How many hours a day should a fighter spend in the gym?
Are you training enough?
Are you training too little?
How long do other fighters train for?
How long is YOUR OPPONENT training for?
Knowing the right length of fight training can make the difference between over-trained for your fight vs being in perfect shape.
Q: How long should a fighter train for?
A: Generally, I would say competing fighters spend about 3-5 hours working out 5 times a week.
The time is usually broken down to something like this:
- roadwork (30-60 minutes)
- warm-up (30 minutes)
- bagwork (30-60 minutes)
- focus mitts and/or skillwork, drills (30 minutes)
- sparring (30 minutes)
- strength & conditioning (60 minutes)
- warm-down and crunches (30 minutes)
Of course, it doesn’t always happen in this order as roadwork can be done at the beginning or end of the day. And bagwork and skill work can come before or after sparring depending on when the sparring partners are ready. And it’s not a problem at all to deviate from this routine or skip certain aspects on certain days.
You only have about an hour of “MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE”
Now you have to keep in mind that the body can only sustain HIGH INTENSITY for so long before the workout becomes “endurance work”. Which means you have to save the best of yourself for the most important part of the day. This might be sparring (if it’s a sparring day) or drills and skillwork or for strength & conditioning. It’s up to you. But you can’t expect to deliver 6 rounds of hard sparring AND record-breaking sets of strength & conditioning.
You should train to the limits of your body
It doesn’t matter what the other guys are doing. At the end of the day, it is your body that determines how much you can work out. If you’re not at that level yet, don’t try and force yourself to the point of over-training or injury. Sticking within your range will allow you to improve at the fastest rate. Doing extra work does nothing. It’s like eating…once you’re already full, the extra food does nothing for you.
Train with others
I feel like the “how long should you train for” question is often asked by people who don’t train in a gym. If you trained in a gym, you can see that everyone more or less gets tired around the same time. There’s only so much the human body can do. The routines are perfectly set up to prepare a whole team, not an individual. If you want to train better…start training with a team. Training with others helps you find your workout rhythm faster and last longer because of everyone else’s energy around you.
You’ll also have more confidence this way because you can see that you’re doing the right exercises and getting the right feedback that you need to improve faster. Training alone only works if you’ve already learned how to work out from training with others OR you spent years figuring out the right training routine for you.
I would recommend 2 or 2.5 hours workout 4 times a week and it should be something like this:
* roadwork & worm-up – 30 min
* shadow fight – 3 rounds by 3 min
* sparring – 8 rounds by 3 min
* bagwork – 3 rounds by 3 min
* powerwork, jump-rope and conditioning – 30 min
* gymnastics & muscle streching – 30 min
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday … fitness, powerwork or football & basketball as per your decision on Saturday … professional fighters usually follow very specific programs especially developed by their personal coaches that may include even two workouts a day …
boxing Canelo avelo is clarence walker
i work about 12 hours a day before i can even begging to head out to the boxing gm by the time i get there u only havr about an hour and a half before they close….any reco.mendations?
Dusty, I have the same problem with my schedule. Honestly what I do is get in as much road work and physical training as I can on my off time while at home then when I do get to the gym, I dedicate all my time to sparring and listening to my coach on what I should be doing. Road Work, Jump Rope, Shadow Boxing etc is stuff that doesn’t really require a set location like a gym so try to squeeze that in there when you can and try to get the most out of the gym while you’re there. Hope that helped thanks for the comment.
u should try this
https://expertboxing.com/boxing-training/boxing-workouts/expertboxing-easy-boxing-workout
My name’s Dusty. I feel you. But this blog says don’t push… wrong. The best of best push to where you’re body is not used to. He says your body is like food? Incorrect. Food consumption is mass no matter what if you push the body far enough. You burn the fuel as you receive it. Unhealthy is pushing without carbs. Get carbs, get mad, go longer. Don’t ever think you have pushed enough. That’s how you set goals to achieve greater.
Go early before work.
Johnny do you believe that there is more then physical training? Like mental training, spiritual training, etc. I like to apply what I learned in boxing to my everyday life because after all life seems like a boxing match
J, I personally believe that boxing is a lifestyle. I’m a firm believer that boxers have a different day to day mindset because of the intense training and situations we are forced to under go.
What’s up, boxing definitely requires alot of training in and out the gym. The better/longer u stay in it, the more intense your training gets. It doesn’t/shouldn’t get easy, the life style is sometimes hard to keep up with, diet, weight,training,rest etc. It does pay off very well imo, but it changed me from the inside out.
Interesting article.
I like to separate my strength training from the other workouts too – although I am an MMA fighter. Any strength gained from body-weight circuit exercises is usually done in the warm-up.
I’d say most of us (that study or work) would really struggle to find 15-20 hours in a week to train. I understand the idea of being dedicated and all but still…but If you’re unemployed and got ALOT of free time then get your ass into the gym! lol
How much does the amateur fighters at your gym train? Is this what your article is based off of?
The article is based off of serious competing amateur fighters, yes.
Emailing you from Australia. Just starting boxing and these articles totally rock for female boxers as well. Welldone
Thank you, Dee. Hello to Australia.
what if an individual fighter cant deliver those hard rounds of sparring and those record setting strength and conditioning workouts??? hypothetically speaking
Hypothetically-speaking, he wouldn’t be as tough and conditioned?
I’ve been training amateur boxing for seven years have just under 30 fights, trained with solid professionals and even a cruiser weight IBF champion and have never seen a workload like that! Five hours a day five days a week leads to tremendous over training allowing your body no time to heal. I could go on and on, and I really like this site but not realistic advice.
I train 4-5 times a week but my training times are drastically less than even 3 hours, which is why I was asking if this article was based off of fighters at his gym or if they actually train less. What about your gym Hector?
Kevin, if it takes you less time to get everything done, GOOD FOR YOU!
I tran 8 ours on everyday boxin I strength on weight no rest and you win all fight cuz train hard for boxing get belt an then say to much ahah yea right u no tran enough I bet tho jus work to box good
Whats a basic amateur boxing training routine? I work about 8am-5pm at the most i
Train 3 times a week and do not run, could i spar more to
Compensate for not running?
Check out the “ExpertBoxing EASY Boxing Workout”. You can try sparring or skipping rope or swimming or even cycle work to compensate for running.
I don’t think anything can beat roadwork you should try to get some in just a 3 mile as quick as possible that’s about 20 minutes should be able to find that sort of time like 3 times a week at least
I agree. With work schedule and coming home late , those hours are unrealistic for the majority. However, I find that 30-45 mins every day mon-fri non stop (absolutely no breaks) including :
– shadow 10 mins
– constant punching (jabs, hooks, crosses) for 3 mins
– bench press 20 reps straight 2 mins
– hooks on bag 2 mins
– jabs on bag 2 mins
– 1-2-1 on bag 2 mins
– speed bag 10 mins
– warm down (light shadow) 10 mins
burns calories, improves cardio and tones body …
Then at weekend train hard for 1.5 hr morning and 1 hr evening , rest sunday – works very well.
Its not the #hours that counts , its how you train , fast intensity, constant pace, no breaks I find improves fitness and VO levels.
Hector, you of all people should know that’s not 5 hours of 100% effort. Roadwork takes some time. Warming up and warming down takes some time. Doing the core exercises is not hard work. It’s just routine stuff that you do.
With that said…it’s definitely possible to do 30 minutes of road work and also be efficient in the gym 1.5-2 hours tops. But I highly doubt most people are going to be that efficient. Especially when you’re waiting around for the ring to open up, or waiting for the bag or speed bag to open up, and you train in a busy gym, it’s hard to get out quickly.
Whenever I trained I always did hard not light. Is that why I wear out before 2.5 hours?
I agree with you, some pros train more then 5 hours but i think people dont take into consideration all the other workouts a boxer needs to do and all that takes time. just doing a regular boxing work out you can be done in a hour or so but thats just the general boxing stuff
4 rounds heavy bag
4 rounds double end ball
4 rounds speed bag
4 rounds jump rope
4 rounds shadow boxing
Thats like the basics of what most boxers do starting out! Thats an hour of work right there…..
I didnt add running, neck work, sit ups, strength training, sparring or pad work and it really just depends on the person, mike tyson would do up to 2000 situps that takes time lol
That was the basic boxer workout i started out as a kid doing …….4 rounds on everything
There is a place here in Columbus GA. In the inner city. You’d think it wasn’t even open except the half a dozen or so cars from about 3pm to 1030pm. This is where I learned the , among other skills and life lessons, the FUNDAMENTALS. I was 26 at the time (currently 32) and heard through the grapevine about a boxing gym that had a great coach, training regime, and cost efficient. The coach was an old school Puerto Rican from the Bronx, who happened to somehow end up with a job coaching mostly inner city kids the FUNDAMENTALS, in stone small town in Georgia.The cost was 60$ a year. Not a typo. The “catch” was for the first six weeks you had to come Monday – Friday for the first 6 weeks. You didn’t spar until after 6 weeks, and the article is correct. 3-5 hours a day was the norm.
