What Is a Heavyweight Boxer?

What Is a Heavyweight Boxer?

A heavyweight boxer is a boxer weighing over 200 pounds, as recognized by the major professional boxing commissions. Heavyweights have more body mass than other weight classes. Not only do heavyweight boxers have to do a lot of weight training to maintain their muscle mass, but they also have to incorporate conditioning exercises to stay balanced and agile.

What Are The Different Boxing Weight Classes?

These standards are adopted by three of the four major professional boxing organizations (WBO, WBA, and IBF). The different boxing weight classes are:

How Do Heavyweight Boxers Train?

Heavyweight boxers are some of the most popular fighters of all time, yet for being above 200 pounds, not much varies from their training compared to a welterweight. Many heavyweight boxers may choose to focus on explosive power and endurance during training camp, while others may highlight footwork and technique. Heavyweight boxers train just like every other weight class, but weight cutting is not a pillar of their training which is part of the training for other boxers.

What Type of Training Do Heavyweight Boxers Do?

In addition to training for boxing, there are other types of training that a heavyweight boxer (or any weight boxer) will incorporate into their program, such as resistance training, weightlifting, roadwork, stretching, and mobility exercises.

Resistance training is essential for muscle growth and strength. Additionally, squats, cleans, medicine ball exercises, and exercises using resistance bands all are key and great for developing strength. Roadwork has been one of the hallmark pillars of boxing training for centuries; early morning, 5-10 mile runs are great for not only mental clarity and focus, but also increasing your overall conditioning level. Nearly every boxing training camp involves boxing drills, roadwork, sparring, core training, and recovery. Stretching, mobility and recovery are vital as well. Heavyweight boxers, as all athletes, need to rest just as hard as they work. Boxers in all weight classes should train on average 1-3 hours 5-6 days per week.

Finally, all boxers in all weight classes benefit greatly from nutritional counseling. This is important not only for weight management, but to ensure that boxers are utilizing all of their energy when needed. Nutrition plays a part in how fast and how completely a boxer can recover.

What Is a Heavyweight Boxing Workout?

Here is an example of a heavyweight boxing workout:

• 5-minute dynamic warm-up - stretch, breathing exercises
• 1-mile run
• 15-minute jump rope (3x 5-minute rounds or 15-minutes straight)
• 10-minute round of shadowboxing (technique and movement-focused)
• 4 rounds of double-end bag
• 4 rounds of heavy bag
• 4 rounds of speed bag
• 300-1000 reps of abs
• 5-minute cool down - stretch, recovery

Do Heavyweight Boxers Cut Weight?

Most heavyweight boxers do not cut weight but fight close to their natural weight. Thus weight management is not a major priority, and excessive cardio and dieting are not vital to a heavyweight’s training program.

As mentioned above, heavyweights train much like other boxers. FightCamp’s workout library and training videos offer a variety of workouts that are great for heavyweight boxers looking to develop their boxing skills and practice their technique.

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The Author: PJ Shirdan is a FightCamp Founding Coach who claims that boxing wasn’t his first love, but it saved his life. PJ grew up in the Philadelphia area and played football as a young athlete. After a life-changing event, he found boxing as a way to heal, escape, and, ultimately, rebuild his life as he became a competitive fighter. PJ came to Los Angeles and continued to hone his skills as a boxer and as a NASM and TRX Certified Personal Trainer. He began to train other boxers, UFC fighters, and athletes using a holistic approach. This included mental and physical training, nutritional counseling, and empowering his clients with his hallmark motivational style. Today, he is known throughout the FightCamp Team as the go-to person to close out company-wide meetings with the same optimism and positive messages he delivers in his FightCamp workouts. When PJ isn’t filming workouts, he’s enjoying a great burger with his wife, Lindsey, and living his #BestDayEver. Coach PJ is also USA Boxing Coach certified.