Should running form the basis of a Boxer’s cardio training?

Would it not be more beneficial to train the energy systems that you’re going to use in the fight?

Is running 5-10 miles going to help that energy system or would you be better served doing lots of sprint work, interval training, plyometrics and stair runs.

Two main issues with regards to long, slow paced runs forming the basis of a boxers conditioning.  Firstly, long, slow runs train only one energy system, the aerobic metabolic pathway.  Put simply long, slow runs make you excellent at running long distances pretty slowly.

There could be an argument that boxing is aerobic with a fight potentially lasting 47 minutes but you couldn’t say boxing is aerobic in the same way as say running a half marathon.  In boxing the aerobic component is to assist recovery following explosive anaerobic activity enabling the fighter to perform more bouts of explosive anaerobic bursts.

Secondly, the problem with relying on running as your key method of developing your cardiovascular endurance is that it is not specific enough to boxing, it does not address the movement patterns of boxing, also boxing is burst-recover in nature and so maybe training should mimic this.

Its not that a boxer wouldn’t benefit from some aerobic base training, its just that running is not the only available method. 

Comments

Great article Adam! - Oliver Klander