The first week was nothing but stance, movement, placement of upper and lower extremities, and of coarse the jab. First couple days I never thought my legs could ever be so sore (stretched properly before and after exercises…still.) The jab I inherently learned started off with me slowly extending my left arm, “as if you’re reaching for something on the shelf,” coach said. Eventually after months of hearing coach yelling a million times incessantly “where’s your jab at?” To “you ain’t jabbing enough.” to “throw some jabs.” To “your jab is weak, work harder.” To “I ain’t coaching until you jabbing.” It finally sinks in. You end up learning throwing double or triple jabs would quiet coach…a little.
The rest of the 6 weeks he built me up to where the usual training routine was.
Weigh in. Change. Stretch.
We did 3 rounds of everything. Each round is 3 minutes.
(30 sec in between rds. 2 minutes in between routines)
Shadowbox: 3 rounds
Jump rope: 3 rounds
Heavy bag: 3 rounds
Double end bag: 3 rounds
Swinging bag: 3 rounds
Upper cut bag: 3 rounds
Upper torso dummy: 3 rounds
Speed bag: 3 rounds
Jump rope: 3 rounds
Stance rope/string (worked on stance and movement): 3 rounds
Spar: 3 rounds
Run: M: 3 mi. T: 5 mi. W: 7 mi. Th: 5 mi. F: 3 mi.
Wind down: Push ups. Sit ups with medicine ball to the abs and obliques. Leg raises.
Stretch.
Weigh out.
Change.
That was what he built a beginner to in six weeks. Granted, the sparring did not happen until after. But he always said it takes usually 6 weeks before he thought one was in shape to spar, and even then at his discretion. But I continued there for about 2 years. The training would switch up from time to time. Usually 4 weeks before an amateur fight we would get extra training. But I learned the FUNDAMENTALS during that time. I had never felt so in shape. Although most say that training schedule isn’t good for you. It was to me. I learned a lot about my body, how far I can push. A lot of people don’t know that about themselves. I learned how to breath during duress. I learned how boxing is just like life. And how all my problems and solutions in life could always be translated while training or in the ring. How boxing is therapeutic. And of coarse, I learned how to throw a punch or two.
Tremendous! It’s a real privilege to have met a trainer like that
Yeah I thought 5 hrs excessive. Few hours 3 times a week; roadwork on off gym days is about it
Thanks very muc hbro your the best.Iv been reading and watching your vids for over 1 yeear and youhave really improved my boxing level thank you very much and when I become champion of the world I will pay you.
Thanks, man!
Hi Johnny,
Just purchased your Advanced Boxing Workshop and very much looking forward to diving into it. I was wondering two things after reading this article: Firstly, how do you feel about Joe Frazier’s workout from Box Like the Pros? It would probably amount to only 2 hours a day (15-20 mins Roadwork, average of 11 3 minute rounds on non sparring days of various bag/pad/shadow boxing, 15 minutes jump rope, 20 minutes Callisthenics and about 20 mins stretching and cooling up/down), but then he’s adding an extra day? He was obviously a machine but this seems a bit more scaled back?; Secondly, how would you recommend incorporating the Advanced Boxing Workshop drills into such a routine?
Love your youtube videos/ website man, thanks for all the knowledge.
Cheers,
Duncan
I’ve never tried the Joe Frazier workout.
As for the drills I taught, you don’t need to do them all everyday. Do some here and there and at some point, you would have mastered the concepts and don’t need to do them so much.
I used to think I had a maniacal training regime at one point which was 5 days a week on average, occasionally 4, sometimes 6, where I did around 2 hrs worth of training a day on average (the most being only about 2.5 hrs. I worked as well of course so it would be both over doing it and impractical to have trained any more than that. Most all amatuers I have seen fall into this category, most competitors in my experience trained the full 5 days mostly but only did around an hour and a half-2 hrs each day and won chamionships.
The duration of your schedule offered is certainly doable Johnny but obviously you are referring to 2 special groups of guys. Top level amateurs with scholarships and professionals who it is their sole job to be a boxer and do not otherwise work or have other more important commitments. Those guys are not the norm though!
I made this guide for serious fighters with serious goals for their fighting development. If you’re a recreational boxer…then you do whatever you want.
hey johnny. who you think would win a boxer or mma in a real fight anything goes fight?
MMA fighter.
Hey I endering how long to train for power working on punching for long prriod on power and hurt boxer in gym fighting when i have big hook to head on body for jab
Train a little bit each day. Not only on the punching bag but also on the focus mitts and in sparring.
Man I have to say. These past 5 or 6 months have been absolutely terrible for expertboxing.com. I honestly mean no disrespect at all, but you have just been putting filler and bs on here I guess due to writers block or a new perceptive on the sport of boxing. Your last posts are stuff like ‘how long should a fighter train’ and ‘no bs advice. C’mon man do you write for the standard noob? Where’s your post for the more advance fighter? Where’s the post on angle changing and different uses of jabs. Body punching, throwing certain combos, fighting off your back. It seems like you just redo all your technique articles (recently the uppercut) I’ve been dedicated to this site and still want to but you have to cater to all audiences with your work
Yes some of the stuff on here was ground breaking but a lot of it has now become a little “light-on”.
This how long should one train for stuff is both non-technical, level-dependant and highly individual anyway. Sorry Johnny.
I appreciate the feedback, Mark.
I’ve started boxing about 5 months ago and i feel like i lack power and keep bouncing around too much, I’ve read alot of the articles but i feel like I’ve overwhelmed myself trying to put in all the info at once. I’m 14.
I’m a competing fighter let me add that. The old stuff was really good but now it’s just complete filler. All the psyc stuff is for the birds. If your a scared ass words and quotes aren’t gonna help you. If you have a gym that’s open 3 hours a day then using your long drawn out workout methods aren’t gonna be efficient. I would like to see more technical post like footwork and changing angles and just stuff for a competing guy like myself and others
I’m glad you like the “old stuff”. Some of those took about 20-30 hours to write. 5-10k words with pictures and video. Edited, outlined, organized, formatted, and laid out for easy reading. It’s not an easy job by any means…which is probably why nobody else does it.
I’m not telling you how to run your site. I’m just saying that this website has nothing for someone like myself anymore. Even you admit guys who are more advanced don’t need to bother to read this site. Your going on the defensive but that’s what happens when you put out a product, it comes with criticism.
Honestly Kody i’d just leave it- this site isn’t his life, he does have other things to do
Kody, I’m going to be very honest with you, and my impression of you; first, you’re coming off as a jerk who blames others for his own faults, who can’t recognize his own failings and deal with it on his own. Instead, you seem dedicated to verbally breaking down an online website, managed by ONE MAN, for the simple and easily understandable need to take a break every once in a while. You need more advanced articles and can’t find them here? Well guess what buddy, Johnny isn’t the one crying, “wahh wahh,” it seems to be you, because you just can’t seem to live without his guidance. If you absolutely NEED a website to tell you how to live your fighting and training life, go out there and find 20, that way when one fails you (as it eventually will, possibly due to your unrealistic expectations of a non-physical entity you indirectly interact with through a screen, aka someone you don’t even KNOW) your insecurities and self-doubt will have some company. And, the farmer reference? I thought it was very weak, comparing the labors of agricultural farming to the labors of sports. It’s all about context. My advice to you: If you do not like this website, and, as you say, “have no more need for it and it’s content,” please just stop wasting your own and other peoples time complaining about something that in all reality just can’t be changed by complaining. You never stop doing the basics, you never substitute one foundational workout for another, you find what works for you and adjust as necessary. This means when something gets messed up, whether it’s your fault or not, YOU have to fix it somehow. Just wanted to get that off my chest. P.S., Johnny I really enjoy the site, all the content has been very helpful to me as a beginner; even if you don’t make anymore articles (as I’m sure you might, but just in case), if you left it as is I don’t think that would be a bad thing. Enjoy Europe 🙂
Jordan P I understand your frustration with me. I’m critizing your master that you expect praise and free boxing guides from. I hope you get them my friend. You guys are mad that I’m FINALLY exposing a really really good boxing teacher of his latest work. Is that bad? Is it? I will just for now on praise the site and everything on it.
Kody, I don’t think anybody has a problem with your viewpoints…if anything, some have agreed with you. I myself am happy to admit that I’m taking a break and not dedicating as much time to the site lately…you’re not exactly uncovering a giant conspiracy when I’m outright stating the obvious AND further explaining why I’m doing it.
