It is not uncommon for an athlete to want to have a lean, toned and muscular body after all the exercising they are doing and the hours they are putting in the gym. Boxing is no different, although there is a big difference: to build muscle mass usually means more weight, and if you want to stay within a boxing category, you have to be careful not to surpass the limits.
Heavyweight boxers may have it easier since they do not have to worry about being over a weight limit, but it is not entirely true, a balance is always needed. Muscles carry a lot of blood, which requires a constant oxygen flow and it also means extra weight to carry around in the ring.
Why do boxers need to build muscle mass?
Boxers seek to build muscle mass to develop strength, stamina, endurance and power. Also, muscles will help achieve better balance and coordination. In boxing training, you need to create strong, but lean muscle mass for speed, coordination and agility, without leaving out strength and power.
Nonetheless, you may be asking yourself if you need to start lifting weights for more punching power and the answer is no. Yes, you will build muscle mass with weight lifting and you will become stronger, but this type of training will affect boxers negatively by diminishing their punching power.
The main reason is that when you lift weights you are pushing and when you are punching you are snapping. They are different movements and in boxing, you need to have your muscles relaxed for punching.
In addition, weight lifting will make your muscles slow and stiff, which reduces punching power and strength. You do not need large, strong muscles to be good and better at boxing. A strong punch will come from the ground up, that is, from your legs to the core and then to your shoulders and arms.
Building muscle mass with boxing training and not lifting weights
As we just explained, you do not need bulky, heavy muscles as a boxer, so you do not HAVE to include weights as part of your boxing training. But, then, how do you manage to build body mass in boxing (because you will still need it)?
The truth is that you CAN add weights to your training, you just have to do it properly and depending on your boxing goals. However, you can build muscle mass by using your own body weight as resistance. Squats, pull-ups, chin-ups and press-ups are some common options that your trainer at the boxing gym will most likely include in your routine.
By seeking to build muscle with exercises that use your own body weight will help build muscles but in a way that will also increase your strength without adding significant body mass. It will also increase your muscle mass gradually and in a more controlled manner.
Also, the natural exercise of boxing will help you tone and build muscle, so don’t worry too much about using weights or not.
There are occasions when boxers do lift weights for muscle mass but they are usually professionals who do this when they are offseason and wish to gain a little bit of healthy muscle mass.
Why do boxers avoid large muscles?
There are several reasons, some we have already given you above, why boxers prefer to avoid gaining large muscles. The first is the extra weight they would have to carry around in the ring, as we said before; larger muscles need more oxygen, so the bigger they are, the more oxygen they will need; large muscles can slow you down, and boxers need speed; you can have difficulties in making weight; and finally, big muscles can give you a false sense of security.
In time, with proper boxing training, you will learn that punching power does not come from biceps or triceps muscles, it comes from the legs. Your calf muscles push off from the ground, they allow the rotation of the hips and then propel the upper body into the target. Speed comes from the rotation of the shoulder and through the arm.
Boxers will always prefer more speed over muscle mass. They know that the most devastating punches in boxing history have come from speed. Of course, you need to have muscle mass in boxing, but adding anything extra above the necessary is a waste.
Gain muscle mass in boxing with exercises with the punching bag
A great way to gain muscles appropriate for boxing (lean and powerful) is by training with the punching bag. While you will not build large muscles by doing this, you will definitely gain endurance.
The Livestrong website suggests several exercises you can do with the punching bag as part of your boxing training. One of them is punching for cardio, which is something you can do for an extended period of time (and also great for weight loss, if it is something you want to do). In addition, punching the bag for a cardiovascular workout will not cause a large amount of muscle growth.
Punching bags are also great for obtaining more definition in your body. The speed bag will help you gain speed and quickness and the heavy bag is perfect for obtaining punching power. You will not get bigger with these exercises but you WILL burn calories.
“A 180-pound person, for example, burns nearly 490 calories in 60 minutes working out on the punching bag, according to the NutriStrategy”, you can read on the aforementioned website.
In boxing, you use your entire body at all times, and some of the muscles that you will definitely tone with the punching bag are the pectorals (your chest muscles), deltoids (on the sides of your shoulders), triceps (the back of your arms), latissimus dorsi (these are on your back), glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings (on your legs), and the abdominal muscles, which contract often to generate force and keep your body balanced.
4 great punching bag workouts for perfect boxing muscle mass gain
As we have been telling you, boxing will not help you gain giant muscles but you will definitely work out and gain muscle mass, appropriate for the type of sport you are doing and for delivering correct punches.
Here are a few workouts you can do with the punching bag, but remember, start your training routine slowly and do not skip your warm-up first.
- A simple set of combos
After warming up you can try a simple set of combinations. Start with light hitting at a slow speed. Then, do simple combinations: jabs, hooks, cross, uppercuts. Finally, start moving around the bag to get your heart rate up slowly.
2. Fast hitting combinations
This section is faster than the previous one. Add a variety of punches at a fast pace to work with different muscle groups at the same time. Speed will help you with your accuracy. Finally, add more intensity, combined with fast speed. Here you will definitely feel your muscles have received an important workout.
3. Tabata style punching intervals
Tabata consists of an interval training that alternates high speed 20 seconds drill with 10 seconds of rest and you repeat the sets 8 times in a row. The objective is to throw as many punches as you can in those 20 seconds to develop speed and cardio endurance, as well as stamina.
4. Power punching
You can develop a series of basic moves and hit the bag as heavy as you can. Don’t forget to focus on accuracy and move along with the bag and also around it.
Don’t forget that in boxing you want to learn how to land punches and there is no point in having big muscles if you can’t do what you are supposed to do in boxing. It is easy to get fixated on muscle building, but there is much more to boxing than that.
Do you have any questions about muscle mass and boxing? Let us know in the comments below! And if you want to share your experience, feel free to do so as well.
