If you’re training for a fight, chances are you’ve spent countless hours running to get in shape and wondered if there are any roadwork alternatives for boxers.
Many older boxers and coaches swear by roadwork as the foundation of their training.
Some newer boxers see roadwork as outdated and ask themselves: “Why run a marathon if I’m only going to be fighting 3-minute rounds?” These boxers mix roadwork with other methods to suit their goals.
This article will discuss roadwork alternatives for boxers. We’ll also share tips on creating your roadwork routine. Read on to learn more.
What Are Good Alternatives To Roadwork?
Good alternatives to roadwork for boxers include using the elliptical or stationary bike, swimming, and sparring. All of these exercises build endurance and challenge your cardiovascular system.
However, only the first two (elliptical/stationary bike and swimming) are beneficial for a boxer’s longevity.
Elliptical or Stationary Bike
The elliptical or stationary bike can be a good alternative to roadwork.
Too much roadwork can lead to shin splints or injuries to the back, hips, or feet.
Using the elliptical or stationary bike allows boxers to push their cardiovascular system while reducing risk of injury.
This is handy for heavier or older boxers who hit the ground hard when they run and need to reduce stress from the impact.
Another benefit to using these machines is that you can increase the resistance of your training as needed. This is needed to achieve the same cardiovascular effect as running. Keep in mind that one mile spent biking doesn’t have the same physiological effect as one mile spent running.
Swimming
Swimming can also be a good alternative to roadwork.
With swimming, you’re able to get the same aerobic and anaerobic effect as running, with the benefit of taking stress off your feet and legs.
Unlike running where your body’s momentum drives you forward, in swimming, your breath propels you forward.
Swimming teaches boxers to ration their energy and pace their breathing, both important skills to have in a fight.
This alternative is handy for bigger men who want to reduce the stress of roadwork or for boxers who want to increase lung capacity.
When you swim, take the time to learn proper form, as swimming with poor form can cause injuries to your shoulder.
Professional boxers that utilize swimming as a training tool are:
- Wladimir Klitschko
- Deontay Wilder
- Vasiliy Lomachenko
Sparring
Sparring is another way to replace roadwork. It’s the most efficient way to train boxing because it simulates what it’s like to be fighting in the ring.
However, too much sparring leads to the increased risk of injury and burnout.
Trust your coach’s guidance but listen to your body too.
While some professional boxers spar frequently to prepare for a fight, you should only spar once or twice a week if you’re not actively training for a fight.
A good rule of thumb for all boxers is that you shouldn’t have more sparring sessions than roadwork sessions.
How To Build Your Roadwork Routine
In order to build a good roadwork routine, consider your goals, your health, and your training routine as a whole.
If you’re injured, you’re better off resting and doing light exercise.
Before you start, warm up and stretch.
Decide whether you want to prioritize distance or time. For example, if you don’t have time, you can run intervals by alternating jogging with 50-meter sprints on a local track.
Don’t sprint to start; take some time to build up your speed.
This is to recreate the conditions of the ring. You’ll be constantly moving and then exploding with short bursts of energy.
You’ll get the best of both worlds; this increases aerobic capacity with jogging and your anaerobic capacity with sprints.
End your roadwork by cooling down and stretching.
How Often Should A Boxer Do Roadwork?
This depends on your overall training routine, diet, and schedule. Consider where roadwork fits in the whole picture.
Your goal is consistency and balance. If you do roadwork every day, you’ll have less energy for high-impact training and greater risk for injury. If you do too little, your conditioning and endurance suffer.
Some professional boxers do roadwork every day to prepare for a fight. If that date is far away, they won’t run as much.
The ideal number of times a boxer should do roadwork is anywhere from 3 to 5 times a week, depending on the overall training routine.
This ensures that you build your conditioning and endurance, while still having energy for high-impact training.
If your body strains, mix up your roadwork sessions with a low-impact alternative discussed above.
Why Do Boxers Do Roadwork?
Roadwork is essential to a boxer’s training.
It represents the heart of boxing; it doesn’t require any gym equipment, only you, your body, and your mind.
Roadwork syncs a boxer’s lungs and legs. In an intense roadwork session, a boxer can tell whether it’s their lungs or legs that need more work.
Boxers do roadwork to cut weight, build their physical endurance, and prepare themselves mentally for their fights.
What Are The Physical Benefits of Roadwork?
The physical benefits of roadwork for boxers are weight-loss, increased endurance and explosiveness, and efficient oxygen use.
Roadwork also numbs your body to the environment. You should be moving at the same rate, no matter the heat, cold, or altitude.
Not every gym that you fight in will be pleasant. Sometimes you’ll be sparring in a gym with no air-conditioning or windows during the peak of summer. When that time comes, you’ll be ready.
What Are The Mental Benefits Of Roadwork?
I run at 4 AM because I know my opponent is asleep.
Mike Tyson
Boxers do roadwork to get a mental edge over their opponent.
You ignore that you’re tired and instead focus on the basics: to keep moving and breathing.
Roadwork builds discipline and consistency, especially when you force yourself to run on days that you don’t want to.
These ideas translate into the ring during fight time.
Where Should You Go From Here?
Nothing in boxing is easy. This leads many to wonder if there are roadwork alternatives for boxers.
While many boxers still see roadwork as essential, time will tell if this changes, just as compound lifts have replaced wood chopping.
The end goal of each exercise remains the same, but the means to achieve them can change.
For now, the best boxers are still using roadwork as foundation, and adding or substituting exercises as they see fit.
By combining these two, you’ll get the best of both worlds.
If you’re having trouble deciding what boxing equipment to get, check out these articles: