How We Use Hypertrophy In-Season for Boxing

Hypertrophy has a place in boxing strength and conditioning. The mistake is treating a boxer like a bodybuilder throughout the whole year.

At RJ Boxing S & C we use hypertrophy to build useful muscle. We want stronger legs. A stronger posterior chain. More upper body strength and better support around the joints.

The muscle we build must help the boxer produce force. Absorb force and tolerate the demands of training.

Most of our hypertrophy work takes place during the off-season. We still include some hypertrophy work in-season but the volume is reduced because boxing performance must always come first.

Why Boxers Need Hypertrophy

A boxer does not need to chase size for appearance.

Every exercise should have a reason behind it.

We may use hypertrophy training to develop the following:

Glutes

Hamstrings

Quadriceps

Upper back.

Shoulders

Calves

Neck

Core

Developing these areas gives the boxer a stronger physical base. Strength training can then improve how much force the boxer can produce. Power training teaches the boxer to express that force quickly.

Hypertrophy is only one part of the process.

It builds the foundation. It is not the finished product.

Why We Use More Hypertrophy During the Off-Season

Hypertrophy training normally requires more volume than strength or power maintenance.

More volume means more sets. More repetitions and more fatigue.

Higher resistance training volumes can also increase exercise induced muscle damage. This may reduce force production and cause stiffness. Swelling and delayed onset muscle soreness.

Science and development of muscle hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld (z-lib.pdf

Sore legs can affect footwork. Heavy shoulders can reduce punching speed. General fatigue can lower the quality of pads. Sparring and technical work.

DOMS commonly develops around 24 to 48 hours after a hard or unfamiliar session. Mild soreness may not cause a problem but moderate or severe soreness can reduce strength during the following sessions. Science and development of muscle hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld (z-lib.pdf

The off-season gives us more room to accept this fatigue.

We can use more exercises. Complete more working sets and gradually increase the training volume.

The boxer also has more time to recover because there is no immediate need to peak for a bout.

That is why we complete most of the muscle building work during the off-season.

What Changes In-Season

The goal changes during the in-season period.

We are no longer trying to maximise muscle growth. We are trying to maintain the muscle and strength that were developed during the off-season.

The boxer may now be completing harder sparring. More technical work. Running. Pads and conditioning.

All of this creates fatigue.

Aerobic and boxing training can leave residual fatigue and reduce the quality of resistance training. Problems can develop when the total training volume becomes greater than the boxer’s ability to recover.

Science and development of muscle hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld (z-lib.pdf

The in-season programme therefore uses a smaller dose of hypertrophy work.

The boxer should finish the session feeling trained. They should not feel destroyed.

The RJ Boxing S & C Method

Our normal structure uses two whole body strength and conditioning sessions each week.

The first session has more emphasis on the hinge pattern.

The second session has more emphasis on the squat pattern.

Explosive exercises are completed first while the boxer is fresh. This may include jumps. Medicine ball throws or another low volume power movement.

The main strength exercise comes next.

We then include a small amount of upper body pushing. Upper body pulling and assistance work.

Core and neck training can be completed near the end.

During the off-season we can add more hypertrophy volume to this structure.

During the in-season period we keep the same basic movements but reduce the number of working sets and control the effort.

Keep the Exercises Familiar

The in-season period is not the time to constantly change exercises.

Unfamiliar exercises can cause more muscle damage and soreness.

The repeated bout effect means the body becomes better at tolerating an exercise when it is performed consistently. Soreness and other markers of muscle damage normally decrease after repeated exposure to the same programme.

Science and development of muscle hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld (z-lib.pdf

This is important for boxers.

Keeping the main exercises familiar allows us to continue training without creating unnecessary DOMS.

We can still progress the programme through small changes in load. Repetitions or volume.

We do not need to replace the exercises every week.

Example In-Season Session One

The first session starts with a low volume jump variation.

The main strength exercise may be a trap bar deadlift or another familiar hinge movement.

This is followed by one upper body pressing exercise. One upper body pulling exercise and one single leg exercise.

Neck and core work may be added at the end.

The main lifts may use two or three working sets.

The assistance exercises may only require one or two quality sets.

Example In-Season Session Two

The second session begins with medicine ball throws or another explosive movement.

The main strength exercise is normally a squat variation.

This is followed by an upper body push. An upper body pull and a posterior chain exercise.

Calf work. Neck work or core training can be included when recovery is good.

The session must fit around the boxing schedule.

Hard lower body training should not be placed directly before demanding sparring when it can be avoided.

Repetitions and Loading

Hypertrophy can be developed across a wide range of loads.

The medium repetition range of around 6 to 12 repetitions is useful because it provides meaningful mechanical tension while allowing enough training volume.

Science and development of muscle hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld (z-lib.pdf

We may use this range for assistance exercises.

The main strength lifts may use fewer repetitions because their main purpose during the in-season period is often strength maintenance.

The exact prescription depends on the boxer.

Their experience. Weight class. Training age and weekly boxing load must all be considered.

Technique must remain clean and every repetition should have a purpose.

We Do Not Chase Failure In-Season

Training to failure is not required on every set.

Stopping one or two repetitions before failure can produce similar muscle growth when moderate loads and equal training volume are used.

Most working sets can therefore finish with one or two repetitions in reserve. This helps control fatigue and preserve performance across the session.

Science and development of muscle hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld (z-lib.pdf

Failure training is especially demanding during compound movements such as squats. Presses and rows.

For an in-season boxer there is little benefit in regularly pushing these exercises to complete failure.

We want enough effort to maintain muscle and strength.

We do not want the session to affect the boxer’s sparring or technical work.

Managing DOMS

The best way to manage DOMS is to avoid creating excessive soreness.

We keep the exercises familiar.

We increase volume gradually.

We avoid suddenly adding several new movements.

We also control eccentric loading during important boxing periods.

Eccentric training can be useful but aggressive or unfamiliar eccentric work may cause significant soreness.

The boxer’s response should be monitored after every session.

We look at leg heaviness. Punching speed. General soreness. Sleep. Motivation and sparring quality.

When these markers decline the programme must be adjusted.

We may reduce the number of sets. Remove an assistance exercise or lower the effort level.

The programme must work with the boxer.

Not against them.

Our Three Week Build

The RJ Boxing S & C method normally uses a three week training block followed by a deload.

Volume or load can increase gradually across the three working weeks.

The deload then reduces the training demand and allows fatigue to drop.

Regular periods of reduced volume are useful because continuously increasing hypertrophy work can eventually exceed the boxer’s ability to recover.

Science and development of muscle hypertrophy by Brad Schoenfeld (z-lib.pdf

During a fight camp the programme may need to be reduced earlier.

The boxing schedule decides the strength and conditioning load.

The strength and conditioning programme should never take priority over the sport.

Hypertrophy is useful for boxing when it is programmed with a clear purpose such as helps with rate of force development.

We use the off-season to complete most of the muscle building work because the boxer has more time to recover from the volume and DOMS.

During the in-season period we reduce the volume.

We keep the exercises familiar. Leave repetitions in reserve and focus on maintaining the physical qualities that were already developed.

The goal is not to make the boxer sore.

The goal is to make the boxer stronger without taking anything away from their boxing.

TRAIN HARD FIGHT EASY 💪🏾