How to Build Muscle Mass for Boxing

Many athletes have the potential to improve their performance by acquiring muscle mass. In addition to providing conditioning, mass gives power athletes such as football players protection against aggressive body contact on the field. Boxers especially can benefit from acquiring muscle mass because their punches, jabs and flexibility in the ring rely heavily on strength attributes. Boxers can build muscle mass through weight training, neural training and further development of specific muscle groups.

Things You'll Need

• Free weights

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Instructions

Strength Training

• 1

  Perform light weight-training exercises three to four days per week, 40 minutes per day. Decide how much mass you need to acquire to get into a certain boxing weight class before starting your workouts. Perform eight to 10 sets per major muscle group and six to eight sets per minor muscle group. Maintain your intensity level and add 5 lbs. to your major muscle workouts and 2.5 lbs. to your minor muscle workouts every two weeks. Use barbell and dumbbell curls, along with dips, to build your arms and forearms. Perform squats, leg curls and calf raises to build leg muscles. Do crunches and reverse crunches to build abdominal muscles. Weight training is effective for boxers because it helps improve flexibility and power in the ring.

• 2

  Perform neural training exercises such as fast squats with light dumbbells, tennis ball reaction (catching against a wall) and rope jumping. Neural training utilizes quick, intense movements that strengthen the body's fast-twitch aerobic muscles, which are crucial for sports in which fast movements are standard. Neural training also helps offset the effects of aging muscle fibers by keeping them in top shape.

• 3

  Develop your legs, chest, shoulders and triceps further by performing push-ups, kneeling triceps cable extensions and back flys.