Are weights bad for boxers, or REALLY bad?

“Are weights bad for boxers, or REALLY bad for boxers?” Let’s break down this 100 year old myth.
Ramsey Dewey is a combat sports coach of boxers, kickboxers, and MMA fighters, as well as a fight commentator, based in Shanghai, China.
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[@TheMorteReport]

I have a friend who was a very high level fencer, he also did a lot of weight training. He told me "There is no sport where being stronger is a disadvantage."

[@rocelderamos3013]

If you have a body like the ones competing in Mr. Olympia then you're definitely in trouble if you're going to do martial art with that kind of muscles.

[@MrRazmut]

@@rocelderamos3013 no one just gets muscles like a Mr Olympia from doing some squats and deadlifts and power cleans Those guys use anabolic steroids, insulin and growth hormone and they put all of their time and effort into building muscle, that's all they do. You have to put A LOT of time and effort into building muscle mass like that

[@captaindak5119]

@@rocelderamos3013 bodybuilders don't compete for strength. Bodybuilding is about looks. Hence, weightlifters, powerlifters and strongmen, athletes that focus on strength, tend to be way stronger than bodybuilders of similar mass.

[@paulpolito2001]

One of the things that can be easy to verify, regarding combat training - you’re *not* going to look like an aesthetic bodybuilder, nor will you put on a prohibitive amount of mass; unless you aren’t training technique and endurance properly or are eating 5k+ calories on the reg. You’ll get stronger, much stronger… you’ll probably get toned, but ya won’t be a clunky mass monster that can’t scratch your own gonads.

[@louiejoe2533]

Tell that to Olympic karate .

[@Raitan1337]

Wait, I could die under the barbell? Damn, that brings the training to another level... I think the fear of weights come from the fact, that a lot of people automatically associate strength training with bodybuilding. You don't have to become Hulk, while lifting weights. That is a bunch of bunk.

[@Raitan1337]

​@Jesus Pernia You definitely don't need them, but at some point you run out of harder variations. Especially for legs, as you have mentioned. Adding reps can help to some extent, but adding weight is just simpler and (at least for me) more engaging, than doing one hundred reps of something. Also... you don't have to end up as a stiff brick, if you do some kind of stretching as well. However it is really all about your options, preferences and your will to better yourself.

[@andyfox8377]

Strength and conditioning is critical and never understood why people neglect this in any sport.

[@amartya9034]

Hollywood and cultural shift ridiculing the practice of strength and toughness as something that doesn't matter. Only there you'd see slender, lean guys take on people twice their size and also in anime this myth has also been amplified by people online that say you can be insanely strong while being lean such as those of athlean x

[@AngryGrape1337]

Because a lot of people confuse strength with size and muscle mass. I met guys smaller than me with less muscle who could lift heavy boxes easier than I can.

[@Shoegazebasedgenre0.]

laziness

[@emanuel6233]

Laziness

[@inyego9142]

@@amartya9034 nah I believe it's the individuals fault they know it in themselves what they need to do.

[@ironmikehallowween]

Yes, it is a fact that Dempsey, and even Al Dundee, who trained countless champions including Ali, were against weight lifting. My father, a fighter, was also against weight lifting as he trained my brother and I. He did however have us doing a ton of push ups, pull ups, squats, dead lifts, and other various movements using medicine balls. When my brother and I pointed out that this was still essentially lifting weights, he just shook his head in disgust. But, it was , and we were very muscular. It’s still progressive resistance, they just didn’t equate it with the slow burning movements being done by bodybuilders of that era.

[@rollinOnCode]

that is hilarious

[@robertlehnert4148]

Jack Dempsey in training camp would essentially do weighted pylometrics. Every day, he would chop the wood for the camps woodstove and then he would hurl the result from one pile to another. Boxers and their coaches are seriously stuck decades in the past, just from the long distance steady pace running emphasis alone, which flat out does not resemble what goes on in the ring.

[@MrKarlozz]

@@robertlehnert4148 About time someone else pointed out the long distance running training lol. Fucking senseless to do every day as a martial artist

[@sasizzarrustuta8919]

@@robertlehnert4148 true that, but I'd like to add that running long distances _pushing yourself_ is more of a mental exercise than a physical one, so it might have some sense

[@robertlehnert4148]

@Jesus Pernia what probably FAR better meets the needs of fighters in sports that have rounds is doing your road work in exactly the same periods: RUN for three minutes or a little bit longer, then fast walk for your minute recover. Repeat for the expected number of rounds you'll be doing.

