One of the questions we hear most from new people entering the studio is “You’re a boxing studio. What do you know about strength training?”

In short, a boxing studio knows a lot about strength training. Boxing is at the core of everything that we do at Gloveworx, but learning the techniques and tactics of pugilism all boils down to a simple principle: There’s hitting things, and then there’s hitting things hard!

Everyone wants to hit harder, the pop that those mitts make when you throw the perfect punch is like a drug. We all want a little bit more. Technique is the foundation of tapping into more of those perfect punches, but being technically perfect will only take you so far.

If you want to increase your power, strength training is the answer. Read on to learn more about how you can get some extra power in your back pocket.

What is Strength Training?

Let’s start at the beginning. Many people have heard the term “strength training,” but they’re not sure what it actually is. They’re often surprised to learn that there’s no encompassing method for strength training, and that all types of strength training exercises are different and produce significantly different effects on neuromuscular performance.

Though our coaches program and select exercises that they believe will improve performance based on your body and personal goals, it is not only the exercise that modifies the body or the neuromuscular system, but the way in which the exercise is performed.

Applying Strength Training to Boxing

It’s important to remember that all exercise involves information processing in the central nervous and neuromuscular systems, so all training should be regarded as a way in which the body’s systems are programmed and applied to create solutions to motor tasks.

At Gloveworx, our belief is to apply movements during our sessions that are similar to skills you use in the ring, especially in regards to specific joint angles and sequential motor pathways. This type of program methodology allows strength training to generate optimal transfer effect to your boxing performance.

Benefits of Strength Training for Boxing

Over the past 20 years, supplementary strength training has become a popular and effective way to improve athletic performance. Today, strength training isn’t just for athletes, it’s a way for anyone to improve their performance and movement efficiency.

To help you improve, strength training should simulate the movements and relevant neuromuscular qualities you’re trying to achieve as closely as possible. Training in this way will support the improvement of specific performance across several key areas like:

Strength Training at Gloveworx

In the context of strength training for boxing at Gloveworx, specificity should not be confused with simulation. Specificity in training means exercising specific muscles to improve a movement, while simulation of a movement (e.g. a punch) uses added resistance to increase strength. Simulation of any movement with significant resistance is inadvisable since it can alter the motor programs you use to complete a movement.

Strength training in regards to specificity within the Gloveworx program focuses on analyzing and defining specific strength qualities associated with sport movements and training those qualities to improve movement efficiency and develop improved motor control. If your coach thinks your jab could improve, instead of completing the jab over and over again with weights, they will work with you to improve your arm and back strength with exercises that target those specific muscles.

Time to Train!

If you want to learn how to use strength training during boxing to hit harder and stay out of pain, the Gloveworx Blitz session is designed to help you achieve your goals and create a specific program for you. Check out how our coaches are using strength training to help elite fighters get better.