Do I have to lift weights to increase punching power?

[bulldog7]

Or will I be fine with just hitting the bags shadow boxing perfecting technique
and core with bodyweight exercises.

causes weights are putting too mutch stress on my body.

also as I lose weight will my puncing speed increase?

[andrewcuff]

Or will I be fine with just hitting the bags shadow boxing perfecting technique
and core with bodyweight exercises.

causes weights are putting too mutch stress on my body.

also as I lose weight will my puncing speed increase?

Punching power can be increased many different ways:

# Increasing speed
# Increasing raw strength

Remember Speed * Strength = Power!

#1 Bodyweight Exercises (e.g. Clapping pushups, Pullups, Squats)
#2 Explosive Weights (Push Press, Olympic Lifts etc)
#3 Improving Technique
#4 Working On The Heavy Bag

[bulldog7]

Can I lift on days I got boxing and still reap benfets of raw strength?

[Bendigo]

Short answer: no. How well you punch has nothing to do with how much you can bench press. To underscore this, look at Newton's 2nd Law of Motion:

"Force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma)"

So, the two factors in increasing your punch power are:

1. Mass (Body mass)
2. Acceleration (Speed).

Work on your speed through relaxation. You already have all the speed you're ever going to have--you just need to learn to let it go.

Secondly, you need to maximize your body mass engagement. The best way to do this is to work on muscles that integrate large parts of your body. So, benchpress and curls are right out, but strong core and strong legs are in.

[bulldog7]

What would be a good weightlifting routine?

[andrewcuff]

What would be a good weightlifting routine?

5 sets of 5 reps for strength/power.

I do push presses, deadlifts, weighted pullups, weighted dips.

5x5 is very good for increasing raw strength.

[RightHooker]

Punching power can be increased many different ways:

# Increasing speed
# Increasing raw strength

Remember Speed * Strength = Power!

#1 Improving Technique
#2 Explosive Weights (Push Press, Olympic Lifts etc)
#3 Bodyweight Exercises (e.g. Clapping pushups, Pullups, Squats)
#4 Working On The Heavy Bag

*Fixed.

So many people think that to hit harder they need to get bigger muscles and be stronger. You will improve your punching power faster by spending a couple extra minutes in front of the mirror concentrating on getting your technique as perfect as possible rather than spending hours lifting weights.

Focus on twisting your entire body from the feet up with every power shot. Feet, knees, hips, core, shoulders, arms, fist is the order you should be moving in for a punch. When you master the technique, then start looking for exercises to build power and you can really start dropping people.

[d_lyrik803]

Short answer: no. How well you punch has nothing to do with how much you can bench press. To underscore this, look at Newton's 2nd Law of Motion:

"Force equals mass times acceleration (F = ma)"

So, the two factors in increasing your punch power are:

1. Mass (Body mass)
2. Acceleration (Speed).

Work on your speed through relaxation. You already have all the speed you're ever going to have--you just need to learn to let it go.

Secondly, you need to maximize your body mass engagement. The best way to do this is to work on muscles that integrate large parts of your body. So, benchpress and curls are right out, but strong core and strong legs are in.

if you wanna get technical about this, acceleration is just the change of velocity with respect to time. force is derived from linear momentum. linear momentum = mass*velocity, and technically when looking at a rigid body, the mass is concentrated at the center of gravity. from linear momentum, if you take the change of linear momentum with respect to time... then yes you get mass * acceleration but since its taken from the center of gravity, in a human case... near the abdominal area, it isn't a really accurate representation of someones punching power. a lot of factors go into punching power, acceleration & speed is one of them but not the only one, its only a fraction. you also have to consider inertial components also known as moment of inertia, and torsional momentum & other certain components which would be to superfluous to mention.

i just disagree with the whole theory that newton's 2nd law explains everything concerning punching power, when its only a fraction and there's other laws at work that contribute to it. that's why in boxing its trained years on correct ways to throw a punch, because it just isn't that simple as the mass of your fist going at some speed that is the essence of punching power.

[j]

if you wanna get technical about this, acceleration is just the change of velocity with respect to time. force is derived from linear momentum. linear momentum = mass*velocity, and technically when looking at a rigid body, the mass is concentrated at the center of gravity. from linear momentum, if you take the change of linear momentum with respect to time... then yes you get mass * acceleration but since its taken from the center of gravity, in a human case... near the abdominal area, it isn't a really accurate representation of someones punching power. a lot of factors go into punching power, acceleration & speed is one of them but not the only one, its only a fraction. you also have to consider inertial components also known as moment of inertia, and torsional momentum & other certain components which would be to superfluous to mention.

i just disagree with the whole theory that newton's 2nd law explains everything concerning punching power, when its only a fraction and there's other laws at work that contribute to it. that's why in boxing its trained years on correct ways to throw a punch, because it just isn't that simple as the mass of your fist going at some speed that is the essence of punching power.

yes - u are quite right. that "theory" doesnt hold water! in fact, our body's are sort of closer to being of a liquid composition than a stiff wooden/metal composition of a simple model of the body.

so, yeah, i agree with your points.

in my line of fighting, which trains very much in depth force and how to use it, is based on more complicated, realistic formulas.

example, the mass of a body may be large, and the acceleration of that force may be great, but if a point(joint or hinge) along the line of force buckles, then that common theory means nothing at all.

there are many variables, which is why the martial arts i study goes into great detail on something even as simple as standing upright efficiently - as u are not sitting while u punch so you must learn how to stand. then u learn how to step before u punch - as u usually are not standing still while u punch. and so on and so on. and as u learn to punch, u put all of these things together properly and develope most efficient coordination. and i didnt even mention the mind or intent factor or how awareness is a big secret to learning good mechanics.

but, my point is that there is much much more to increasing force than adding weight or lifting more.

[Trrmo]

J even though I havent always agreed with your posts you make some great points here .

Some very interesting posts by everyone. Something to keep in mind as well is that increase a persons size/weight regardless of whether they are just a big fat dude or muscular and and their punches will be harder than someone one third the size who is well trained and can harness all their power. But maintaining the force of punches over 3 or more rounds is a different story. Also punch accuracy increases the effectiveness of punches, which is also to do with speed.

I jab harder with more consistency with my left, I am left handed but have always fought orthodox. Because it is much less trained I cannot hit near as hard consistently with my right jab although it has similiar muscle to the left.
But I bet if I keep boxing in Southpaw stance and training my right jab I could increase the power and consistency of the power.

After that to increase power in any big way I would probably have to gain muscle weight through weight training and eating surplus cals. But then I would be in a bigger weight division and it is possible speed will eventually suffer. So their are a variety of factors.