[@handler803]

6:14 " the training is great for you, the actual activity not so much" thank goodness ive found an old-school gym that lets me train alongside them even tho i dont have plans of competing. They treat me as one of their own 🙏🙏🥊

[@MrKarlozz]

@Jesus Pernia Not only are you moving your boundaries and improving yourself, it's also great therapy. That's the beauty of training

[@TitoMcFadden]

Nonsense. Strength and Conditioning coaches are a godsend. They use their witchcraft to think of lifting routines that *effectively* create functional strength, more freedom of movement, and endurance on a daily basis *consistently* . When a fighter adds S&C into their training, they're almost always *faster* at the end of their camp!

[@Innerds]

A lot of people try and use old school boxers as a way of saying “well, they didn’t use it, so why should I?” Even though many did, and those who generally didn’t were usually still doing manual labor in some form or fashion like working in factories and general work (how many have you seen chopping wood, for example?)…. Resistance training is more associated with boxing than you realize when looking a bit more into it

[@MrAlepedroza]

Foreman loved chopping wood and pushing pick up trucks. Joe Louis rowed and hauled ice blocks. Frazier worked at a slaughterhouse....and so on and on. Most normies training these days don't live like the handymen of old days, yet are too lazy to do anything after their boxing lesson and want whatever excuse they can find....and are too dumb to understand the difference between bodybuilding and functional weightlifting.

[@jopesol7765]

@Jesus Pernia those guys just had the genetics. You can be strong without being huge. you lose the weight advantage of course. Foreman and those other guys were anomalies blessed with genetics most of us could only dream of. They would have been big and strong even without strength training, they just took it even further.

[@amck72]

@@jopesol7765 Bingo.

[@amck72]

@Jesus Pernia Jo is correct, the few guys he mentioned (Foreman, Liston, Norton), if those guys didn`t do strength training they still would of been big cause of their natural genetics. They just happened to add strength training and/or hard labor from their younger days and elevated their physical specimen status. Some people are natural gifted genetic wise, then when you add all the good stuff we`re talking about, it makes them a freak of nature.

[@dangumalo6857]

@@jopesol7765 That is true, but training for power and explosiveness will still help in gaining mass. Albeit how big you'll be in the end is still dependent on genetics.

[@MrKarlozz]

I remember first time I tried MMA grappling training that I could easily outdo some of the practitioners who had been training for a few years, simply because I was a lot stronger than them lol. Weight training should be an essential part of any sport that involves explosive movements

[@robcubed9557]

Dude, I can totally relate to you experience! I train BJJ. Last month I (white belt) was paired with a purple belt. I didn’t have her skill level, so I just grabbed her and immobilized her since I was 50 lbs heavier and much stronger.

[@MrJigsawcss]

Lol, grappling =/= striking. I had the same experience as you when I started BJJ a couple of year ago. I would bully everyone around my weight and the main coach paired me with a larger blue belt (80KG vs 96KG) and I couldn't outmuscle him. Whereas when I started boxing, the strength diff didn't have much of an impact and it showed during first sparring sessions, even with lighter partners. Unless you keep clinching over and over (which is the not the goal of a light sparring session).

[@rico14]

@@MrJigsawcssell that’s also cause your light sparring. You’re taking away the strengths of the bigger fighter. Size does matter less in striking though.

[@simonmattiacrispino6299]

I'm an amateur boxer and I do lift weights. I think that in any kind of fighting, the stronger guy has an advantage.

[@theaccordian9377]

Also in any kind of sport.

[@ashisalami5708]

Absolutely love this Ramsey, as an S&C coach who mostly works with combat athletes, you couldn't have said it any better. I recently worked with a boxer(I was actually working as his boxing coach) who had a similar mindset I convinced him to start a lifting routine we just used a basic PPL split with an average rpe of 6.5 and for his actual striking we dropped the rpe to 3-4 and we're mostly focusing on technicality. After his fight (he won) he said that was the best he's ever felt going into a fight. I'm a firm believer in training for your sport, study what movements are most important for your sport(universally the hip hinge is in my opinion the most important) and adjust your strength training to that. If you want to be fast train to be fast, if you want to be powerful train to be powerful. I don't know if you will see this but I just wanted to share my thoughts along with your insight. Much love from Australia 😁

[@ahmedsounaine5194]

Most helpful comment ever came across in my whole life. Thank you

[@rddeb9304]

The coach who "invented" that quote back in the day was I believe Teddy Atlas. But even Atlas now lets his fighters lift twice a week. If you want to approach it more scientifically, you need fast twitch muscle fibers in order to be explosive, which - primarily - are achieved by lifting heavy weights in the gym.