Your fault lies in your attitude. But since you don’t see any fault in yourself…I would advise you just like the others to take a chill pill and go elsewhere that makes you happy. You’ve made your point made about ExpertBoxing more than once and at this point, you just sound silly by coming back to complain some more. It wouldn’t make sense for someone to hate a restaurant, and then keep going back to it, and complaining, right?
Im sorry i messed up my post above… Dont know where i replied and if im in the wrong forum subject… Sorry in advance… Anyway is there any advice to my problem u think? Ty a lot. P.s i red many articles n videos of u in the past.they rock. Even if some1 never plays the sport its still nice to come and read here.
Anyway ty a lot again.
Johnny, kody(yes small k) is the only one person not complaining but spitting on your work, we all saw you tried explaining, but i dont think he deserves the effort of even typing the reply to his stupid attacking msgs….he must have forgotten that he is not paying nothing for this, i have the feeling he is the most unwelcoming customer at his usual supermarket(where he has to pay)
is there any posibility that i can contact you for advice. Im opening a boxing gym somewhere in southern Africa and i might need help for right equipment
Again-leave kody-bad energy…
Kody, I really don’t want to repeat what I already said, especially since it’s already been said so many times concerning you’re incessant, hypocritical complaining, but I will say that Johnny is not my master. He’s some guy really far away who writes boxing articles, many of which tailor to the needs of beginners. He’s a guy who understands certain aspects of starting out, and the need for clarification, but he’s not my main boxing coach (coach being the proper term for this combat sport). I don’t “expect free praise and free boxing guides” from him either, anyone who tries to make a serious connection, or expects one, like that is not a serious boxer, or not even a serious person. My point is, still, that you seem to be complaining about something that has much less of an impact on you and your training life than YOU, the actual athlete, has. You’ve been following this comment thread for almost a month, and half of that time you’ve just been repeating yourself, and wasting yours and some other peoples time. There are only two people whose opinion and input really matter for an athlete: The athlete’s, and the coaches/master’s/teacher’s. And sometimes, you have to know when to be both.
shut ur extra ordinary genius mind out of this comment box kody. we know expertboxing is one of the famous boxing website in the globe, helps various boxers across the world to improve their skills properly. many people like me have utilized this properly. dont waste your and our time too please.
I appreciate the support, Jordan. I’ll be back for sure. 🙂
Kody,
I do write for everyone. But I also will continue to write for beginners if virtually all of my emails are coming from beginners. With that said…ExpertBoxing is not my entire life. I love boxing but I do have other personal and professional responsibilities as well. With that said, I do not have as much free time nowadays as I did before. I’m not proud of people leaving comments about my site being terrible but I don’t have any problems taking a break to take care of other things in my life. I wish you well and hopefully, sooner than later, you get all the advanced articles that you ask for.
Kudos for taking the high ground. All class.
Hi Johnny, I quite like your articles on the mental side of boxing and the practical logistics of fitting it into a weekly routine, etc. I’ve always worked long hours and couldn’t find the time/passion to compete much, in fact took several years off from boxing to focus on other pursuits. I recently joined a new gym and reading your site helped me to accelerate my progress. Although I’m still a “noob” my trainers seem to love me now after only 6 weeks. The technique articles are good as well, but everyone can develop more mental strength and I think that’s the key since fighters are quite similar at the upper levels anyway (except for Mayweather who is a freak). Bruce Lee was a deep philosopher and helped many people become better at fighting and life; that’s why he will always be remembered and respected despite never being a big time champion. Keep up the good work and ignore the haters! It’s amazing how much you’ve contributed to the boxing community. Thank you on behalf of the 90% beginners who read your site.
I went to the gym today and I’ve mastered the snap punch 🙂 Everyone was like wow you hit so hard 😀 Thanks man.
yikes, im gonna come to johnny’s defense on this one. this site should NOT be used as a “be all, end all” of boxing training. use it as an augmenting tool, ie a second opinion. plain and simple, this site should not be your coach. all these questions such as different jabs, angles and etc are usually best taught in a face-to-face, one on one situation with your coach at your gym. if you are competing and you arent getting attention/help from trainers, then its on you to find a better gym with decent trainers or more hours.there are usually a few boxers in any gym that are happy to answer any of your questions, but they wont always be there. Same thing with Johnny, he has a life and responsibilities other than maintaining a free boxing site. I’m a competing fighter also, but i’m smart enough to realize that reading a page about footwork is not nearly as beneficial as physically doing the footwork yourself. it sounds like you just need a coach.
and if you really desire these “advanced” boxing posts then get johnny’s advanced handbook.
Tristan, the website is called EXPERTBOXING! Not beginner noob. No one is asking for a coach when you have a website that goes downhill from offering a balance of articles for every level down to just plain noob articles then that opens eyeballs. And yes I do have a coach but I also have a opinion and that this website is just filler Plain and simple.
sometimes going over fundamentals/basics is good, but I definitely see where youre coming from.
Kody,
90% of the people reading my site are not competing fighters. Many of them have less than 1 year of experience and will probably never compete. And yet they ask many beginner questions that haven’t been answered in the gym. I’d say you’re being a bit discriminating by demanding that all the articles are to being written to help you as opposed to being written to help others (the 90 percent). Besides, I don’t mind doing all the easy noob articles if it helps out many people and gives me time to handle other things in my life.
Regardless of what my website is called….the site is here to help boxers, fighters, or anybody looking to box (all levels). It’s meant to be as a source of helpful information and I think it does that perfectly.
Hey I don’t mean to just jump in but what kody has been saying has been kind of obvious to me for a while now about this website but also no disrespect to you johnny you were on a good run, but also as a competing fighter a lot of this stuff is just not that realistic or useful to me personally and I think it may be from your lack of fights?
I’m taking time to focus on other things, not running out of material (I have many partially written guides in progress). Writing really advanced stuff requires a lot of free time that I haven’t had much of lately. Writing an article for beginners only takes an hour or so whereas writing an advanced article can take 30-40 hours and also requires a video demonstration for the message to really come through.
Either way, I appreciate the honest feedback, Victor.
Johnny,
I really love your methodical teaching, breaking down movements to their basics, etc. I am a retired violinist turned boxer and have been a bit frustrated at the general “sink or swim” attitudes of boxing coaches. You either figure it out or you don’t based on general demonstrations and repetition. You bring a refreshing approach to teaching the sport that is prevalent in both music and dance but seems to be missing in boxing otherwise. Your articles and, especially the foot movement video, have helped me address aspects of the sport that I wasn’t able to figure out.
Boxing has always been a dream of mine, not just to go through the motions but to participate at a reasonably high level. I am 47 and have survived 2 heart attacks so this path has not been easy. God willing, I will have my first fight at the end of August and, win, lose or draw, you will have been a big part of helping me get there. Thanks!
“Retired violinist turned boxer”….you sir, are AWESOME! 🙂
I wish you well on your first match. Let me know how you do.
Expertboxing, the best website of boxing I have ever read. Right, it’s not the same as having a live coach, but Expert boxing is probably more useful than 90 percet of live coaches IMO and experience.
Readers of this site, please remind what you get from this site. Encourage the writer who is offering you free guidance or just walk away quietly unless you leave constructive comment for the writer and boxing’s sake. Sorry for clamsy English.
Cheers for boxing.
I always feel that EXPERTBOXING.com is the best website of boxing.
I really wish the readers should appreciate what you get from this free site. Yes you can show opposition viewpoint IF it is for boxing’s sake. DON’T be disrespectful to the site-owner, please. Better just walk away. A readers experience in the ring can be interesting but it’s not necessarily the proof in the science of boxing. If a reader have BETTER or SUPERIOR idea (at least s/he thinks) than the site-owner, please explain with word and logic, but NOT by telling that you are an active competing boxer or even a champion.
Guys, everyone knows that the website hasn’t been updated as a year or so ago. But for me at least, it is STILL THE BEST website on boxing of its kind anywhere on the web. That video on Mayweather tricks alone is worth the entire site! Rather than complain about the recent stuff and risk having the writer lose his motivation, why not just appreciate everything he’s done so far?
I think it’s better to write every now and again with important topics, nothing wrong with this and I remember running a website in the past which began overtaking my life with 3 hours dedicated to it Mon-Fri & I sold the website in the end. If ever I started a website again it would be about a passion and not about building subscribers, an audience or posting a certain amount of times. Just for fun.
I don’t know what some people are complaining about here as I actually asked Johnny this exact question ‘How long is a rough guide to be training for an amateur fight?’ and I’m glad I asked this question and I’m really glad that this post addressed the topic.
Why am I not embarrassed about asking this simple question? . . . Well, to me if you want to play guitar to join a band for example, you need to gauge other guitar players at the same level and work the same hours (roughly). Without a rule of thumb, you have no reference point or benchmark to go under or over.
Just imagine if an experienced amateur boxer wanted to take up something new and had an exact focus . . . let’s say they wanted to learn the violin and enter a local classical music mini orchestra. Well, they’d think the exact same thought . . . how long does the average violin player practise for to achieve a local amateur violin player’s level. Time is an investment, and if you don’t research the time needed properly you could be over training or under training.
It’s a fundamental question that I’d bet even professional fighters consider when they look at how much time (commitment) that their opponents are putting in.
If you are training to become a competitive sprinter, would you look at other accomplished sprinters’ training times and commitment or would you just guess a random time that just feels right in a beginner’s mind?
I think that this post answers the very first question in every amateur fighter’s mind – and that is . . . what’s this goal going to cost me time-wise? And that’s important and can be frustrating when experienced fighter’s just give you the ‘how long is a piece of string BS’. So I was glad to read this post.
On a final note, let’s say (hypothetically) that I was a airplane engineer and I said it would be possible to build a plane in your back yard. I gave you the cost, money wise and the qualifications you’d need to have. Then you asked me ‘How much time do I need to invest?’ . . . and then I laughed and said that this was not a question professional airplane builders would ask as they generally work for companies and benchmark their time commitments off each other and as you’d never worked for an airline company, how could you possibly even have an idea or the general benchmark. How frustrating would that be?
So, in a nutshell, this post addresses people’s commitment in giving their time – it’s important. Very important. With a benchmark high-level amateur workout schedule to gauge your commitment off of.
I workout for 40 minutes per day Mon-Fri. I’m happy with this and can now gauge that I would be able to fight in Master’s Boxing bouts of 3 x 2 minutes ( or 3 x 1 minutes) with the level of time commitment and appropriate effort. I would not last out in a full 12 round fight with this level of commitment.
Really, what’s the big deal with this common sense question of how much time you need to invest in something? Boxing is no different from any other skill that needs time investment. It’s a fundamental question that can save you hours, days or even years of your life . . .
I’m glad this underestimated question / fundamental question was addressed. Thank you 🙂
You are most welcome, Kevin. I liked your question and certainly felt it could be hammered out easily and so I did.
Hey John B and the rest of the noob lubes, I have a opinion and I’m sticking to it. You don’t feel sorry for someone who is making money off this site. It’s plain non sense nowadays and I’m sticking to my point. If your home life is more important oh well but when you get criticized don’t be like “Wahh Wahh I have a life too”
Nobody is crying and asking for sympathy, Kody. I’m simply being polite with you and explaining to you why you are not getting the articles you wanted…since it seems you were the one with something to cry about. 🙂
I absolutely love running an awesome site and having the opportunity to step away and do other things if I please. I get to connect with many others who share my same passions and life is great! But yes….every now and then when people complain…it’s my job to play customer service.
You’re a scrotum licker and you should shut the fuck up. It’s absolutely comical how many times you have responded to defend your utterly irrelevant opinion, given that this FREE website is clearly not up to your standards. And yes, as you’ve stated, you have every right to give your two cents, but the fact that you’ve put such time and energy into restating your lack of appreciation for someone’s hard work to a community of anonymous people is very telling and gives me the feeling that we shouldn’t expect to hear the name Kody on ESNews anytime soon.
On a more positive note, I want to thank you, Johnny, deeply for the dedication and insight that you have put into building and maintaining ExpertBoxing. I’ve been boxing for about a year now and several of your articles have explained and articulated their topics with more clarity and logic than any trainer has yet to give me. I personally love the scientific approach you take with the sweet science and I wish more people seriously involved with boxing thought the way that you do. It burns me especially to hear people criticize your work for being too rudimentary because, at its best, boxing is a testament to the effectiveness (and the rarity) of the mastery of fundamentals. I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but to Kody and anyone who might share his mentality: more articles offering more insight are not going to magically transform you into a great fighter. Practicing some of the many, many things Johnny has already explained at great length and taking time to perfect each nuance before you move on is how that happens. The attitude that would lead you to berate Johnny over the excessive simplicity with which you perceive his work currently does and will continue to put a very low ceiling on your development as a boxer, and really as a human being in general. Best of luck, and thanks again Johnny!
I appreciate the support, Sam. Thank you for chiming and sharing your kind and generous thoughts.
Johnny hey sorry for being so critical in the overall picture of internet boxing ‘how to’ you are absolutely second to none the best boxing website by far and if you ended the site today of just like to say thank you
You are most welcome, Victor! 🙂
johnny, the site has been stagnant for some time.. now i havent been around much, except to get that footwork seminar which was wonderful. good explanations and i liked the tiptoe exercise, i used to do it for the ankles but didnt realise how gret it was for core and grounding. now u gotta do what u gotta do obviously.. id appreciate the more advanced work even if we have to pay for it.. id like to see a super super advanced timing-counterpunching workshop.. how to categorize rhythm fighters, how to take advantage of slipping with foot angling.. a super advanced workshop on feinting using everything fist elbows shoulder back foot front foot torso.. unorthodox combo punches that specifically diffuse other combos the opponent is landing successfully
simply put man ure the best to decipher it. cuz ive been playin coach long before this website and never could be as clear concise nd complete. its not like we old pros dont know this stuff, we do.. but its a gret refresher, it helps us keep all our moves in our mind nd not just the muscle memory ones. and i got youngsters i teach it just makes it easier to help out my fighters when im training them. i disagree w/ kody the newbies need this place much more than us. id kill for a coach who literally did 5% of this in my first few months. but i agree with kody that the advnced guys had an impct too.. i read some of my responses man theyre huge and so detailed 🙂 mini article like
so ill say while u gotta do whats important for u.. the more serious dogs need to pick some new tricks too coach guys like kody are taking the most serious punches.. and folks like me dont wanna do the hard work when theres a you around
I like this post. Saber you seem to be advanced and already know how the body is supposed to move with boxing in general. So it looks like youre focusing more on strategy. Have you ever read the book of five rings or the art of war. They’re great books on strategy and are simple to read, to the point, and good to practice with the skills you have to go along with it.
Great comment, Saber. Thanks for all the years of comments, my friend. And you know I’m gonna come through again for you 😉
coach jhoney i believe that we should work on mitts more than 30min because mitts is the most important training in boxing me i work on mits 90min 5 days a week
due to being mid 30’s, working full time, family, active kids and doing a masters degree; my training is around 90 minutes 3 times a week at my boxing gym. On the off days at home I always do 1 hour of skipping, weight training or running. I mix it up a bit. I find this keeps me slowly improving and gaining strentgth or stamina. Would love to quit work and go train twice a day but just not feasible. My end goal is not to world champ so dont need this kind of training level either. However I do want to be bext boxer I can be in the context of my life and body and have a boxers discpline and outlook.
I noticed some comments about this site. I’d like to say that no website can ever replace a good coach. This site is just another tool in your tool box and its is good to get a diferent angle on some topics and hear peoples views. If you think this site (or any) is going to be your saviour then you are wrong and set up to fail. What this site is though is a great resource and I appreciate the time and effor that goes into it. I think it i sone of the better sites around.
I’d say anybody no matter how advanced can keep reading it because there are always things to sharpen up on and practice. You cant tell me you have the whole site memorized and are perfect at everything mentioned on this site. On a side note, Johnny, do you know how a fighter develops smooth muscle? You know the kind of muscle that the old timers looked for to spot a good fighter…
Smooth muscle….beautiful question. I don’t know for sure but my guess is you develop it by exercising within your full range of motion. Lots of raw natural movement. Try to develop your muscles through movement not through resistance. Not that resistance is bad but you have to be careful about how the resistance affects the purpose of your exercise. Is the goal ultimately to add more resistance? Or is it to inspire the movement? I also feel it has to do with how the muscles are exercised in relation to your core. If you’re exercising in a way that always forces the entire body to activate together, that’s good. If you’re isolating muscles or muscle groups, especially in a way that doesn’t engage the core, that could ultimately be a bad thing.
I imagine that’s how many of the dancers developed their strength and they have plenty of beautiful, strong, and functional muscle.
Thanks for the response Johnny, I’ve noticed that the guys with this kind of muscle along with good posture tend to have very coordinated, smooth, movement along with great agility and snappy punches. I’ll work on the things you mentioned. I do mostly shadowboxing and practice dancing and have noticed that my body develops into the kind of body I want more from that then anything else which you mention with working on movement so that makes more sense to me now. Also from stretching with good posture. Thanks I will be working on all of this!
Geez like Kody . I have fought over 800 fights and let me re iterate that I came from the wrong side of the tracks. 80% of those fights were underground illegal fights . I lhave fought since I was 14 and am now 36. I have severe frontal lobe damage and have taken up teaching under privilege kids true boxing . That begins with basics Kody and if anything Johnny’s website has the basics. Which any fighter of any class can always return to. I’m happy that you are proud of your MMA status. But Johnny has a website from decades of experience . It sounds like you are quite capable of opening your own website.
🙂
Yeah, it looks like kodi never heared word theory,basics etc…
I have been following this site few months only and saw many interesting things that i can do for my training to improve, nobody is saying U MUST DO THIS,U MUST DO THAT!! This is bulk of everything of boxing that is offered from Johny for free….
Kodi-no offence-but u cant expect to be a champion if you dont have your personal coach…
Johnny-keep it up, im really enjoying this site!!!
By the way Johnny . Your website is a reference for ANY fighter of ANY degree
That’s a mighty high compliment, JP. Thank you for the kind words.
This site is amazing. Thanks for all the well written articles. For all the nay sayers just get out there and train and not over train your fingers. my two cents.
About the above banter . . . I think it’s good to choose who you want to listen to in life, then just listen, without offering any criticism, judging them or trying to be ‘right’ about what you think is right all the time. Just listen to them.
Take in what you like and let anything that doesn’t fit . . . just sail away.
If you leave your ego behind and just listen to people that you respect, you can learn a lot more by just focusing on the other person’s words and thoughts instead of chiming in with personal opinions, judgements and what you personally think is ‘right ‘.
If what they are doing or saying is not hurting anyone and even if someone has a totally different outlook from you, it still pays to listen to them intently and try to understand at least how they came to value a particular outlook or thing in their lives.
“If you leave your ego behind and just listen to people that you respect, you can learn a lot more by just focusing on the other person’s words and thoughts instead of chiming in with personal opinions, judgements and what you personally think is ‘right ‘”
________________________________________________________________
Kevin,
When I adopted this approach in ALL things, my life and outlook improved in a phenominal way. I’ll never forget the best piece of advice I got from a coach in high school: “Eyes and ears open, mouth shut”. Sadly, I didn’t heed that advice right away, but it took me a few years to catch on, lol.
Hi Gill,
“Eyes and ears open, mouth shut” – I will remember this fun and straight-up quote – as it is an upfront and no-nonsense saying about what we’re talking about. I have a text file on my desktop where I type in my favourite quotes and Kindle snippets of interest from books read. This quote I have just added, as I like it . . . it’s raw and to the point.
In western culture especially, ‘confidence’ is often defined as someone who is outgoing, assertive and voices their opinion at every opportunity when someone contradicts it. True inner confidence I believe comes from keeping our egos in check, listening to other people and learning from each other and giving that person the freedom to communicate what they think, feel or have experienced . . . even if we think they are on the wrong track. And unless they are headed for danger, what will change if we press our opinions on people anyhow?
Take this website for example, Johnny has obviously studied boxing from the raw complex foundations right up to nuances that I didn’t even know existed. I respect his advise and will try anything suggested and just move on from anything that doesn’t personally work for me onto the next piece of advice. Everything has taught me something so far and even the techniques that I don’t feel comfortable with after practising, such as ‘the bounce step’ has taught me what to look for in an opponent who might use the bounce step and where they are vulnerable (such as that half a second where they are bouncing in mid-air between steps).
I often catch myself wanting to press an opinion or opposing belief or even present an opinion opposing something with clear-cut scientific facts, but I do try always to yank myself back and kick my ego back down into the lower levels where it belongs. If you oppose someone’s view they’ll only rebel anyhow, as it’s far better to plant a seed of an idea than force it. Has any forced idea in history against another person’s initial strongly rooted idea (right or wrong) ever actually succeeded without conflict or going to war? . . . No, I don’t think so.
Anyhow, I’ve strayed off the topic here of ‘how long should a fighter train’. Personally, I initially started off at 40 minutes per day, but have gone up to 1 hour and 30 minutes per day. I found one outlook beneficial . . . ‘If it moves move it’ . . . (this quote from a very fit 70 year old that I know personally) as in if you are sore but can jog at a slow pace, just jog, just do it.. Keep it all moving 🙂
Love your thoughts on confidence and ego. It’s a difficult place to be when you disagree so strongly with a person but if you respect him or her, you’ll let him/her speak freely and not be so eager to challenge.
Some comments suggested that this site ‘hasn’t been updated for a while’ but I can’t find any evidence of this at all . . . there are regular quality posts going up once or twice a month on Expert Boxing. . . so this unfounded and unfair. What kind of updates are they talking about anyhow? WP updates, theme updates, widgets or layout etc? The site’s fine as it is, with some excellent articles that have really helped me.
All that chatter and support, yet where has his posts been? My point exactly. He needs to end this website or update it more
To Kody: I’m traveling in Europe right now. I’m on vacation and totally enjoying it. If you’re so unhappy with this site (or with me), you’ll have to go find what you want elsewhere.
To everyone else: Thank you for the years of support. I spent so much of my free time writing (6 years and counting) because of readers like you. And though I’ll always have mountains of other responsibilities to handle…I will always make time to come back and visit my passion for boxing. More articles to come. 🙂
If your trying to be smart with the vacation thing well I have 2 things. I don’t care and congrats. You don’t understand my frustration, you think I’m bashing you and saying that you are subpar. I don’t think that. I’m critiquing your RECENT work. Your past work was very in depth and ranged for beginners to advanced guys. I loved that but then the subpar movement started. As a competitive person, when things that I utilize fail me it frustrates me to a boiling point. And as head of this website you should never get to a point where your lacking depth and taking time off. Your making good money off customers who would like future work. People can praise you and say that I’m wrong but I will never pat your back for being a soft businessman. There’s farmers who wake up everyday and don’t feel like taking the fields but guess what? They have contracts and families who depend on those contracts. Your not a farmer but you have put out a service that should be updated frequently and have better and consistent structure.
Kody,
Are you kidding me?
It wasn’t that long ago (let me check, MAY 31) when you wrote, “I’m not telling you how to run your site.” And here you go, ranting about how I should be like a selflessly diligent farmer.
First off…you need to learn some respect and at the very least…write me a PERSONAL email, not a loud obnoxious comment criticizing me in public. This is a matter of gentleman’s courtesy to a fellow friend who is doing you a FREE FAVOR. I will assume you at least had decent enough parents to knock some etiquette and manners into you by the time you were 18. You do NOT attack people in public, ok? (ESPECIALLY, when it is someone who is doing things for you, for FREE! C’MON!)
Second…I didn’t spend 10 years taking physical damage in the ring…and then spend another 6 years (and counting) sharing TONS OF FREE INFORMATION on my website so an ungrateful person like you can come and attack me when I decide to take a break, relax, and for whatever reason of my own…write easy articles that are STILL of help to a large demographic of my readers.
Third…all your future comments will be deleted because they are disrespectful, helpful to nobody (not me, not other readers, not even yourself), and only distract from the point of this page…which is to discuss boxing technique.
Lastly…you need to get over your sense of entitlement because it makes you sound like a big baby. I do not OWE you free articles, do you understand? You’re not entitled to ANY control whatsoever over what I do in my life. Do you get that?
Just because I wrote 5 years of wonderful FREE STUFF for the public in the past, doesn’t mean I owe the public (or even you) another 5 years of wonderful free stuff. I’m turning 30 this year and I have responsibilities outside of the ring, outside of the gym. As hard as I work on my website…I work just as hard in many other areas of my life. If you were grown up enough and had enough responsibilities in your life, you would be man enough to understand that.
It now officially takes me about 5 hours every week to answer website comments, and 5 hours every week to answer Youtube comments. That’s 10 hours every week that’s given away for free simply because of the popularity of my website. Back when the site wasn’t as big, I didn’t have this dilemma but now I do. And that’s not even counting the hundreds of emails I get. My point is…I have much less time now than I did before…and that’s still not accounting for my life responsibilities OUTSIDE of boxing.
“And as head of this website you should never get to a point where your lacking depth and taking time off. Your making good money off customers who would like future work.”
– As head of this website, I get to do whatever I want. And the FREE articles I write are not for customers…they are for EVERYBODY! I do not make money off the free articles.
PS: your farmer reference is not a good analogy to make your point.
1) Those farmers are responsible to their contracts because they’re PAID for it. YOU are not paying for my free articles, ok? So I don’t owe you any more free articles.
2) The farmer are responsible to their families because they need to make enough to feed their family. I, on the other hand, am a one-man show. And I already make enough to feed myself…which is why I’m able to write free articles. If I wasn’t making enough to feed myself…well then, I better STOP writing free articles and start producing more paid content.
3) Again, get over yourself. I do not owe you my services of FREE writing, editing, photographing, photoshopping, recording, video-editing, coding, uploading, publishing, organizing, structuring, translating… all by myself. Tell me…in all your years of reading my work…what exactly have you done for me that even comes close to the amount of time that I put into the work?
Why should I have to do any of this for you? Why should I choose to write for you for free, over spending time with a sick dying grandparent…or helping my friend build his business…or learning how to play a guitar for my own pleasure. Why should I choose to do ANYTHING for you over doing something for myself or those who are closest to me?
– If you have any further issues to address…points that you haven’t already made…you can write them to me personally and I will answer them whenever I feel like. In the meanwhile, I hope you find a new outlet to cope with your issues.
man, i know this is a year late brother. but what your website did is unquestionably amazing. im not talking for anyone but me and those i trained. im not sure if u came up with the towel whipping idea or was it in one of my comments, but it is the fastest way to explain to someone what a jab is. my gigantic comments on hooks, unorthodox techs against left handers, etc. mr kody doesnt realise im sure, but i know how LONG it takes to write rambling comments which i didnt take a tenth of ur time to clear up. add in the images and the editing, the structuring. im fairly sure just my posts would be a small booklet, yours would be a small encyclopaedia. and it took time and effort.
so i know, and guys like me know, how hard it is. it’s easy to put words for how to punch hard like `turn it over, use the hip, get on your pivot foot, go punch punch. and if u cant u aint born with it son.’ cuz we know most REAL world trainers do just that. the aspects of slipping like the triangle theory, the discussions on types of slips, writing up combos better for the shorter or taller fighters, that stuff is hard. i recently wrote down my classification of combo families: left up right up left up, left up right up left down, left down right up left up, left down right up left down, etc. and it took me like an hour to organise and check i wasnt repeating myself. so i can guess how hard your shit must have taken.
man, there are always people who will even curse a gandhi or martin luther king for not doing enough. ur website did a lot for me and im sure many others, who understand it all but need a refresher. or maybe to get it better. ur punching with the first finger technique for getting that inch more of reach and the shoulder elongation helped me so much i practically have an inch and a half of reach now something i never did as a fighting pro. ive recently begun looking through the articles and some of my own stuff. the beautiful floyd tactics’ guide. if u didnt write anything else ever, u still made a mark on the internet pal. believe us. and thank you for the years of work.
Hey Saber,
Thanks for all the support my friend. It has been a good many years and I’m certainly proud of my work. Cheers to all of us boxers. It’s been fun!
Johnny
Kodi, again, DO NOT EXPECT THIS SITE TO MAKE YOU A CHAMPION! It can help you to improve, you need a coach that can focus on your disadvantages, cant you see that u r the only one person that is negative about this site…that should tell you everything…
I’d say getting to spend an hour and a half a day or every other day is more realistic for most guys out there. Getting to train 2.5 hours a day is a luxury most of us can’t afford, however, you can always put in some roadwork or jumping rope at home. Thanks for the article Johnny!
great work johnny upped my confidence ten fold with your insight many thanks
How do you develop smooth muscle?
Chris I’m not sure if you mean smooth muscle fibers or smooth “to the feel” muscles. Smooth muscles fibers can refer to those that make up the heart, and so you can’t get those anywhere else, except for internal organs which are sometimes also called smooth. If you mean smooth as in your muscles feel smooth when you touch them, that’s more about your skin that your muscle, and staying hydrated helps with that. ALSO, in case you meant “smooth motion”, not sure because you were a little vague, smooth motion comes with practice, focused and repeated motions over time get easier for your muscles and brain to execute.
Thanks Jordan. What I meant by smooth muscle was more so based on the look of it. If you look at a guy like Erislandy Lara, his muscle tone has this smooth look to it compared to Timothy Bradley who has really knotted up muscles. I notice that smooth motion comes from practice, focus, and repeated motions but I also believe the way our body is set up would have something to do with it. I’m wondering is this muscle is developed from just throwing a very high quantity of punches or high repetitions from light weights or working out the smaller muscles in your body, and just having a balanced efficient flexibility.
If you are going for the look of muscles, then the first thing to do is to look at what’s between your eyes and the muscles themselves; your skin. Your skin has layers, the top layer is accumulated skin cells that can help to protect/insulate and act as waste management, while the next layer is like the “behind-the-scenes” space for things like hair and sweat glands. The biggest two contributors to how skin looks and feels can be said to be water content, and fat storage content. The human body is capable of storing a lot of water, so a high percentage of aesthetic “cutting” or slimming can be achieved by altering your water intake. This results in dehydration of your body’s cells, and also results in your skin becoming “thinner.” So basically, you can remove the insulating water from your skin and your skin will tighten and dry. Fat loss can have much the same results, but of course in a different way. I recommend looking up Ross Edgley, a sports scientist who lost 24 pounds in 24 hours through manipulation of diet, water intake, and water output. As for the development of muscles, skeletal muscles(the kind we control to move around) come in 3 types of fibers, each fiber type behaves differently and thus each has specific purposes; slow-twitch, fast-twitch A and fast-twitch B. To put it in perspective, slow-twitch fibers are predominantly in lower limbs and posture muscles, they’re good for consistent, low to medium intensity activities like maintaining posture, and are mostly active when running an endurance marathon. Fast-twitch B are the opposite of slow-twitch, they’re explosive, powerful, but can’t keep it up for very long; in race terms, they’re your sprinting fibers. Fast-twitch A is like a happy medium between the other two, they can work longer than Fast-twitch B while still putting out power/speed, but not as long as slow-twitch. I’ve heard of boxing as (centrally) an anaerobic sport, but personally I think each style/fighter has a unique blend of aerobic/anaerobic, so training should almost never focus on one muscle fiber type, you should train all 3, and then some, depending on your style. Also, muscle length/fiber type content varies from person to person. That all being said, comparing two athlete’s muscle structure is complex, and has to factor in many things such as genetics, diet, skin tone, skin “tightness”, body fat content, bone structure, etc etc. I Googled those two fighters you mentioned, and Bradley’s “knottedness” seems to be a combination of his skin tightness, body fat content, and he likes to flex for the camera. Lara, who is in a higher weight class, is also 3 inches taller, and also fights in a different stance than Bradley, has what may seem to be smooth muscles, but superficially his smoothness seems to be due to body fat and skin tightness. Basically you can do some things other than just train to alter your physical appearance, but knowing the purpose/cause behind the look can be more essential than the look. Sorry for the super long reply, I got carried away; hope something I said was of help Chris.
That was actually a great response Jordan and I appreciate it a ton, thanks! I ask because the old timers used to look at a mans body and if he had the “smooth” kind of muscle then they would think he was a good fighter. I’ve also paid attention to it enough over the past year or so that I can usually tell just by looking at two fighters in a stare down which fighter will have a greater potential for being “slick”. Generally when determining if someone is slick I look for things like how effortless their punches seem or how coordinated they are and balanced. Everything you posted makes a lot of sense and helps me delve a little deeper into the subject. I appreciate that you took the time with the response and even googled both the fighters i was using as examples. Again thanks a lot I learned a lot from this post and will use it to up my game!
I’m sure Bradleys musle looks knotted because he lifts a LOT of weights Lara on the other hand has more of a natural boxers build. If you want to look like Lara cut down weights and stick to calisthenics(Body weight exercises), this should make you faster and more flexible too.
Just give us great consistent articles like you use to. That’s all we want.
That’s all I want, too. But of course…life, and a million other responsibilities are also important. Things have to be balanced and writing free articles can’t always take priority. Not everybody can get everything they want.
Kodi, i think u cant get better articles for free my brother…its 2015…theres nothing like that this days. I understand it was better before…its similar story with some apps on your phone its free for 30days, and its very nice, but then u have to pay…
With Johnny- maybe try contacting him and ask for special program or whatever u r interested in…
But dont spit on his work-not fair
All the best!
Brilliant responses Johnny. Thanks for all you have put up here and enjoy the break!
Hey Kody!
I’ve got a few words I’d like to share with you.
First off: I don’t box.
I’ve been interested in getting started so I’ve been doing some reading.
Johnny’s website looks like it has very good information about the sport. Maybe it doesn’t have the “super advanced” articles for your competitive fighter self, but that’s because they take sooo much time, something Johnny has (very politely might I add despite your CONSTANT bitching) explained to you.
Secondly: Who the fuck raised you? Did they do a shitty job or did you just resist all attempts of them trying to make you a decent human?
Did you save Johnny and his family from a burning building? Cause it seems like ya think you did.
If you didn’t I will repeat what Jonny’s been telling you..
JOHNNY DOESNT FUCKING OWE A SINGLE FUCKING THING
WHY DOES JOHNNY OWE YOU THE ADVANCED ARTICLES YOU SO INCESTANLY CRAVE?
