8 Weeks of Boxing Training, Just Do Main Lifts Only?

A friend of mine is boxing in a charity event, and I’ve started training with him. It’s the first real fitness I’ve done in a few years ( still can’t run after knee injury ), and my knee feels ok with it so I’d like to keep it up at least for the next 8 weeks.

With my 5/3/1, I’m doing the basic program from the 5/3/1 book. Basically main lift, 1 main assistance then another secondary assistance and finishing with some knee rehab stuff and also farmers walks ( I just love them, and find them great for grip strength ).

I plan on getting 2-3 boxing sessions in a week when I can ( shift work ). They’re pretty high intensity and finish with at least a few rounds of sparring, so I was wondering if I should stick to just the main lifts during the next 8 weeks while I’m doing the boxing.

Once it’s done I’d like to keep the training up, but more so just for fitness, twice a week.

Any thoughts ?

looks good to me - I’m not a boxer and have never trained like one, but I think keeping your strength training basic while performing or practicing your skill (boxing) is in line with what’s recommended. You may even want to try the twice a week template for strength since you’re practicing boxing 2-3 times per week. I’d keep 1 assistance and 1-2 accessory lifts, as you’re already doing; just be sure they address a weakness, or build on your particular strength. I’d do bodyweight assistance/accessories (like dips, chins, pushups, abs) as they are very complimentary to boxing.

For those more experienced in boxing and strength training, I’d be curious what they’d recommend by means of where in the training schedule to place strength training and boxing. You don’t want to be slow and tired when boxing, so I’d assume you’d want to do boxing before strength training, like this:

M: Boxing
Tu: 5/3/1
W: off/conditioning
Tr: Boxing
F: 5/3/1
S: Boxing/conditioning/off
Su: off

I could be way off since like I said, I’ve never trained like a boxer - but I’m simply trying to apply some basic principles and common sense with regards to strength training while practicing/training a skill/sport.

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Boxing was great for my waist line when I tried it.

I am wondering, do you want weight lifting that improves your boxing or do you see boxing and weight lifting as covering different needs?

If you want weight lifting to improve your boxing, you should lift weights more “explosively.” Push presses, cleans and presses, and doing that trick where you slap your hands between push ups are good examples. And of course high volume squats to improve your endurance in the ring.

But if you see boxing and weight lifting as separate, helping you with different goals, you could treat boxing sessions as explosive and endurance training and in the weight room focus upon brute strength, high weight with low reps.

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Imo,no
Boxing is anterior dominant,so for the health of your shoulders you’d be better off doing at least 1 movement for back and rear delts on upper body days after your main movement

You can even throw it between your sets for time convenience

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Cheers guys, I’m just happy that it’s some decent fitness that my knee can handle, so would like to use it to get into reasonable shape.

I’ll keep it on seperate days and make sure I eat a bit more and see how it goes.

Are you competitive boxer? Or just doing it for fitness self defense, to sqeeze in weights try this , i know what is like to have only 2,3 days a week to train, first lift, after boxing, try this i dont know your sttenght level just example .using same dumbbells Standing ohp 35lbs 20 reps, then incline 20 reps flat 20, decline or dips 20 repeat for a total 3 sets lower dumbbells 5lb each circuit. Now you need to work pulls more than pushes , go to cable crossover machine with adjustable height start with face pulls x20 then do five angles until you are pulling from floor all 20 reps add weight as you can row much more than face pull, 3 cycles. For legs prowler pushes and drags will help you much more than cleans and squats, if your knee can handle, these circuit should be done in under 15 minutes, throw in curls and tricep extensions with 5lb dumbell 1 set of 100 reps after ever weight workout. I know guys who can’t bench 150 that can knock out, have knock out power , Tyson said he only bench with 100 pound for reps. Squats deadlifts wont hurt but stay off your bum knee for a while.