[@erikjarandson5458]

Even target shooters do weight training. Muscles are vital to stabilize the body, and, the less effort needed to establish and hold a position, the less risk of shaking. Basically: The more muscles you have, the easier it is to do nothing. Within reason, of course. You don't need to be The Mountain in order to hit a target.

[@ninjaknight4486]

Loved this video. Train your legs. Train your back. Train your shoulders. Train explosively. I am new to mma training at my gym, and I still have an edge on those my size who have been there longer because I lift and sprint. It’s simple. They can’t overpower me, they must rely on timing and technique in order to best me in a roll. Which I will learn in good time. Haha

[@bombastikderteutone6858]

do you still lift? I started boxing 2x a week but im like always sore of the boxing workout , have a hard time fitting my lifts in :/

[@ninjaknight4486]

@@bombastikderteutone6858 yea I still lift 3 times a week. So if your doing boxing 2 times a week, you can lift 2 times a week and you still have 3 days of recovery. Also you don’t have to do tons and tons of volume at first. 3 sets is plenty, and you can ramp up from there over the span of a few months.

[@wavethatcrashed9155]

can relate I can overpower most ppl I roll with, but technique always wins against me cuz regardless of strength I still suck

[@bushwhackedonvhs]

🎉

[@learnpianofastonline]

Thank you for posting this. I was a bodybuilder and a power lifter for many years before I started boxing training. When I first started, I wasn’t very good. Not because I had been doing strength training but because I had not been doing much boxing training at that point. later on when I switched to Mui Thai, I found that my strength training actually helped my stamina when it came to sparring and it did not slow me down. But quite naturally, when I first started, I wasn’t very good. Again not because I had been doing strength training but because I had not been doing kickboxing training for very long. Today I do strength training 2 to 3 times a week to supplement my Muay Thai. And I have found that it helps tremendously.

[@DragonSlayer-tg5mk]

Your videos really make my day! I hope you realize the power you have to change people's lives for the better? Back around 1982 I was working the pumps at a gas station. My life was going nowhere. I had been demotivated due to tragedies in my life and just didn't care about life. Just getting by. One day a shiny new red corvette pulled up to the pumps and out jumped Don The Dragon Wilson, who was a World Champion kickboxer. He struck up a conversation and told me that I looked athletic and big and strong. He invited me to come to his new Martial Arts Studio because he needed more big guys. I took him up on his offer and it completely changed my life. He became my mentor and one of my best friends. My life completely turned around and I was able to retire at the age of 54. That chance encounter, combined with his ability to inspire and motivate, completely changed my life. YOU have that power too Ramsey! God bless you Sir!!!

[@RamseyDewey]

That’s awesome.

[@amartya9034]

Resistance training can get addictive. Having access to power and feeling strong is fantastic. Too bad most people would never know how being in that position feels

[@amartya9034]

@Jesus Pernia Mine was the opposite I jumped in realised how physically demanding the sport of boxing is and that cardio wouldn't cut then got inspired by a movie to lift weights and become stronger and get aesthetic and from then on I just fell in love with lifting and practice both regularly now

[@MrBeckenhimself]

Coach has the most smoothing voice of all time. I could easily fall a sleep listening to him talk, and I don't mean that in a negative way. That tone has a really calming effect.

[@GripDevil]

There isn't an amount of muscle you can put on naturally that will slow you down this is a myth I don't understand why people still believe this today there are athletes out there with a 300 bench 400 squat and a 500 deadlift or even more that are strong explosive and fast. You can only make yourself slower if you put on way more muscle than your frame can hold naturally through the use of anabolics. I am happy to see you are addressing this Ramsey.

[@GripDevil]

@Jesus Pernia These numbers assume you bulk and cut and try to gain as much muscle as possible some people don't want to bulk and stay in their current weight class and that is perfectly fine. However reaching these numbers means you will look pretty jacked from top to bottom. Assuming you max out as well of course. These numbers should be attainable for the vast majority of people willing to put in the work in the gym for a number of years.

[@trauma6028]

@Jesus Pernia excellent numbers

[@jashardwallington]

Jon jones has vidoes of him lifting 600 or 700 lbs

[@GripDevil]

@@jashardwallington Jon jones has got CRAZY long arms though so that's why he has a freak deadlift. Deadlift is the odd man out it has to do more with leverages than actual muscle mass not that muscle mass isn't important but it is the least important for the deadlift.

