WSBB Blog: Knockout Power, Utilizing the Conjugate System for Boxing

Tags: Athletes , Conditioning , Explosive

Read Time: 3 Minutes

Westside Barbell, and The Westside Barbell Method has a successful history working with and consulting for fighters from all different disciplines. Boxing is no different. At Westside, we specifically train for strength and speed, creating powerful lifters.

This same training can be used, with some minor sport specific adjustments, to create dominant knockout power, increased speed, and increased strength endurance to be able to consistently throw powerful shots throughout the duration of a fight.

Below, we will cover the basic way we set up max effort, dynamic effort, and accessory work for boxers.

Max Effort Day

We will begin with max effort lower day, an important day to develop a strong base for a fighter. By increasing the strength in the legs, the hips, and the trunk we are able to increase the initial force you’re able to generate when throwing a punch.

Heavy box squats, rack pulls, sumo deadlifts, and good mornings are staple exercises for fighters. The max effort lower movements for fighters are typically similar to the exercises our powerlifters would use. However, max effort upper does change a bit for boxers.

As a boxer, you will inevitably have multiple workouts per week where you train your upper body, specifically your arms and shoulders at high volume. Due to this, we typically reduce the amount of one rep max workouts we have our fighters do.

Heavier work will be done for sets of 3 to 5 reps around 85-90%, with some workouts using higher volume sets of 6 to 8 reps around 75-80%. Making the proper call to switch between heavier work or higher volume work on max effort upper day will be done by monitoring the recovery of the athlete.

By creating a healthy equilibrium between sport training sessions and weight training sessions you are guaranteeing gains in strength and performance.

Dynamic Effort Day

On max effort day we build the strength, on dynamic effort day we build the speed and explosiveness necessary to create a powerful knockout punch. Once again, the dynamic effort lower waves for fighters will be similar to the waves we use for our powerlifters.

Training this way allows our fighters to build the contraction speed necessary to begin the strike from the floor utilizing their hips to throw a punch with maximum power. For dynamic effort upper work, fighters can press with a mix of bar weight and band tension similar to powerlifters, or they can use less bar weight and increased band tension.

The main goal being to create the fastest contraction speed possible in the upper torso, shoulders, and arms to deliver the maximum amount of punching power.

Accessory Work

Once again, a lot of the movements are going to be the same movements we use for our powerlifters. We do change some things up a bit though. Our fighters will count both reps and time for accessory exercise sets.

For example, a fighter may dumbbell bench for 5 sets of 8 reps, followed by bamboo bar bench for 4 sets of 1 minute. By combining heavier sets of 8 reps followed by timed AMRAP sets allows us to further improve the fighter's ability to have the endurance to throw meaningful strikes throughout a fight.

We believe The Westside Barbell Method is the premier way for boxers and fighters from all disciplines to increase their striking power. By properly designing and programming max effort and dynamic effort workouts you are able to improve your strength and speed on a weekly basis, which results in increased power in the ring.

We encourage all fighters to study the methods, read the additional books Louie has written, and sign up for the Conjugate Club to have access to sport specific programming.

__________________________________________________________

Need training programs? Want to see videos or have Louie Simmons answer your questions? Join our conjugate training based membership site.