YOUVE DONE NOTHING FOR THE MAN THATS SPENT 6 YEARS OF HIS LIFE GIVING YOU CONTENT
FOR FREE YOU MOTHERFUCKER
HE GETS NOTHING FROM FREE ARTICLES YOU FUCKING IDIOT HES JUST TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE, AND NEWSFLASH: HE IS HELPING PEOPLE EVEN IF ITS NOT YOU.
So to sum it up shut the fuck up you stupid brat, the man doesn’t owe you shit.
Once again, not a boxer, just a guy that can tell a truly terrible human being when he meets one ( or reads one’s comments).
Toodles!
Johnny,
For the time being, I do this 4-5x a week, sometimes a day rest in between:
Warm up/shadowboxing 5-10
Heavy bag 30 min
speed bag 10 min
rope 15 min
pushups 5 min
warmdown/shadow box 5 min
On weekends I do light moderate roadwork and that’s it. I have a 2 hr commute (each way) to work, so until that changes, this works for me. Cheers, bro.
what’s up johnny? who are your top 5 favorite boxers? i’ve been all over your site for the past two years and i havent seen any information about it. my faves? 1) paulie maliggnaggi, 2) zab judah, 3) amir khan, 4) danny garcia, 5) b-hop. thanks!
It’s a really tough call, man. My list probably has at least 30 boxers in it that I can’t decide from.
Roberto Duran
Manny Pacquiao
Sugar Ray Robinson
Roy Jones Jr
James Toney
– basically dudes with skills and willing to fight anybody
But there are so SOOOOO much more.
Johnny,
I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your website. This is the most informative, detailed and well organized free boxing website I have found. Thank you for taking the time to create and maintain this site. I’m sorry you had to experience Kody, but please know the majority of us understand the time it takes to make a website like this and we are truly impressed that you are able to put a website like this together on your spare time.
With people like Kody, who have “strong opinions” and a “lack of tact”, you should only respond once. People like Kody are closed minded, biased and have a hard time with looking from the otherside. They will argue with you to the end. Although you handled it well, arguments in the thread should be avoided. Delete his comments, ban him from the site and move forward. I’d give him a piece of my mind but Kody is going to be Kody and the best way to teach him is to make him go find what he wants elsewhere – for free.
When you get time, yes some advanced skills would be great. I also understand you have advanced skills training I can purchase – I look forward to paying you for your time. We are blessed that we can get this much content for free. We should be grateful that you are doing any of this for free.
At some point you have to go to a gym. At some point this site will not be enough. This site is better than some “trainers” but will never replace an expert trainer in the flesh. You taught me to hit the speed bag quicker than any trainer I’ve worked with.
Thank You Johnny.
~We need and appreciate you.
Have a good day and lets get back to boxing
Thank you for the kind words, Jerrel. And I’m glad my speedbag learning method worked beautifully for you. BACK TO BOXING!
Johnny i was ready your easy boxing workout and i saw you were talking about a amateur boxing workout guide whatever happened to that?
I’ve decided not to make it. It would require so much detail and effort, time and energy to make that I would only consider doing it as a premium product. I also figure it’s not as important because those who really want it (AND NEED IT) would go to a gym and learn it.
Can you please help me find out how I can get a boxing licence to train people ????? Need help
Call your nearby USA Boxing office.
You would have to have no job, zero social life, and virtually no responsibilties to devote 4-5 hours to training each day. Showering, driving to the gym, preparing meals, getting adequate rest between the runs, gym workout, and/or the strength/conditioning workout. That turns that 5 hour day into a 8-10 hour day. As daunting as this schedule seems, those old school turn of the century fighters performed workouts that would make this seem like child’s play. Jim Jeffries workout routine before he met Bob Fitzsimmons was unbelievable. Jeffries’s day of training involved 14 miles of roadwork done in less than 2 hours. Not an amazing time, until you factor in that Jeffries weighed about 210-220lbs and maintaining a 7 mph clip for 14 miles isn’t bad for a heavyweight. Jeffries would spar 12-16 rounds, hit the bag for 20-25 minutes without stopping, skip rope 1,500-2,5000 times, and finish up by throwing around an 18lb medicine ball or wrestling. Jeffries would also play 3 games of handball daily while in training.
Hello, i need some advice plz from u that know best. And as simple as possible plz.
I trained for 2 months. I was good and liked it.
Then stopped for various reasons for 6 months now. (The last time i went I did a spar with a better guy but at the end i got him i think cause he started to see me more seriously and be more cautious)so it was an achievement for me and one of the reasons i stopped could be that i reached my goal…even though we didnt spar hard at all and not for long at all,with the guidance of our coach offcourse.
Now a friend of mine appeared saying to me to restart and stuff. But i only like a lil bit of training on bags and the ball to avoid and minimum spar maybe. I know that if i want to learn i need to dedicate to it. To work out and stuff. But what i want is to eat large meals, go to cinema even play mario land hehe.old habit! (Im 28years old now) .But i like a peaceful life where nothing extreme happens. I dont know if its the best for me to restart… Maybe ill get too stressed psychologicaly.
Plz help with my delima!
Chears from eu!
Omg im so unorganized. Sorry for the many post but i want to be precise.
Is this psychology im having on every1 or is it just me,based on the stuff i said above.
Ur answer should not be based on your love for the sport plz…
Sorry and ty a lot again.
Have to go to work… Again!!!
Hey Johnny, what’s a good strength and conditioning routine to do for 60 minutes.
How many weeks should a fighter train before an open class bout?
If you have to ask that question, I’m not sure you’re ready for it.
I can’t find anyone to train with me, What are my best options for training till that changes?
Train alone? Do exercises?
Great stuff!!!I’m sure that everyone who’s been using the information you put together about boxing will agree.I think the way you detailed everything is excellent.
Hey Johnny, I live in Czech republic and we don’t have boxing gyms like in the US, England etc. The gym that I go to, which is in a different city but it’s the closest so I have no other choice than go train there, is really small we have just 1 trainer there and we workout in a group of 5 to 10 people and it’s open for only 2 hours and like 4 or 5 times a week so I mainly train at home.. It really sucks, and there are no speedbags and mitts.
The training goes like this: (it’s a bit different every training but it mostly stays the same)
First we skip rope for like 3 or 5 minutes
Then stretch
Skipping round 2
Stretching round 2
Then we get a tennis ball and dribble it in our boxing stance
Then everyone has to do some workout exercises like pushups or sit-ups
Dribbling round 2
Exercises 2
Then the trainer teaches the new guys (people who are there first to fourth time) technique
And the better guys do shadowboxing
Then you pair up with someone and do mitt work with them but with your gloves as mitts and the trainer tells us which combos we have to throw and this goes for a few rounds
Then we can either go work on the bag (there are only like three or four + the double end bag) or go sparring with someone and the sparring is weird because we don’t have a ring so there are guys sparring all over the small gym
And then it’s different each time but mostly the same we just do some strength exercises like squats, pushups or sit-ups
And that’s all this is 2 hours and then I have to ride a train home which I will get to like an hour after the training cause the train always comes late
And plus it’s really expensive and I’m a student and can’t afford it much so I go there once or twice a week but I train at home all the time but I don’t have a heavy or speed bag (but I want to buy one) so I just do shadowboxing and skip rope+some exercises and I want to start running in the morning before school.
I really want to go to the Olympics and then become a professional boxer
I started going to the gym in my late 14 but trained a little bit at home for a year before and I can see I have the talent and speed and power but I’m afraid that I don’t train enough and have a low chance of making it big..
Do I train enough and what more should I do? And do I have a chance in boxing?
Thanks alot Johnny
I want to fight at the lowest possible weight class as a amateur. I have knowledge on boxing and been training for a long time on and off. During this time the lowest I got to was around 130 sonwthing and im around 5’6 with great endurance and lots of sparring work. This time I wajt to get lower and look better cuz I often skipped push ups. Right now im back up to 164 and am wondering what you would do if you were me? Any weights or just running pushups situps…. ?? Thanks for sharing all your boxing knowledge by the way…
Also how much should a boxer who is 130-125 bench press? Cobased on all the pushups that are done…. I’m really tired of the gummy bear look?
Respectfully
Jim Jones
These guides are great. I just started working out again and have decided to train like a boxer to get in shape. I might as well learn the basics and do them properly, even if I never plan to step in the ring and box competitively. This website has been extremely helpful and I appreciate someone taking the time to do these free guides.
Johnny, do you recommend that I include a speed bag with my workouts even if I’m not looking to become a boxer? How good of a workout is it once you have the timing/rhythm down and can do it fast?
Again thanks for doing these guides I really enjoy them!
