When it comes to fight training, there is some old-school controversy as to whether strength training, especially for boxing, is necessary and/or useful. As we know today, strength training is crucially important for the success a fighter has in the ring or cage. The best part is, that you don't have to spend hours in the gym throwing around a ton of weight to get functionally strong either.
FightCamp was fortunate enough to be able to partner with Delante “Tiger” Johnson, a former Olympian and undefeated professional boxer signed to Top Rank, and his coach Prenice “PJ” Brewer, to walk Rocky Harris through some of PJ’s top strength and conditioning exercises.
Check out these three moves and add them to your training so you can fight like a tiger!
The Movements
Here are PJ’s top strength and conditioning exercises that he has Tiger Johnson perform during training camps.
*Equipment Needed: Dumbbells
Man-Makers
Start off in a full-body plank position holding a pair of dumbbells in each hand
Dumbbells should be resting on the ground
Perform a single-arm renegade row with each arm consecutively
Next perform a push-up
Jump your feet towards the dumbbells, landing shoulder-width apart before rising to a standing position
Hammer curl the dumbbells
While keeping the weights in the curled position at shoulder height, perform a bodyweight squat
As you rise up out of the bottom squat position, continue pressing the dumbbells overhead performing a shoulder press
Lower the weights back towards the ground before jumping your feet back to a full-body plank position
Repeat this movement pattern for 60 seconds
Seated Planks
Begin by sitting on the ground with your legs stretched out in front of you, feet together
Grab a dumbbell and hold it against your chest
While engaging your core, lift your legs 4-6 inches off the ground
Your chest should be at a 45-degree angle, legs straight
Hold this plank position for 60 seconds
Dumbbell Squat Jumps
Start off in an athletic stance
Grab a dumbbell and hold it at chest height
Perform a bodyweight squat pausing at the bottom position for a second
Upon rising, perform a vertical jump focusing on height
Be sure to land in an athletic stance
Continue performing squat jumps for 60 seconds
Tools For Your Boxing Toolkit
These three moves are easy to execute, yet challenging to perform when the focus is time orientated. PJ likes to have his boxers perform these exercises using time-based measurements as that is what fighters experience during their fights. He usually has them perform multiple sets while only letting them have 30-seconds rest between sets.
As you can see, strength training is critical for a boxer's success while fighting. You have to be able to take the beating and be able to dish it out as well. These three moves will help your performance in both regards.
Train Like a Fighter
Take your workouts to the next level and train like Tiger with the at-home connected fitness solution used by world champion boxers Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather. FightCamp has everything you need to work out on your schedule, with premium boxing equipment and hundreds of on-demand strength, conditioning, kickboxing, boxing, core, and recovery classes led by real fighters. As Mike Tyson said - “FightCamp is the next level of training!”