In sports with high physical demand, athletes supplement their training with weightlifting. Is this true for combat sports? Do boxers bench press, squat, or deadlift to get stronger?
If you’re curious if you can punch harder in boxing with bench presses, keep reading!
This article will discuss if boxers bench press and what effects this can have on a boxer’s performance.
Do Boxers Bench Press?
Generally, no; boxers do not bench press.
They can use the bench press as a supplemental exercise to increase upper body strength. This doesn’t increase the power of their punches though.
There are advantages of bench pressing for athletes in general, such as:
- Gaining muscle mass
- Gaining a stronger chest and triceps
- Increased testosterone
However, boxers require a specialized set of exercises in order to excel at their craft.
Focusing only on the bench press to increase strength will take away from a boxer’s ability.
Cons of Bench Pressing For Boxers
If a boxer bench presses too much, he may:
- Bench Pressing Can Make A Boxer Gain Weight
- Bench Pressing Can Lead To Muscular Imbalances
- Bench Pressing Can Worsen A Boxer’s Technique
Yes, he’ll gain more strength in the chest and triceps than his opponent, but his boxing performance will suffer.
Bench Pressing Can Make A Boxer Gain Weight
First, a boxer can gain too much weight if he benches too much.
For many boxers, the goal is to stay within a certain weight range since a few pounds can make all the difference in a fight.
Gaining 5 pounds can mean that a boxer misses weight for a fight. Losing 5 pounds can make a boxer feel weight-drained for an upcoming catchweight fight.
Bench Pressing Can Lead To Muscular Imbalances
Next, a boxer can develop muscular imbalances if he benches too much.
In weight training, it’s important to balance out your exercises.
For example, for various push days, you mix up the bench press with the incline press or other accessory movements like the fly or lat-raise.
To balance your training schedule throughout the week, you alternate your push day with deadlifts and squats.
By only benching, a boxer won’t develop the rest of his body. He’ll need to also deadlift and squat, which will take his attention and energy away from boxing training.
Bench Pressing Can Worsen A Boxer’s Technique
Lastly, a boxer can worsen technique if he benches too much.
After you bench, there’s usually a recovery period where you feel soreness and have less range of motion. This can slow a boxer down in the ring.
For example, you want your jab to be light like a whip. If you want to power jab, the power comes from the momentum of the body leaping forward, not the chest or triceps.
Having too much muscle can take away from a boxer’s ability to develop these specialized movements.
Does Bench Pressing Increase Your Punching Power?
Bench pressing doesn’t increase your punching power.
How strong a punch will be is less about power, and more about velocity and the effectiveness to transfer the punch force.
According to research, there is no relation to bench velocity or weight with maximal punching velocity or power. In other words, lifting heavy loads is a better measure of upper body strength than punching power.
It’s important to remember that punching is a whole-body movement that requires the unison of different muscle groups:
- Shoulder muscles
- Lower body muscles
- Core strength
- Upper back muscles
All these muscles groups are activated when you’re throwing power punches.
On the other hand, benching only trains the chest and triceps, and doesn’t replicate a punch’s movement pattern.
From experience, we’ve found that kettlebell exercises do a better job of increasing punching power than benching does, as we’ll discuss later.
Exercises That Increase Punching Power
If you want to increase your punching power, do these exercises instead:
- Punch With Resistance Bands
- Use Kettlebells
- Shadowbox
These exercises utilize your whole body and replicate a punch’s movement pattern or intensity.
Punch With Resistance Bands
First, punch with resistance bands to increase your punching power.
This is a great exercise that will help the speed and intensity of your punches, no matter if you do it slow or fast.
If you do it slow, you can focus on form and feel the tension of the punch as you launch it.
Doing it fast will help you focus on the snap and natural range of your punches.
Use Kettlebells
Next, use kettlebells to increase your punching power.
These kettlebell exercises will train the whole body: your upper body, lower body, legs, and core strength.
Though doing kettlebell exercises doesn’t mimic the specific movement of a punch, it activates each muscle group involved in throwing a punch.
Shadowbox
Lastly, shadowbox to increase your punching power.
By focusing on form, this will improve how efficiently you transfer the force and punching velocity to your target.
It will also hammer home the idea that power comes from the ground and from how you breathe in boxing. The arms are used only to transfer the force, not to generate it.
If professional boxers do this every training session, then so should you.
Conclusion
Now that you know the pros and cons of bench pressing for boxing, you can decide whether you want to add it to your training routine or not.
If you’re boxing and weight training at the same time, it’s best to balance the two if you prioritize boxing.
Even if you have access to a barbell at your boxing gym, it’s best to focus on other exercises that are meant specifically for boxers, especially if you’re pressed for time.
To be good at boxing, punching performance is only one part of the puzzle. You also have to train your defense, footwork, and cardio.
If you’re having trouble deciding what boxing equipment to get, check out these articles: