Changing From Bodybuilding To Boxing

Train for strength, using lower reps with heavy weight to maximize strength: compound lifts only, ditch the bodybuilder training style isolation exercises. Add in some explosive lifts (olympic style) and plyometricss/agility work to train your nervous system. If you change your training and adjust your eating, your physique will transform.
 
Why is this in the UFC forum? Are you going to UFC soon?
 
Endurance training is NOT bodybuilding training...regardless of calories...if you aren't training specifically for bodybuilding...you will lose size...endurance training burns way more calories than bodybuilding...so just eating the same calories, you're going to lose weight...but once you stop bodybuilding, you lose size rapidly.
Na not everybodys body is the same, you will lose strength and a little muscle but if you quit lifting, you could easily stay the same weight by eating the same amount of calories a day that's the point.

If you quit lifting and weight 210, you wont magically drop to 180 if you keep eating like a man who weighs 210.
You only start losing serious muscle on a deficit, you can train as much endurance as you like, but if you eat more calories than you burn, then you wont lose weight
 
Not really. Anything outside of 200 lean at 6 foot is getting very bulky. Cynical, sarcastic, contrarians are hilarious
Saying things like this just screams "I don't know anything about human physiology"

There is no one size fits all.
 
Na not everybodys body is the same, you will lose strength and a little muscle but if you quit lifting, you could easily stay the same weight by eating the same amount of calories a day that's the point.

If you quit lifting and weight 210, you wont magically drop to 180 if you keep eating like a man who weighs 210.
You only start losing serious muscle on a deficit, you can train as much endurance as you like, but if you eat more calories than you burn, then you wont lose weight

to maintain muscle that you've built up over the years. takes continued stimulation. It takes alot less to just maintain than to gain but if you stop lifting...everything you have gained, will eventually leave...it does take time....I once broke my ankle and was stuck in the house for 3 months....I wasn't able to do anything, except use these rubber bands I sent away for to try and keep my muscles the same...I got little smaller, but a ton weaker...if you no longer lift, you will eventually lose what you gained...your body will revert back to what it once was....maybe not exactly the same...Same with guys that take steroids for years and get huge....they stop and over time, they lose all their gains...

Simply eating, doesn't keep your muscles the same size without the stimulation from the weight training.
 
Well most legit boxing coaches will be unhappy with your size. You will be slow and hard to relax. You will tire quickly. So it is going to take time.
 
layoff of lifting weights for a while.
you have to change your body composition.

it is more difficult to go from bodybuilding into a combat body than the other way around.

you got to give up the bulk look for a shredded look.

do a lot of running because it is going to relax your muscle if you are a stocky guy.

do explosive workouts. to mantain good shape.

fighter fitness is for war.
bodybuilding fitness is only for looks.

bodybuilding is just for looks? you take a big 250lb bodybuilder and put him against any other normal guy...and most of the time, the big dude will break the smaller normal looking guy in half...now i'm not talking about a guy that does mma or is a trained fighter...but all things considered, the bigger stronger animal will always win...it's just the law of the jungle....what would win in a fight... a lion or a cheetah? both are cats...both are great hunters...The lion of course....cause the lion is larger and much heavier...so size will always matter...only the small people like to say it doesn't matter...
 
bodybuilding is just for looks? you take a big 250lb bodybuilder and put him against any other normal guy...and most of the time, the big dude will break the smaller normal looking guy in half...now i'm not talking about a guy that does mma or is a trained fighter...but all things considered, the bigger stronger animal will always win...it's just the law of the jungle....what would win in a fight... a lion or a cheetah? both are cats...both are great hunters...The lion of course....cause the lion is larger and much heavier...so size will always matter...only the small people like to say it doesn't matter...
we aren't talking about normal people here.
we are talking about boxing and body building. get with the program.
 
