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It used to be a widely believed fact that weightlifting was bad for boxers. There were many reasons people believed this. It has been proven and is now widely accepted that these reasons are purely myths and that weight lifting is an important part of any workout for boxers.

The first myth about weight lifting as part of of a boxing workout routine was that weight lifting decreases flexibility. People believed this because they assumed that as muscles grew bigger, stronger and more compact, a person became tighter and as a result less flexible. However, this is simply not true.

It has been proven that muscle density and flexibility are completely unrelated and one does not impact the other in the slightest. Weight trainers also used to be concerned that bigger muscles which lead to this mythical decrease in flexibility also lead to a more limited range of motion, which would put boxers at an extreme disadvantage. This is of course unfounded as well.

The second myth is that weight training leads to weight gain. This can be a problem for boxers as it’s important they stay within their weight class. While it is true that muscle weighs more than fat, it’s also true that having stronger muscles will lead to your body processing food and metabolizing food much faster.

This can counteract most of the effects of heavier muscles as your body processes food much more efficiently. If there is a small weight gain, small adjustments to dietary habits can counteract them. The benefits of weight training for boxers greatly outweigh these small adjustments that might need to be made.

A third myth about weight training is that it will slow a boxer down. This has also been proven to be completely untrue. Research has actually shown the opposite to be true in fact. As a boxers muscle mass improves so does their speed.

Studies over a 6 month period have shown that not only did speed increase as muscle mass did but that the velocity of the punches increased as well. Of course every boxer wants their velocity maximized so it’s easy to see that in this aspect weight training for boxers is an excellent plan.

It also used to be believed that most of the power of a boxer comes from their chest and arms. This lead those who did believe in weight training for boxers to focus primarily on these areas of the body. However, it has been clearly shown that the majority of the strength and power of a boxer actually comes from the legs.

Not only is it important to be firmly planted when laying punches, but the lower body works in tandem with the upper body to help the entire body become a power house. Your body also works well when it is most balanced. Making sure to focus on the lower body as well as the upper body will help you achieve maximum power throughout the entire body and will lead to more effective boxing.

Resources: Richard Black helps people learn about weightlifting programs at his website on weightlifting programs.