Running is a hugely popular form of training across a wide range of sports. However, boxing is a sport that will always be associated with running. Whether that is because people remember the shots of Muhammad Ali running down the side of the road in his grey sweatsuit, or Floyd Mayweather running down the Las Vegas strip in the early hours of the morning followed by his countless supercars. The two will always be linked.
Boxers have and always will use running as an integral portion of their training regimes. Fighters have for centuries been racking up the miles on the road during training camps and for good reason. Running provides boxers with a huge amount of benefits that can correlate to their performance inside the ring.
In this article, we will look at the reasons why running is so important in boxing and why boxers, both past and present, swear by it.
Helps Improve Conditioning
One of the most impressive benefits of incorporating running into a boxer's training regime is its ability to increase a fighter's conditioning. The conditioning that a fighter needs is not only cardiovascular, it is also muscular conditioning. Running works phenomenally at helping to condition muscles, especially in the legs.
A fighter needs well-conditioned legs, and other muscles, in order to last more than just a few rounds in the ring. You will often hear commentators say ‘his legs have gone’ or ‘he hasn't got the legs’, which refers to the fighter's leg muscular conditioning. The greater your legs are conditioned, the longer you will be able to last during your fight.
Boxers will run anywhere up to around 40 miles a week, that is a lot of repetition on your legs. This amount of running and repetition is hugely effective when it comes to building a good amount of muscular endurance that will help to see you through your fight whether it be 4,6,8,10 or 12 rounds.
Builds Cardiovascular Endurance
The most obvious and effective benefit that running offers fighters is the ability to increase their cardiovascular endurance. Boxing is hugely straining your cardiovascular system and therefore you need to be incredibly fit.
When running your heart rate rises, which means that your blood has to pump more blood into the working muscles to provide them with sufficient oxygen. Doing this on a consistent basis helps to improve the efficiency of the heart which therefore has a positive impact on the overall cardiovascular endurance of a fighter.
The better a boxer's cardiovascular endurance is, the easier it will be for them to execute their game plan, throw shots, avoid shots, pressure their opponent, stay elusive, see shots coming and so much more. The importance of having good cardiovascular health and endurance for a boxer truly cannot be understated.
Mental Preparation
While boxing is a very physical sport, there is a lot of mental preparation and mental strength that is needed to succeed in the sport. Therefore it is important for fighters to train their minds as well as their bodies in order to be as prepared as they can be.
Running, especially endurance running, takes a good amount of mental strength and resilience, similar to boxing. Studies have shown that running is very effective at helping to lessen feelings of stress and anxiety. This allows fighters to keep a clear mind and focus on what is ahead, their fight.
In addition to this, running helps you to build a mental tolerance to discomfort and pain. During a fight, there will be moments where you are uncomfortable, out of breath, tired, and in pain. Running helps to simulate this, in a lesser form, in order to train not just your body, but also your mind to be able to deal with these feelings so that they do not overwhelm a fighter come fight night.
Weight Management
Another extremely important reason why fighters use running is to manage their weight. Boxers have very strict weight classes and weight limits. This therefore means that throughout camp they will have a weight in mind that they need to reach for weight in the day which is typically the day before the fight.
Running, especially longer distances, helps to burn a huge amount of calories which then also helps to keep weight off. You will often see fighters running in sauna suits as they get closer to fight night, this is because the sauna suits help the fighters to sweat more which once again helps them to drop vital pounds in order to help cut weight.
Running is not just utilised by fighters during camp. Fighters will often use running as a form of cardio to keep up their fitness and ensure they are not putting on excessive amounts of weight in between fight camps.
Improves Explosiveness
Running does not always have to be long-distance road running. Many boxers also like to mix sprints into their training regimes. While longer-distance endurance running helps to improve your overall cardiovascular endurance, sprinting will help to increase your explosivity and allow your body to get used to small explosive bursts.
During a fight, a fighter will have short bursts of explosiveness when throwing combinations. Sprinting will help your body to recover quicker from these short bursts of explosivity to ensure that it does not affect you on fight night.
Sprints are more of a fight scenario simulation due to their short burst of energy. Therefore improving your explosiveness by incorporating sprints and intervals into your routine can pay dividends come fight night.
Running Equipment From Geezers Boxing
Here at Geezers Boxing, our huge range of boxing equipment features a number of different products that can help aid your running. We stock high-quality sauna suits, water bottles, sports clothing, weighted vests and more. Shop our quality products and get yourself up and running in no time.