I like how it shows you what to train and what to do am 15 and I play soccer I’m a bit chubby..
When I was playing soccer I aad a heart problem I have to quit soccer bc of my heart and I gainn weight I finally got my surgery on my heart and I wanna get back into soccer it coast to much and I wanna joint boxing I don’t got the money for it I wanna get back into shape and lose a lot of weight I’m a good fighter I never had lost a fight in my life yet and I had got into fights with older guys and buffer stringer taller then me and I still haven’t lost a fight what I do is stay calm focus on there whole body like hands foot every thing I’m always careful I got fast reflex nobody never had hot me in my face I project my face and body I can box and kick box what I do is do some warm ups like push ups jumping jacks pull ups and more I do it for 30 mind then I start lifting some weights and then I get to the bag like the punching bag I hit for like an hour and I sweat a lot I do it to stay in shape and loset weight and to have self defends I don’t starts fights fights comes to me I do have permission to fight no matter what and I never had let myself been bully and I seen kids get bully like my age boys and girls and I go defend them bc I hate bullies
Hey jonny i am 15 years old and love boxing. My problem is that our club only trains 3 days a week teusday, wendsday, and saturday. I do sprints and abs on days off. I have started to biuld a home gym witha heavu bag and doublend bag. I also have people in my area who box and we have foucus pads. I was just wondering what i could do on off days and if 3 days is enough sparing
hey jonny. 16 year old boxer. i dont want to use weights yet. what other body weight exercises can i use apart from chinups ,pushups, tricep dips , dips?
thanks
Originally Serbian, but living in Africa long time, trained boxing since ’95 (im 38now)not pro, but trained and boxed with pro boxers-kick boxers…in serbia..
Really enjoying your site…master….
All the best!!
Originally Serbian, living in Africa (15yrs), trained boxing in Serbia since ’95-6..im38now…here there was no boxing clubs, only national team, went there few times but trust my own trainings more(picking up every time i go to visit-training, even boxing with pro boxers-kick boxers in Serbia, was never competing seriously)
Am training 3 hours Monday to Friday i looks good on the bag and mits but when i spar i forget everything and i get beaten what can i do to be good a sparing?
What’s up man I was like that myself. It’s very discouraging but I know how to over come that issue, not sure it’s my place to answer that.. email me if u want some tips
I just joined a boxing gym and am a beginner and not in perfect shape my trainer started me out as a warm up doing 3×25 pushups sit ups and bodyweight squats and then shadow boxing mitt training speedbag jump rope running heavy bag and at the 4×25 pushups sit ups and bodyweight squats but with a medicine ball. I also work a very physical job and tried to tell him I am not conditioned enough for all the pushups but wouldn’t listen. Am I just weak or am I right and need to just lower reps until I reach 25 comfortably??
My son is 10 and has 6 amateur fights I love to read your articles and posts. Glad there guys like you out there. Keep up the great work
I’m 50 years old and I will be heavy weight champion of the world in 18months
Johnny,
I just wanted, first and foremost, to extend my gratitude to you for running this and giving the advice to us so called “noobs” that feel as if asking certain beginner questions in the boxing community (I. E. At a gym or to a more experienced fighter) can result in unwarranted condescension and lack of standard courtesy. The fact that you take the time to write these articles and answer such questions is admirable and extremely helpful. I have learned a great deal from your site and teachings. My secondary reason for contacting you is that I have some questions I prefer not to be posted, as the preface of said questions will contain personal information and that which I don’t don’t necessarily prefer to be revealed publicly as it pertains to medical situations that affect my boxing, and was hoping that you might have some input on how to train given the aforementioned restrictions. If you can’t personally respond I completely understand and I also take into account that you are profoundly busy, possibly limiting your ability to take time to answer every email you get. That being said, I would love your input as an expert I have come to develop a deep respect for. Thank you for your time and I apologize for the great length of this correspondence.
With respect,
Colin Canfield
Hey Johnny
Your articles been helping me out a lot.Just want to thanks for that cause I never really had a true boxing coach.Anyways my first fight is coming up in 6 days ad I’ve been training real hard a whole month and more .But I’ve never done any sophisticated planned workouts, I just kept going till I couldn’t anymore.This is what I used to do:
1-4.30 kms run
2-45mins -60 mins Shadowboxing
3-1 hour-Skipping,plyometrics, push-ups pullups etc
4-15-20 mins Sparring(cause I never had a Sparring partner)
I never changed from this and kept doing it.Could you share your thoughts on this? If I’m doing it wrong or right?
Thanks a lot man!
hello buddy u r a truly inspirational guy I am starting on my boxing jauney im training for white collar boxing 3 runs a week 3 gym sessions a week including 2 boxing sessions a week also best regards gerry
I wish you luck man.
Respect for you in taking the gloves.
Stay safe
How many days a week should you spar?
Hi Dorian. You can spar every day of the week but I wouldn’t recommend hard sparring every day.
Hi, I’m new to boxing. I just wanna know if its good to train at the gym (with weights, bodybuilding) an after, practice box. Or is it better the other way around? How much should hours I spend train?
Whichever one you do first will be the one that you improve faster for. If you want to prioritize boxing, then do that first. Number of hours can be anywhere from 2-5. Your body only has so much adrenaline available, but the mind can work for a longer time.
Do you think it is better to run 1 mile 7 times a week, or 2-3 miles 3 times a week?
2-3 miles three times a week is better for sure.
Hey Johnny , I like your articles and i have to ask , does someone really have to train 3-5 hours 5x a week to be truly good ?
Let me ask you this, George. If your opponent was training 3 hours/day. How many would you like to be train to prepare for him? “Good” is a relative term. To be good against a random guy on the street, an hour or two a week might be all it takes. Against a serious competitor amateur, perhaps a bit more.
Complete bullshit, not even pro boxers train like that. 60 min bagwork PLUS 30 minutes sparring every day? Did the author ever box himself? 30 min sparring 5 days a week is an excellent way to destroy your career, too.
As I said, complete bullshit. People, do yourself a favor, look up some studies about pro athlete training, including “training hours per week”.
Absolutely incredible. This has got to be one of the most uninformed comments I’ve seen yet. Sure makes me wonder if YOU even train at all. For all those wondering how the exact training times break down, please read my other guides so you don’t misinterpret what I’m saying.
– Yes, 60 min bagwork is not unheard of. Heavy bag, speed, bag, double-end bag. 3 rounds each is 9 rounds (36 minutes already)….count a few warm-up/warm-down rounds on the heavy bag and maybe tabata drills and you’ll hit 60 mins easier than you think. Does it HAVE to be
– Yes, 30 minutes sparring everyday. 3-6 rounds of serious sparring, 3 rounds of chill warm-up or warm-down sparring. You’ll hit 30 minutes easily. Does it mean all rounds are 100% intensity. Absolutely not. Some days are tactical sparring days, other days you put a little more work. And whether you like it or not…some gyms are straight up doghouse gyms where they try to kill each other for 6 rounds. Pros go up to 10 rounds easy.
Noone trains 5 hours a day that’s rediculous. I’m a boxer. Just doesn’t happen. 1.5hrs-2 max! Everything included. Body couldn’t take 5 hrs it’s not healthy
You think no one trains 5 hours a day?
Im asking of how many hours to be a very good boxer like 5 thousand hours or what plz explain
It really depends on how good you want to be. To be even a solid amateur will take a couple thousand hours for sure.
There is another dimension to this that hasn’t been covered yet.
And that is – how should the intensity of training change over time? That is, leading up to a fight?
After training 5 hours most days, a fighter’s fitness and conditioning will reach steady state (and stop improving).
So why do this this 6 months out from a fight and make your life hell?
If you reach steady state after say one month, then I would suggest there is no point doing this any longer than one month out from fight day. Before that, take it a bit easier.
But if you are fighting every month then sure, train 5 hours most days and suffer.
H
What if I’m only training like 2 hours a day should I be doing more?
Start with what feels comfortable. Then push a little more from there. I don’t know your level, your goals, etc. But 2 hours a day is great.
its me caitlin want to be boxer
I’m 17 and I’m going to start training professionally Because I want to box for a living, I live in an area where people don’t go far, and I want to prove them all wrong. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
I train by myself for 2 hours a day 5 times a week all hard training. Sadly I don’t have anyone to spar with because my trainer is pretty much an old timer. Also we can’t afford gym training so we do it out of a shed. (When I’m 18 I will move back to Chicago and train at a professional gym though.) My pops (trainer) was a former professional and I’m going to be having a few fights this summer but I’m not sure how to get more consistent on the jump rope. (I’ve done it for a while, but I’m kind of how rocky was in rocky one, meaning I’m more of heart and determination in my fights, not speed.) is there any specific tips for the jump rope?