Hi guys
I just wanted to get some opinions and some advice to change my body and alter it to be conditioned for boxing I've done BJJ and a bit of boxing for about 2 years, however I haven't worried about my physique as I haven't had to compete or thought about taking either MMA or boxing seriously until recently. I'm looking at changing my 18 year old 6ft 2 220 LB frame to a frame more or less like Andre Ward. I'm not looking to compete in heavyweight I would prefer to compete in Super Middleweight - Cruiser Weight so in essence I'm looking to cut and get in prime condition for the ring, to be fair I have no idea where to begin so I would really appreciate any bit of feedback and positivity I can get to make this happen, I basically just want to always be in excellent shape so I don't gass and have to take breaks in my training because I'm battling to breathe, I want to just be able to take my boxing training to the next level and be in top competitive shape all year round


Drop the frequency of your lifting program, at this point its maintenance, and really you balance where your priorities lie; If you really like boxing and its going to be your main activity it'll occupy more frequency in your schedule with lifting to supplement it, and vice versa. Don't cut it off completely. Keep in mind to adjust your TDEE from when you drop your sessions, lifting burns alot of calories, more so than most endurance type training, so you'll have to keep it in mind to find your new maintenance once you do do.

Since you've been in BB for awhile, you probably already have a good strength base already, a 2 day strength program would do good on maintenance. As with all new forms of physical activity, ease into it so the DOMs won't set you back for weeks.

Based on your OP, it looks like you don't care to compete for the time being, but are open to the idea in the future?

Cardio and gas tank majority based on your breathing and composure (maintain regulated breathing). When you breathe wrong (exert everything while not inhaling or worse, holding your breath) it causes you to gas. you can have the best VO2 max in the world, but if you're going about it like that you'll gas. In striking about 3/4 of what you throw is bullshit, only about 1/4 of the ones you throw are really your kill strikes. Making every strike your murder shot is a normal novice mistake and reasons why they gas.

In terms of dieting, nothing is different really, count your calories properly, and partition your macros properly; All of which you're already doing. The only difference diet-wise is cutting (water manipulation, not cut a cycle for fat loss), that only changes the week before your fight. Alot will have you go on a keto-styled diet and have you on it all camp, but that's not right, it only happens on the last week. The reason why alot advocate it is because carbs bind to water, and it helps on the "weight loss", but at the end of the day its no different. You aim to lose 1-2lb/week, and everything goes as planned given your TDEE remains the same while eating in a deficit.

The only exception to this is if you normally eat a keto-styled diet on the reg. and it works for you so you can do it. For me and most of the other people on this planet, its high carbs.

Do you eat clean or more of a IIFYM type? Again this depends on your own personal style, but I find even though I can make weight eating more junk food, ultimately clean eating, I perform better, if you're able to do so while eating junk food, then more power to you.
 
to maintain muscle that you've built up over the years. takes continued stimulation. It takes alot less to just maintain than to gain but if you stop lifting...everything you have gained, will eventually leave...it does take time....I once broke my ankle and was stuck in the house for 3 months....I wasn't able to do anything, except use these rubber bands I sent away for to try and keep my muscles the same...I got little smaller, but a ton weaker...if you no longer lift, you will eventually lose what you gained...your body will revert back to what it once was....maybe not exactly the same...Same with guys that take steroids for years and get huge....they stop and over time, they lose all their gains...

Simply eating, doesn't keep your muscles the same size without the stimulation from the weight training.
I agree that you will lose muscle but im talking size in terms of weight, if you've been eating 3-4k calories everyday, and you stop lifting for years, and keep that eating up, your body will mantain allot of size.

How much of it depends on the person, i also didn't lift for 3 months when i started labor, i was just too exhausted, i lost a Little strength but i actually gained weight because i was eating much more, the strength i lost was also very minimal, mostly nervous system getting used to the movements again (but i was also lifting cynderblocks and sands bags all day, allot of cardio)

I will say this though, if you've been lifting for years, you've made permanent changes to your body, you will always be prone to putting that mass back on easily because of the muscle memory.

However bodybuilders def lose size more when compared to people who strength train, they build that puffy water retained muscle vs what a powerlifter who would build that denser muscle.
If you build your body over years with the dense muscle from strength training, i don't see you losing all of that easily or quickly, that's why when i started labor i was so hungry, my body didn't want to go into defecit.

Bodybuilders tend to chase the pump, which i agree after a few months of not lifting their muscles tend to go flat

But for me i built my whole foundation, I dont think my forearms will ever return back to their regular size, i will have big forearms until im a old man, thanks to lifting and labor.
 
