How They Train: Conditioning Methods of World Champion Boxer Evander Holyfield

Frederick C. Hatfield, Ph.D., FISSA

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Sportscience News Sep-Oct 1997

http://www.sportsci.org/news/news9709/ Hatfield .html



Is there a place for periodization, force-velocity curves, and even plyometrics in the often archaic world of professional boxing? Fred Hatfield convinced Evander Holyfield that there is. Here, Dr Hatfield describes the conditioning program that prepares Holyfield for all the physical demands of a championship fight, all except biting.



World Champion Boxer

Evander Holyfield (on the left)

Training Strategy for Evander Holyfield





My responsibilities were limited to the physical conditioning component of Evander's training, which had to be integrated into his skills and sparring training. Boxers require not only agility, speed and strength in short, explosive bursts, but also a high level of anaerobic strength endurance in order to perform these bursts over and over for ten rounds or more. I designed Evander's training regimen and nutritional protocol to reflect these all-important elements. The road work ended promptly and completely.

After the 12 week cycle described below, Evander recovered quickly from intense activity, even after a series of ten, 3-minute drills. His agility and limit strength levels increased, and his lean Baudot increased from 208 to 218.

The conditioning program described below was the program I personally supervised Evander through prior to the Buster Douglas fight. He also used the same training cycle in preparation for his most recent fights against Mike Tyson, but I was not there personally to oversee his training. This preparation was supervised by a friend of mine in the strength coaching profession who assures me the Evander followed the prescribed program precisely.

General Points of Conditioning for Boxers



There are several general concepts which helped to shape the specific program that I designed for Evander. First, the work profile of boxing is repeated 3-minute rounds of activity, often with very high intensity bursts within a round. The rounds are separated by one minute rest intervals. Thus, the relative contribution of anaerobic energy release pathways is considered extremely important, with aerobic capacity playing an important role in terms of facilitating rapid recovery. Extreme conditioning is required to fight effectively for ten intense, 3-minute rounds and anaerobic endurance is a key aspect that cannot be overlooked. Short of an early round knockout, boxers cannot afford to win only the early rounds of a fight. They must maintain an intense, but measured pace throughout a long and competitive bout. So conditioning counts almost as much as skill for boxing success. Optimal physical conditioning provides the platform from which the skills can be used. The best way to simulate the demands of boxing is to use conditioning methods which mimic the work/rest ratio and integrated bursts of power that typify boxing.

Boxing is a highly individual sport. Fighters possess unique styles that create specific physical demands. Some rely on explosive strength ("power"), for others it's starting strength ("speed"), and for most a combination of the two ("speed-strength"). True champions alter their style in a way that will make them more able to attack the weaknesses of any given opponent. Improvements in specific capacities can be made, but they are only helpful if integrated into the fighter's style. For example, extensive footwork exercises may not benefit the power puncher who fights stationary and looks to deliver a blow that starts with the legs and drives right through the opponent (and wins that way). Similarly, a fighter who relies on punching speed and fast footwork should not put all his training hours into heavy bag work and muscle mass development. So, the program designed must not only be specific to boxing, but also specific to the boxer.

Ideally, the boxing punch consists of a synchronization between arm, leg, and trunk actions. The punching movement of a boxer consists of leg extension, trunk rotation, and arm extension, in succession. The more effective the coordination between arm, leg and trunk movements, the greater the impact force of a punch. The leg muscles play a vital role in the power developed in this sequence. Increasing leg force development and coordinating it with trunk and arm action is probably the most effective way to increase punching power.

Because boxing is an explosive sport, ballistic training methods are especially effective during weight training for boxing. This kind of training method requires the athlete to perform each repetition explosively, with maximal intended velocity. Finally, in my view, the best way to weight train for competitive boxing is via a cycled training schedule. This type of training schedule integrates workouts and exercises that will meet all the basic performance demands of boxing, strength, power, speed, agility, and strength endurance.

Evander's Conditioning Plan



The twelve week macro cycle was broken down into four mesocycles of three weeks duration. Each 3-week period had specific goals, and each subsequent 3-week period built upon what was established in the preceding periods. The conditioning goals for each mesocycle were as follows:

Weeks One, Two and Three

1. Maximize muscle mass -- Evander needed to increase his body mass from under 210 to 220 pounds.

2. Minimize fat accumulation during hypertrophy phase (dietary strategies including "zig-zag" diet were employed).

3. Improve general strength and fitness foundation, including moderate aerobic threshold intensity training.

4. Begin training to increase anaerobic threshold.

5. Introduce light plyometrics.



Weeks Four, Five and Six

1. Maximize limit strength of muscles/movement used in boxing (emphasis on legs).

2. Increase anaerobic strength endurance (maximum force output time after time).

3. Begin training specific skills (weaknesses) in earnest.

4. Concentrate on between-workout recovery.

5. Introduce explosive strength and starting strength with moderate plyometrics.



Weeks Seven, Eight and Nine

1. Maximize explosive strength.

2. Specific event skills must predominate all skills training sessions.

3. Continue anaerobic threshold training.

4. Maximize between-workout recovery.

5. Incorporate weighted plyometrics and hill/stairs running.



Weeks Ten, Eleven and Twelve

1. Maximize ballistic strength (starting strength) using "shock" plyometrics (built on a 9-week base of plyometrics progression).

2. Heavy emphasis on anaerobic threshold.

3. Maximize between-workout recovery ability.

4. Heavy emphasis on skills.

5. Emphasize speed, agility, ballistic movements.

6. "Overspend" drills in final preparatory period.

7. Begin "complex training" (description below) as a replacement for normal weight training.



Evander's Training Techniques and Sequences

(abbreviated terms are described after the table)



Mesocycle One

Session Training Mode Frequency Morning workouts Boxing Skills Daily LBE Mon, Wed, Fri UBE Tues, Thurs, Sat Versaball Mon, Wed, Fri Noon workouts 3 Minute Drill (4-6 sets) Mon, Wed, Fri Plyometrics Tues, Thurs, Sat Evening workouts Weight Training Mon-Fri Mesocycle Two

Session Training Mode Frequency Morning workouts Sparring/IE Daily/twice weekly LBE Mon, Wed, Fri UBE Tues, Thurs, Sat Versaball Mon, Wed, Fri Noon workouts 3 Minute Drill (7-9 sets) Mon, Wed, Fri Weighted plyometrics Tues, Thurs, Sat Evening workouts Explosive weight training Mon-Fri Mesocycle Three

Session Training Mode Frequency Morning workouts Sparring Daily LBE Mon, Wed, Fri UBE Tues, Thurs, Sat Versaball Mon, Wed, Fri Noon workouts 3 Minute Drill (10-12 sets) Mon, Wed, Fri Shock plyometrics Tues, Thurs Evening workouts complex training Mon-Fri

Explanation of Training Terms and Details





Boxing Skills & Sparring

IE

UBE

UBE load setting/intensity Work Duration Rest Duration Repetitions Mesocycle One max 1 minute 1 minute 5 Mesocycle Two max 90 seconds 1 minute 8 Mesocycle Three max 2 minutes 1 minute 12

LBE

UBE load setting/intensity Work Duration Rest Duration Repetitions Mesocycle One max 1 minute 1 minute 5 Mesocycle Two max 90 seconds 1 minute 8 Mesocycle Three max 2 minutes 1 minute 12

VersaBall

right and left jab positions (single arm)

between legs (double arm, for back)

overhead (double arm, for midsection)

chest pass (double arm)

Weight Training Initially (during mesocycle one), Evander followed a modified bodybuilding and basic strengthening program using a "variable split" format. A, B and C specify whether the workout is to be a very easy one (A), a moderately difficult one (B), or a high intensity one (C). This part of Evander's program was monitored by Lee Haney, multiple "Mr. Olympia" bodybuilding champion, and a former student of mine.



Evander's Variable Split Exercise Listing

The precise schedule of when to do an A, B or C workout was matched to Evander's recuperative abilities.



Chest A workout bench press B workout add dumbbell bench press C workout add incline dumbbell bench press Shoulders A workout seated dumbbell presses B workout add frontal dumbbell raises C workout add lateral raises Back A workout bent rows, back extensions B workout add modified pull-ups C workout add pull-downs Arms A workout EZ curls, pushdowns B workout add hi, moderate and low rep system C workout add dumbbell curls, dips Legs A workout safety squats, keystone deadlifts B workout add lunge walking, glute-ham raises C workout add twisting squats, leg curls Midsection A workout Russian twists B workout add pre-stretched crunches C workout add sidebends

3-Minute Drill:

The 3-Minute Drill Sequence:



sprint 40 yards

stop and sprint backwards

stop and sprint backwards

jump in place high ten times

get in a pushup position and give me your legs

run forward on your hands

run backward on your hands

run left

run right

jump up and down on your hands 10 times

stop... get up... carioca left 40 yards

carioca right back to me

skip 40 yards

skip backwards back to me

Each 3-minute drill is performed on verbal commands from the trainer. Evander must go for a solid 3 minutes at a heart rate of 180 beats per minute (minimum). After a one minute rest (getting his heart rate back to 110-120) repeat, rest, and repeat again.



Notice that jumps, hops and skips should be performed with "checkmark" intensity, as should every single move Evander makes -- POUND that thought into his head every minute of these drills. Always tape Evander's wrists and wear gloves (protection from debris and potholes)!



Plyometrics This is a way of improving starting strength, explosive strength and amortization (the "checkmark") through total concentrated force output in every move Evander makes. On days where the midday workout is limited to plyometrics, they should be relaxed, with much rest between bouts, with each bout only lasting 10-20 seconds.



The Plyometrics Sequence

1. jog or do stepups to warm up

2. easy (not "all-out") jumps, hops, skips, and then

3. do 20 yards of skips

4. again

5. hops like a kangaroo

6. again

7. repeat 3, 4, 5, and 6 backwards

8. one-legged hops 30 yards (both feet)

9. hops on hands 10 yards

10. repeat 9 backwards

11. repeat 9 left and right



In second mesocycle, do all of the above with a weighted vest.



In third mesocycle, incorporate bench hops, 10 reps.



In third mesocycle, incorporate twisting skips 40 yards, and twisting the other way back 40 yards.

Edited by Stephen Seiler. Webmastered by Alfred Zommers. Last updated 5 September 1997



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