound lifts and lots of ground work focusing on your core will build the type of functional strength you need without making you stiff and slow. then you can experiment a bit from there with other forms of weight training, again, everyone is different.

i naturally put on weight across my back and torso easily, while struggling to add weight on my legs and arms. i did a lot of leg work and saw positive effects in the ring without drawbacks in other areas. even doing less work on my back, chest and shoulders could easily make me feel bulky and slow. even though i was still rather lean, as that is my natural body type. likewise trying to get even average size arms killed my hand speed and even had negative effects on my power, i was better of with long thin arms.

i would still work out my entire body with weights, but i built an awareness of how my body performed best in the ring. which later changed with age, at 28 i carry more muscle comfortably in general than i did at 18.

just my opinion and experience, hope it helps.

[DugzBoxing]

I would think so due to being too bulky. It's good for explosiveness if you lift in moderation and not like a bodybuilder.

If you look at Lukaku in football he turned sluggish because he simply became too big.

Basically the effects of having larger muscles can negate the overall advantages.

[HeadBodyBodyBody]

lifting too much weights, or doing it in a fashion that is incompatible with boxing and/or your body will make you slower. stretching is absolutely something you should be doing regardless as an athlete of any kind.

there is no one size fits all solution. you need to fins a regimen that fits your physical conditions and your style in the ring.

i would recommend starting with compound lifts and a lot of stretching. it is often when you get too caught up in building a particular muscle group that you may become unbalanced and less fluid as a result. even if you work every muscle group, doing so for strength and slacking off by comparison in other athletic departments will have the same effect.

compound lifts and lots of ground work focusing on your core will build the type of functional strength you need without making you stiff and slow. then you can experiment a bit from there with other forms of weight training, again, everyone is different.

i naturally put on weight across my back and torso easily, while struggling to add weight on my legs and arms. i did a lot of leg work and saw positive effects in the ring without drawbacks in other areas. even doing less work on my back, chest and shoulders could easily make me feel bulky and slow. even though i was still rather lean, as that is my natural body type. likewise trying to get even average size arms killed my hand speed and even had negative effects on my power, i was better of with long thin arms.

i would still work out my entire body with weights, but i built an awareness of how my body performed best in the ring. which later changed with age, at 28 i carry more muscle comfortably in general than i did at 18.

just my opinion and experience, hope it helps.

Good post. It depends on so many different things. Just to add, nobody should be lifting weights until they have a good calisthenic base anyway. And so, if that is the case, the question becomes, 'What extra good am I getting from lifting weights?' I think it is difficult to justify, generally-speaking, to say that lifting weights is making someone a better boxer... especially if their calisthenics are on point. A good punch is a function more of speed and timing and skill than anything else, and insofar as lifting weights does not particularly help with any of that, I'd say it's a low-priority. But it depends. "Lifting weights", if it includes shoulder-press using only the bar, for rounds, quick, then I'm very much in favour of that

Incidentally, I prefer using a weighted-vest for strength

[abracada]

Can you counteract it by doing stretching so your body gets use to the new muscle and flows more with it. I don't know just a theory I thought of based on that you get stiff when you lift weights and you lose that elasticity in your arms and swing so maybe stretching counteracts that???

what you guys think

If you are 100% natty, wouldn’t be bothered about gaining too much Lean muscle from weights, the natty limit will NOT HINDER any movement.

[OctoberRed]

You can get some muscle, but not too much muscle. Could make it tougher to cut weight

[Lomadeaux]

stretching is absolutely something you should be doing regardless as an athlete of any kind.

When I first started boxing I would stretch. Then I read that fighters from all over and ATGs never stretched ever... ever. Even Mayweather never stretched.

I found that interesting.

[Douwe_Geluk]

Well i think in boxing it is better to train more triceps instead of biceps. At least that is what my trainer tells me. To stay fast

[P4Pdunny]

When I first started boxing I would stretch. Then I read that fighters from all over and ATGs never stretched ever... ever. Even Mayweather never stretched.

I found that interesting.

that is interesting, never heard that. I've also guilty of not stretching much myself, lately incorporating it into my workouts

[Eastbound]

that is interesting, never heard that. I've also guilty of not stretching much myself, lately incorporating it into my workouts

Look into dynamic vs static stretching. Whereas dynamic should be done before the workout and static after. Static stretching is the traditional type where your increasing the length of the muscle...really stretching a certain muscle. be careful with this, because you can actually tear the muscle and it becomes harmful.
Dynamic is where you are moving in a repetitive motion and taking it just a bit further every time. This is better to loosen up before exercise.
personally, I only do dynamic warm up stretching before and prefer to use a foam or stick roller after. I think the roller does better. Either way, yes conventional wisdom on stretching has changed over the years