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Stop building body
Enter a boxing gym
Be humble but hungry
Dont ask on a forum. Ask your coach
 
With all this new age stuff flying around, you still see the same commonalities in old school training in both elite boxers and muay thai fighters because it works. Jog for a couple miles every fucking day, skip rope every fucking day. Punch until your arms fall out every fucking day. And you'll get good. Sit ups and neck training to failure. Every fucking day. Once you got those meat and potatoes down, then maybe look to add the flourishes like strength and conditioning. Spend time learning the craft, and not so much where and what your body will look like at the end of it. If burning fat is your goal, the tried and true morning jog fasted will do wonders. I lost 5 pounds in two weeks just doing what all the other Thai boys were doing. Hard fucking work, every fucking day.

A more detailed outline from a Thai spartan perspective would be:
-Two meals a day
-Am/pm sessions
-Jogging for an hour am, skipping rope for 30 mins pm
3-5 pad rounds
-Technical sparring 1-2x a week
Finish with burnouts. For boxing it's be akin to seeing the pros doing repetition straights and uppercut on the bag/mitts to failure.
-Sit ups and neck training to failure.

This system produces world class combat athletes on the regular, and will do the same to anyone who puts in the time. I'm sure boxing has more specialized bags and technical drills, but that's the gist of it.
 
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Here's some pointers

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Did ronda really throw those straits in the secondhand clip??
 
Sounds good. I went from a football training 6'2" 270 to 190 cut to 185 for mma

It's a diminishing return. Sure it'll add some power but you'll lose a lot of foot speed, cardio, and overall size by having weight low. You'll be more power and more formidable with an extra 15 lbs in core, back, shoulders, chest than in your legs. Not to mention much quicker angles and movement

That's just BS why would you lose any of these things by having strong legs? Many boxers have a chichen leg look but you get cause and effect mixed up.

The reason they have that look is because being tall and long helps. People who have long limbs and low weight for their height often have skinny legs naturally. That doesnt mean you should get your legs skinny.

Also while it isn#t a peer reviewed study you just have to watch them and see that a ton of the boxers with that build like Hearns or nowadays Wilder usually aren't the most stable on their feet when they are hurt. Wilder almost throws himself to the ground everytime he tries to finish an opponent ffs his balance is terrible.

Losing weight and being taller for tyour weight class is one thing that may or may not be the right decision depending on you as a fighter. but changing your build in a way that isn#t natural especially based on something as superifcial as looks is incanely dumb.

You suggest that he basically doesn't even lose weight but that he weakens his legs which is the strongesta nd most important muscle group to add even more weight on top. Wtf


TS run, run from this forum and go a boxing gym with a GOOD (not just any) trainer. Most trainers are odlschool anyway and will try to have you lose weight but dont fucking listen to random idiots on an internet forum
 
That's a tall order for an internet forum to advise on.

How you train has to change obviously, so more sessions boxing and fewer sessions lifting will accomplish most of what you're going for. Boxing drills, condition exercises, roadwork, etc.

You still need strength except instead of training to hypertrophy muscles, you train for speed and endurance with strength.

The rest of it is dietary. Eat enough to get through your boxing training, your body will adapt for the rest.

But even that's probably only so helpful. You're 6 feet 220. But what's BF%? how do you train now? Reps, sets, general programming? Without those details, nothing is going to be more useful that what you get from your coach.
 
If I was you I would do tricep/bicep supersets 3x week, especially before hitting the clubs.
 
That's just BS why would you lose any of these things by having strong legs? Many boxers have a chichen leg look but you get cause and effect mixed up.

The reason they have that look is because being tall and long helps. People who have long limbs and low weight for their height often have skinny legs naturally. That doesnt mean you should get your legs skinny.

Also while it isn#t a peer reviewed study you just have to watch them and see that a ton of the boxers with that build like Hearns or nowadays Wilder usually aren't the most stable on their feet when they are hurt. Wilder almost throws himself to the ground everytime he tries to finish an opponent ffs his balance is terrible.

Losing weight and being taller for tyour weight class is one thing that may or may not be the right decision depending on you as a fighter. but changing your build in a way that isn#t natural especially based on something as superifcial as looks is incanely dumb.

You suggest that he basically doesn't even lose weight but that he weakens his legs which is the strongesta nd most important muscle group to add even more weight on top. Wtf


TS run, run from this forum and go a boxing gym with a GOOD (not just any) trainer. Most trainers are odlschool anyway and will try to have you lose weight but dont fucking listen to random idiots on an internet forum
You're a fuckin idiot
 
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