Moving to heavyweight: questions

[AU1977]

I have been doing Muay Thai up until now. My best weight I think was 85kgs or 187lbs (US)
Iam 6 ft 5 so I am tall and very lean at that weight.
I am moving to amatuer boxing and I have tried to make 81kgs or 178lbs (Light heavy weight limit) I am not going to make that weight.

My coach wants me to fight at heavy weight, but I was very lean and big at 85kg/187lbs but at 91kgs/200lbs I wont be. I deally I would like to be lean and big at 91kg/200lbs which means I would need to add another 11lbs of lean mass.

Should I cut as lean as I can get over the next few weeks (I am about 89kgs/196lbs) then start adding weight and strength from a lean base?

should I deliberately try to add mass? or just accept it as a by product of increased strenngth?

Just now I do 2x full body maximal strength/explosive workouts. I am planning to add in a speed strength day of weights, should I replace a maximal strength day with and explosive/speed strength day? or keep 2 maximal strength days and add a speeed strength day?

When I have done speed strength days in the past I havent felt as if I have particularly worked very hard as you are using such a light weight (60% of 1rm)

Should I just up my calories and protein slightly to ensure my strength cotinues to grow and sut take what ever addd weight comes along? or should I deliberatly try and add some weight through hypertrophy?

A lot of questions there, cheers for reading and anyone got any ideas?

 

[grrthetree]

Give us your diet and exercise program with everything you do, if you're trying to get stronger do deadlifts and squats. Yes you should up your protein intake, try to get atleast 1 gram for each pound of lean body mass.

 

[ThinkGreen]

Eat a lot more food than you normally do if you want to gain weight. Simple as that.

 

[ghostwipe]

Eat a lot more protein and fats, not necessarily more carbs, except before training sessions.

 

[AU1977]

Just now my training looks like this usually
Monday- AM 4 mile LSD PM Boxing
Tuesday- PM Boxing
Wednesday- AM 4 mile LSD PM Weights
Thursday- Rest
Friday- AM 4 mile LSD PM weights
Saturday- Boxing
Sunday Muay Thai

If I have a fight due I do interval training LSD is AM just now to shift weight to see how close I could get to lightheavy or to build on a lean base.

Weights look like this
Day 1
Bench 3x3
Squats up to a heavy set of 5
Rows 3x3
Core work

Day 2
Deads/Power cleans up to a heavy set of 5
Push press 3x3
weighted Wide grip pull ups 3x5
core work

When I am doing my boxing trainig I mix in pull ups/ dips/ some core work etc

 

[Brad Morris]

So you are talking about 4 kg loss down to 81kg or 6kg gain up to 91kg as a heavyweight?

Honestly, I would look to drop the 4kg, coming in at the lower end of a weight division often puts you at a disadvantage.

You could lose 4kg over 4 to 6 weeks without starving yourself and come in as a massive Light heavyweight.

The other things to look at are your power to weight ratio, and your ability to gain quality lean muscle whilst doing all the other training you are doingat the moment.

I realise that 81kg is a big ask, but I believe its attainable, with a good diet losing the 4kg over several weeks will help you keep your strength and put you at the top of a division weight wise.

 

[AU1977]

My typical diet is

8am- 50g of porridge in water, 9 egg white omlette, glass of fresh orange

11am- Chicken breast, olives or nuts apple,

1.30pm- Chicken breast, olives, apple, veg soup

4.30pm- Chicken/mine/turkey/fish = about 50g of pasta/rice/linseed bread/pitta bread/ sweet potato

5.30pm- train

7pm- PWO Whey in water

8pm- same as 430pm

11pm- tub of cottage cheese and spoonfull of peanut butter

 

[Brad Morris]

do you know how many Calories per day you are having? and of those calories what are the breakdown percentage wise, for example 55% carbs 15% fats and 30% protein.

 

[AU1977]

So you are talking about 4 kg loss down to 81kg or 6kg gain up to 91kg as a heavyweight?

Honestly, I would look to drop the 4kg, coming in at the lower end of a weight division often puts you at a disadvantage.

You could lose 4kg over 4 to 6 weeks without starving yourself and come in as a massive Light heavyweight.

The other things to look at are your power to weight ratio, and your ability to gain quality lean muscle whilst doing all the other training you are doing.

I realise that 81kg is a big ask, but I believe its attainable, with a good diet over several weeks will help you keep your strength and put you at the top of a division weight wise.

Making 85kgs is a struggle, and I put on 22lbs in a week after my last fight (binge eating crap as well though) I have fought at 90kgs before in May Thai. I have been dieting a right few weeks now and I am only at about 88-89kgs I honestly cant see me getting to 81, if I got there it would be a one off and would be unsustainable especially at my heaight.

Here is a pic of me at about 87kgs

 

[Brad Morris]

One of the guys I teach is 6'5" and 81kg and he is very thin. I misunderstood I thought you were already 85kgs.

Mate it sounds like you will have to fight as a heavyweight then, but realise that with all the other training you are doing that your mass gains will be slow. Best of luck with your training and fights.

 

[Jaxx]

Bulk up and dont be scared of putting on a bit of fat, looks like you need it.

 

[AU1977]

Anyone think I should up the weights to 3 times per week instead of twice then?

 

[ghostwipe]

If you cut back on cardio it would help. But then you risk giving up that advantage.

 

[Jaxx]

Anyone think I should up the weights to 3 times per week instead of twice then?

No, your giving yourself less time to recover on top of your training.

Think more food not more weights/workouts.

 

[AU1977]

If you cut back on cardio it would help. But then you risk giving up that advantage.

I can sit at 91kgs quite comfortably, will probably go to about 96kgs slowly I think then that leaves me 5kgs of fat to cut before a fight. I want to add muscle fat is pretty useless to me though I will need to be in a calorie surplus. If I just eat normally I will go to about 92-93kgs anyway. But I wont be a big heavyweight I will prob be fighting boys that have came down from 100=kgs to reach 91kgs

 

[arctic82]

It suck's to be in the middle.

 

[Barut]

Lifting weights isn't going to help you gain weight. The more LBM that you have the harder it will be to gain weight due to an increase in your base ****bolic rate.

Stick with 2 times a week lifting and eat!

 

[Green Monkey]

I sorta disagree with Barut - weights may help you gain weight if you bump up the caloric intake.

What you're going to have to do is approximate how much you're burning with all your activity.

As many have stated, the formula is simple: To gain weight, calories in must be greater than calories out.

If you can add a weight day and still increase the caloric intake, go for it.

I may get shot for this, but you can probably gain weight with a BB style lifting scheme. Hypertrophic gains will make you gain weight, but you'll probably actually lose some strength.

From your photo, you could easily put on some mass in your lats, and I'm guessing the same would be true of your lower back and legs.

Not sure how you want to go about doing that, but it looks as though you could pack it on in those spots without sacrificing your overall build/leanness.

 

[Barut]

I'm willing to defer to Green Monkey's impressive life experience.

 

[Green Monkey]

I'm willing to defer to Green Monkey's impressive life experience.

Ass.

I'm working in the other direction right now.

Actually losing some gut without losing much weight.

I think I will slip from heavy to light heavy though, so my cardio must improve.

I was hoping to stay up with the fat guys, but I guess I'd be one too.

My point was just that you're probably right - an extra weight session wouldn't help if he didn't add a ton more calories. But he's going to have to add a bunch anyway.