Strength and conditioning tools

Weights

When you feel ready to add weights to your routine, you can do worse than visiting your local leisure centre. Inductions are statutory and the trainers there will show you how to lift with good form. They will also set appropriate weights to start at.

Where possible, work with free weights. Aim to use compound movements rather than isolating muscles. Remember that your aim is to develop functional muscle for boxing.

Medicine ball

The medicine ball is an excellent conditioning tool. It’s a great option for adding resistance in the early days of strength development.

It’s versatile — you can move it through different planes. Further down the line you can use it to develop muscular endurance and explosive power. As you start out, make sure to use an appropriate sized ball, concentrating on form.

Kettlebells

If I had to choose one resistance tool for boxers it would be the kettlebell. They develop brutal, functional power. They fire up the posterior chain of muscles used in punching motion.

Go easy, using an appropriate weight, concentrating on good form.

Sandbags

From personal experience, the most effective training methods are the most unpleasant. Sandbags are unpleasant. They are the direct opposite of a controlling weight machine.

A homemade sandbag — the best option — is unpredictable. The sand inside shifts about, making you adjust your body as you move it. This fires muscle chains in natural, functional patterns. They hit parts of your body that can get overlooked. Your hands and forearms will howl in protest after a sandbag session.

Sledgehammer and tyre

Need an endorsement for the strength and conditioning credentials of the sledgehammer? Check out Earnie Shavers. Shavers is one of the hardest hitting boxers of all time and he swore by hammer time.

A large tractor tyre is the perfect foil for your sledgehammer training. Not only does it provide a durable target, it works as well on its own. Jumping in and out of a tyre develops explosive power in your legs. Use them in outdoor circuit training or for improving balance. Mix and match. Get creative!

Bulgarian Bag

Ivan Ivanov developed the Bulgarian Bag for wrestlers, but it ticks the boxes on our checklist too. It is a crescent shaped bag that you grab at each end. You can move it in similar ways to the kettlebell but I love it for it’s trademark move — the spin. This one move generates terrific rotational power, using the legs core and shoulders. Like the sandbag, it will make your forearms and hands will scream.

Bar

There is no hiding on a pull-up bar. I have seen many hulking chaps swagger into the gym, only to wither under its inscrutable gaze. There is no better judge of relative strength.

Chin-ups and pull-ups gives your back, chest, arms and shoulders a world-class workout. Gripping towels looped around the bar offers a whole new dynamic to the lift.

Like the heavy bag, your location dictates your options. A bar that attaches to a door frame will get the job done. But a bar with enough depth and space unlocks the real delights of this gem. Hang, feet of the ground with peripheral space, guarantees an ass-kicking core workout.

What if you were able to change the level of the bar? Well, then you could invite your legs to the party too. I have a bar system that I can adjust to three separate levels. At the lowest level my boxers can vault the bar with explosive jumps. At the central position they can clear it with a sandbag. It’s the gift that keeps on punishing.