[@ts0088]

@@GripDevil Facts. Plus he actually took steroid

[@seanwilliams480]

I trained as a boxer through high school and got to be a pretty good fighter and a pretty hard puncher. I weighed about 160 pounds when I graduated high school. A few years later, after I joined the service and continued some boxing training but seriously worked on adding muscle and strength, adding about 50 pounds of muscle over four years or so, I found that I had the same boxing skills, but anyone I was able to hit, only got hit once. And when I got hit, with that extra "shield" of muscles all over me, didn't hurt as much. Adding inches to my neck really helped me take punishment without even slowing down. Being bigger and stronger, while retaining athleticism, has proved to be fantastic in my own experience. For 25-30 years, after getting up to around a solid 220 at 6ft tall, I had he attitude that if you wanted to fight me on a job site or in a parking lot or wherever, I'd accept. Over the years, and what would be considered many fights by an average person (under two dozen), I ended every single fight with one punch. Most went to the hospital in ambulances. I couldn't have done that at 160, not squating at all and deadlifting 250. But at 220, deadlifting 600 and squatting over 500, I was a wrecking machine in street fights. Strength training, WITH, fight skill training, primarily the speed bag in my case, makes one hard to hurt and very capable of inflicting pain like most people haven't experienced. Lights out pain. Get stronger, get bigger, train with the bags. You'll be able to handle the average bar bully, pretty easily.

[@RamseyDewey]

It is shocking how hard it is to convince a lot of martial artists that it’s objectively better to be strong than to be weak. It sounds like a no brainer, but there’s no end of arguments on the internet over the benefits of strength training for fighting.

[@Chan_Chal_Chit_1]

I'm a skinny guy ... Any exercises ud advise to improve punching power ? 🙏🙏🙏

[@Chan_Chal_Chit_1]

@Strommare agree brother 🙏

[@danielteixeira3417]

​@@Chan_Chal_Chit_1 try the big 5 with barbells and dumbells 5x5 works great you can do duzens of variations on the big 5

[@Chan_Chal_Chit_1]

Hi Sean , Which Boxing bag would be the most useful in a Street fight . And did people still challenge you when u were 100 kg ? That's dumb 😅😅😅

[@thepaladin7816]

I believe you spoke well on this subject matter - it can potentially be beneficial to incorporate strength training to maximize your abilities as a combat athlete 🤘 It's fantastic that touched on the benefits it has to mental stability, not just physical prowess.

[@acemusic4105]

Another possible benefit of training w compound movements, isometrics, and/or static calisthenic skills like planche is fascia strength-- moving and hardening and bracing the body as a complete unit over a duration of time would likely be useful in many grappling situations and maybe striking too

[@Patrick-ep3il]

Ramsey with the clutch uploads we need 💯

[@Inlinetodie]

When I was trained to box, medicine ball, hand weights, rope, speed bag, bench press, jogging, running, cycling. I was a welterweight at that time, speed and coordination. My coach would send me for power lifting to prevent plateauing in training, it allowed me to have bursts of power, kind of like a back up of saved energy, also made my legs very strong and allowed me to stay on my feet longer. I took a GG title with ABA, early 90s. Before that, I had trained in Wing Chun and prior to that, Karate, just because Karate Kid had come out in theatres and I was a huge fan. Boxing is great, really enjoyed the comrades, the being known at every club I visited. Wing Chun has always been what has kept me composed, without It I believe I wouldn't understand honor among men in the ring.

[@johnathankim3657]

One of the greatest boxers of all time, Evander Holyfield, looked pretty much like a bodybuilder in terms of how much muscle he carried. A lot of great MMA fighters especially the heavyweight guys all look super jacked. I don't understand why anyone would deny that muscle mass and strength will make you into a deadly fighter

[@danielakbari3447]

eh, they're also on steroids so they have an easier time recovering considering all of that muscle - i don't say this to take something away from them but i still think it is something

[@CaptChilly]

@@danielakbari3447 Yeah I think that basically proves that the idea of having lots of muscle being bad for sport is total bullshit unless you look like mr olympia or something. the real reason why most athletes don't strive for that muscularity is training economy (recovery and time). it isn't that having big muscles is inherently terrible, but any marginal benefit from spending all that extra time towards that goal is not worth the time and recovery you'd be better off spending on much more useful sport training. The cost benefit analysis is different with steroids since they make it easier to put on muscle, so the little lifting you do will go a longer way.

[@jadonmesfun6479]

@@CaptChillyThis 💯

[@jawbreaker8363]

The big muscle Olympia guys in boxing are all genetics but Holyfield case he lifted weights steroids peds etc still a great fighter. But we’ve seen countless muscle men get destroyed by the likes of Ali, Joe Louis and Larry Holmes and also Tyson. You get physically strong anyway during training and things like wood chopping hitting the tyre improves your punching power, also punching power is something your born with . All that muscle mass and strength like the old timers say will stiffen you up like it did Shane Moseley you have to be loose as a goose in boxing.

[@bigounce1038]

awesome thumbnail, keep it up! your videos keep getting better and better

[@michaellee9883]

Excellent video. Your arguments in support of strength training are similar to that of starting strength and Mark Rippetoe. He has an old school, black iron, strength training gym in Wichita Falls, Texas. He certifies strength coaches.

[@martialway100]

My old Jujutsu instructor was always anti heavy weights. I disagreed with him, but his rationale was that it makes movements 'stiff and slow', rather than fluid. I understood what he meant, if you're too 'bulky' muscle wise. When I used to spar 'bodybuilder' types, they were explosive for the first 5 minutes or so. Not slow at the beginning of the sparring, but I used footwork to control the distance and they would tire. Their hands would drop and it was relatively easy to throw them, put them in a lock or Box/Kickbox them. It may have been the lactic acid build up in the muscles because they would 'gas out' surprisingly quickly, considering how 'fit' they looked i.e. ubiquitous muscle hypertrophy. I agree that everyone should do some weight lifting too, in conjunction with their martial arts training, but not to a point where it hinders your cardio, etc.. One of the most overlooked aspects of fighting, apart from sparring and developing 'fighting skill sets' is cardio IMHO. If your engine runs out of fuel, you are done for, no matter how good you think you are, or what fighting skill set you possess.

[@jettfuelfitness]

Part of the reason ‘big bodybuilder types’ tire out is because they try and fight the same way skinny endurance athletes do. You want to see a huge guy last into the late rounds? Look at George foreman. What did he do differently? He wasn’t bouncing around, darting back and forth, of course that would exhaust him. He took his time, got into position, and picked his shots. A coach who says big guys can’t last in a fight is a coach who doesn’t know *how* to make a big guy last in a fight.

[@jacobmoore6874]

Its kinda funny u mention that. My dad always told me idc if your Bruce Lee, if Bruce Lee gets tired Bruce Lee can get beat.

[@deadcakesandpanlifts2019]

@@jettfuelfitness The reason big bodybuilders tire out quickly is because they barely train cardio, thats literally it. And the reason theyre not flexible is because they dont train flexibility. No one has expectations about a normal person who hasnt trained cardio having good cardio, so why expect that from someone whos muscular who also hasnt trained cardio? Weights dont inhibit anything, it's just that the people who weight train the most usually dont care to train other skills.

[@okay1775]

@@jettfuelfitness Good luck fighting like Big George and taking 10,000 punches to the chin.

[@BoomBoxBlaz]

Larger mass takes energy to maintain, that's a fact. So if you can improve your ability to last, you use lean muscle or you do shorter reps with heavy weights. You want lean muscle. It doesn't slow your movements if trained properly. But if you think you won't be gassed carrying around that weight all the time, you're crazy. If you want greater power, improve your core and your legs and learn how to use your body as a lever.

[@thedrcrow5841]

I'd say in the modern day strength training is even more important. There are a lot of kids who've spent most of their life playing video games on the couch, encouraging them to never touch strength training will set them up for failure.

[@rwdchannel2901]

I weight train primarily to keep myself from getting injured. Muscles are similar to armor and will help protect your tendons and ligaments from strain when doing basic things such as sleeping. My AC joints were bothering me and I started doing more bar hangs, pull ups and lateral raises to strengthen the muscles around my shoulders and it helped a lot.

[@thedrcrow5841]

@@rwdchannel2901 Another reason why weight training is important. There's a commonality of certain joints, or ligaments getting torn too often in combat sports, and that type of stuff can set fighters back years, or even push them into early retirement

[@hoop6988]

@@thedrcrow5841 agreed. Too many boxer injure their wrist and the best way to negate this is just to train your forearms.

[@Enric0W]

I feel like there is a huge misconception in leg training for boxing, because when you say "legs" for someone not experienced with strength training for martial arts they'll think about the quadriceps and they'll assume that all they need to do is heavy squats, when there are so many muscle groups in the legs that are much more important than the quads, like the calves for exemple, the adductors and abductors for lateral movement, the posterior chain like hamstrings and glutes for forward motion, even the muscles on the feet can be trained and will translate in better performance. Strength training has become such a game changer in any combat sport, its crazy to think that people still believe that it makes you "slow".

[@lucasschroder6150]

Hello coach, iv been following your content for the past year and a half and so far i love the job you are doing, thanks for all the work you put on these videos. I have trained traditional martial arts for the past 10 years and watching your videos, as well as some other channels, and iv come to the conclusion that they are just not functional, at least the way they are trained, so i was looking to practice muay thai, boxing, bjj and judo. I live in Brazil and mma gyms are not so common here for what i know. My question is, should i train muay thai and boxing or just muay thai is enough, i will start training muay thai in the next few days and was wondering if i should or need to train boxing as well. Thanks for your time, respect.

[@WineSippingCowboy]

Related. In Major League Baseball before the 1970s, pitching coaches ordered pitchers to not use weight training. Nolan Ryan ignored that. He was 1 of the first pitchers to use weight training. He lasted 27 years and earned his induction into the Hall of Fame. Being a baseball player in high school, I noticed the difference. My throws were much longer and stronger. The same goes for martial arts. Strength training helps a martial artist. I noticed this when I practice grappling. Overtraining and undertraining hurt a martial artist, weight training correctly does not. 💪

[@novaacuinfo5930]

the type of weight lifting we did after boxing class were blasting out push ups, pull ups (wide, close), bench presses. fast style, not power lifts, etc. usually about 20 and not more.

[@dat_spartan_gamer7322]

We need more Ramsey Connery

[@0spw504]

it actually helped my rehab as well as teach me how to engage my muscle for max power

[@codycushman2738]

Would love to hear what types of lifting regimens you recommend for combat athletes.

[@chaotics5395]

I think it came down to a misconception of what is consider to be weight lifting, and how it is associated with bodybuilder.

[@m.israel2209]

Current boxers that weight training: the whole Canelo team. Including Ryan Garcia, Canelo, Andy Ruiz, Oscar Valdez. Add to the mix Anthony Joshua & mexican boxer Jaime Munguia. Those are the few that i know of. Focus on sport specific movement.

[@tr1pl3str3ngth4]

all the ufc heavyweight champions i know lift heavy, and they got some serious knockout power, also punching with small weights is still weight training

[@therealdestructicus]

There's a paper that showed that an increase in strength of the trapezius muscle reduced the risk of knockouts and brain damage in boxers. This also goes to the question that started this, where the person mentioned the erroneous buzzword "functional" lifts, of which the people who generally use that term wouldn't really have anything they would call functional, that actually strengthens the trapezius muscle. Any time, a muscle is moved through a full range of motion, with resistance, will be a functional exercise.

[@andrewryan7583]

I agree. I especially like using bells as a strength and conditioning tool. I can’t think of a better one for boxing

[@maalik310]

A barbell

[@andrewryan7583]

@@maalik310 no sorry mate. I ment kettle bells

[@heysmilebomb411]

coach! is there any chance you could please make a video talking about the strength and conditioning programs you do for your MMA athletes? Appreciate it and I hope you and your family are doing well. take care!

[@xyon9090]

When you realize The handwraps and Boxing Gloves combined are already weights in and of itself. *_*MIND BLOWN*_*

[@emanuel6233]

Just learned how to deadlift with proper form a weeks ago. Went from 70kg lifts with back pain to 90kg lifts with no back pain. Took 100kg today without any form of pain. Will go back to 90kg to feel completely comfortable with my own body weight before going higher. Deadlifting is now one of my favorite exercises

[@scottymont4438]

Happy Birthday Ramsey!

[@RamseyDewey]

Thank you!

[@NoOne-zm4rb]

Another great video

[@nathanielpatterson6963]

Amazing content.

[@matthewhughson7968]

8:47 😂😂 lmao the self interruption

[@thehighcommunity247]

Great video man. You know you shit. New Subscriber right here. ✌️💯 Weights are fine for that, but don't be tryna max out n shit because your bigger muscles will slow down.

[@red-clad-vlad]

My training is mostly that of a bodybuilder, but I take time to do some basic boxing training, simply because I enjoy it. For a long time, I didn't do deadlifts because I was afraid my back, which has a slight deformity, would suffer. But, still, I began slowly learning to do the movement property, albeit with a hex bar rather than a barbell. I worked my way up to 80% of my body weight in a month, which isn't all that impressive. However, I began noticing more strength in my heavy bag work. I felt more "planted" on the ground. All the back muscle I had built was now able to do more work because I was finally stable on my feet. Not to mention that bobbing and weaving felt way better, beforehand it felt difficult to turn, I was never this "light" before focusing on building up my quads and hams

[@Jenjak]

There is this misconception that strength training = bodybuilding. But they are really two different kinds of training. Just look the physique of strongmen compared to bodybuilders and look at their respective performances, it's day and night. And there are specific strength routines for each and every sports.

[@Jenjak]

@Joske Vermeulen I think there is a point of diminishing returns but this point is so out of most people's reach that it really shouldn't matter.

[@sheadoherty7434]

@Joske Vermeulen yeah, muscle is a specific adaptation and will grow according to the stresses you place on them. It's why you have muscular fighters, gymnasts and powerlifters who are incredibly strong while you have bigger bodybuilders who aren't as strong. Not only that but not all weight training is specific to muscle growth. 5/3/1 will make you strong but it won't slap the mass on. Also, one thing people leave out is how lean bodybuilders actually are. They do shows at like 6% body fat. Being really ripped diminishes performance like crazy. Most people who lift to get stronger will never be that lean. Sorry for the disorganised rant

[@Cavouku]

All negotiations going well, I'm about to start doing strength and conditioning training for the local Junior Swim Team. Their focus is going to be on swimming, but even their coaches realize the benefits of proper strength and conditioning - especially for injury prevention. Have you seen some of those Olympic swimmers? A lot of them are jacked, and not in muscles you might necessarily expect - but all muscles are important for longevity and injury prevention, when trained right. The more combat athletes start to realize that, the better. The idea that the bigger guy is slower needs to fade away at some point. Strength and speed are not opposite ends of a spectrum - all fast movement is driven by muscles. Physics is still F = ma, and while a bigger muscle has more mass that needs to accelerate, it's also much more capable of producing enough force to meet and exceed that acceleration (in comparison with smaller muscles on smaller limbs and whatnot). And that's not even taking into consideration the benefits of muscular coordination for sport-specific movement that you can get just by exciting those muscles more often with strength training.

[@tyy123]

💯 percent agree with you Ramsey

[@GeorgeOu]

Turkish Getups are probably one of the best exercises for punching power. 1 arm forward pushes with heavy weights on the cable machine is great too. The basic squat, dead lift, clean and press, pull ups, rows are great for foundation strength. As for cardio, I never understood why people train for the marathon when they are competing in 12 3-minute bursts with 1-minute breaks in between. Doing 12 3-round intense pad sessions will translate much better. A decent pad holder can make the session as intense and brutal as possible. I've seen plenty of guys who can run a fast 6 miles and go hard on the heavy bag an hour but barely last 2 minutes on the pads.

[@themaverickblackbelt8054]

Have you ever discussed the differences you've noticed between martial "arts" and martial "sports?" Since you are eperienced in at least one "traditional" MA and have etensive knowledge of three, four, five combat sports, I think you'd be particularly insightful regarding the areas they don't overlap and the areas people don't generally realize they overlap.

[@Aadishj1]

Question for Coach Ramsey: Hi Coach! I am in my early 20s and workout everyday (mostly cardio and body weight exercises) but I have zero flexibility. For example, I can't even put my heels down in the downward dog position. How can I start improving my flexibility everyday without injuring myself? Thanks for your work, it inspires me to become better everyday.

[@jplb96]

He has videos on stretching!

[@richardgomez1151]

Hello Ramsey. What do you think of the fictional martial art from the film "Equilibrium"? Looks really cool mixes hand-to-hand combat and firearm training it relies on kata based like a modern form of karate.

[@salamangkali-allmartialart4836]

A lot of gun kata moves can be countered by simply pulling your pistol to your hip and opening fire.

[@richardgomez1151]

Well it's different its close-quarters check it out I'm not saying it effective it just looks so cool@@salamangkali-allmartialart4836

[@salamangkali-allmartialart4836]

@@richardgomez1151 I'm a huuuge fan of the movie. 😉

[@paulpolito2001]

No retention, way too stylized, and iirc, the hardware was pretty specialized… I *did* enjoy the movie tho. Sad to say, effective combat isn’t very entertaining for most people… so choreography almost always looks like a fruity dance masquerading as a life-&-death struggle. Even parts of the John Wick movies (which are pretty realistic imho) suffer from this.

[@mrvacation9322]

Ramsey, I've seen lots of guys hit guys in the liver and the didn't go down. The liver is a huge area and it's not hard to hit. So is there some special spot that you have to hit for it to work? Also, what is your grip exercise routine? I'm just curious. Do you squeeze tennis balls or anything?

[@anatolyalperovich9069]

What they mean is “pump is negative for athletic activities”. Actually , Olympic weightlifting training tries to avoid the pump as much as possible. If sprinters do weights, it is not to slow them down, or is it ?

[@bigkroner766]

Hi Ramsey, I’ve heard you speak out against belt ranking in martial arts, however I think that Judo is one of the few martial arts that does belt rankings perfectly, essentially they have 2 kinds of promotion systems, one for hobbyists and one for competitors. The hobbyist promotion route is much longer and requires great knowledge of technique, demonstration and lots of hours put into a dojo. Where as the competitor promotion route is, potentially, much faster, basically it’s a point system, and you get a certain amount of promotion points for competing, and depending on the rank you beat, you get more points, and after a certain amount of points you gain eligibility for promotion. So let’s say you are going to rank from yellow to orange, if in a tournament you beat 3 yellow belts, that’s 1 point each for each person you beat of the same rank. If you also beat an orange belt that’s 1.5 points, and you must gain at least 10 points to be promoted. So promotion for competitors is potentially much faster, and the art actually rewards students for applying the art, as appose to rewarding students for being part of a dojo for an arbitrary length of time and potentially not applying their art at all. I personally think all martial arts should adopt this system, what do you think of it?

[@charrleschervanik3632]

For those who are curious, bunk in the context given means nonsense or foolery.

[@handler803]

Hey Ramsey, speaking of boxing, any thoughts on the Pacquiao-Ugas fight? Do you think Pac will/should retire? Further on, any thoughts on him rumoredly running for Philippine presidency?

[@LRkun]

Experience in tkd. From with weight training vs non. Well I won more medals with the weights. Even when I was swimming. But you have to specify it to fast concentric. Power and speed. To be specific, it was just the basic highbar squats, push press and pull ups and bench and deadlifts. Done in a circuit and the weight wasnt that heavy. It was like plyometric like. Do one rep move to the next. 20 sets. It you were to calculate from the 1 rep max it would be 60% Circuit training for all sports book really helped me a lot.

[@rocelderamos3013]

Great insight. Coach Dewey, what is your opinion on beginners training martial arts, should you do Striking art first or grappling? Is there a difference when you train one or the other first? (I'm 24 yrs old and haven't trained a single martial art in my life)

[@RamseyDewey]

Do you want to be a striker, a grappler, or a mixed martial artist?

[@rocelderamos3013]

@@RamseyDewey I wanna do MMA (mostly just for fun, fitness, and "self-defense", not planning on actually having a record). Would you recommend that I learn striking first or straight into grappling? Although, I'm not really sure to be honest, is there a difference if I did one or the other before proceeding to the next?

[@TheMisanthroPunk]

Tales from amateur boxing: when i just used to train old school such as aerobic continuous super fatiguing trainings i was weak, at least weaker than when i started to weight lift properly. I recommend building a solid base of compound strenght first and focus on methods like French Contrast that promote post activation potentiaton. Remember, boxing (phisically) is explosiveness put into endurance

[@dirkjones3816]

I used to train at a local sports complex where top level pro boxing title holders and contenders also trained. Every morning at 7 am they'd be running and afterwards they'd be in the weight room with us. Their S&C coach would have them go through a very specialized routine with zero heavy compound lifts and very very minimal chest exercises. I of course wanted showy muscles so I trained nothing like them except for the running. They did do pullups with no added weight.. I always assumed heavy Bench for example was a no-no for boxers as almost none of them have big showy chests. Just thought I'd share in case there is some nugget to be gleaned from it. I would appreciate your opinion of this boxing specific weight training approach. This was over a decade ago and I am wondering if the general concensus has moved to heavier training for boxers ? I have a particular interest in training methods and loved to watch how the top level Canadian Olympians who also training there went about their workouts..

[@LegendaryLizardGaming]

I have heard that Mike Tyson did a ton of leg exercises to help him bob, weave and generate more power in his punches all the way through the fight and this helped him become a world champion. Training legs and other muscles is clearly extremely Important in boxing and should not be neglected. Great video coach.

[@MrAds213]

Dear, Ramsey what do you think are the benefits of adding or doing gymnastics ring workout along with running and yoga to a MMA or boxing fighters? I've been doing them three to four times a week along with my martial arts training. When it comes to rings nothing like planche I'm talking about ring dips, pushups, pull ups thanks coach

[@jettfuelfitness]

Gymnastics rings are top tier, especially for shoulder stability which is important especially for strikers

[@RamseyDewey]

It’s all good stuff. I’ve used them. They’ll get you strong in ways other methods can’t.

[@dgundeadforge17]

I found that mixing weight training and calisthenics gets the best results because it's natural, we have to move our body weight and other weights. for pure strength 3x3 is great than going down to medium weight for muscle endurance. I practiced boxing technique and slowly built up speed and my power is great for not trying to punch hard. I have been stuck home so i have heavy rocks for front squats and carry which helps core stay strong, then push-ups but did one arm holds for anti-rotation strength. and pull-ups and crunches. dynamic stretching helps with flexibility. I can't fight due to having a pacemaker but i would love to be a coach.

[@Boyetto-san]

I think you make the point really well that weight training doesn't mean training only with weights and ending up like a bodybuilder. I only casually train boxing, and I do shadowboxing and squats both with and without weights because I know those do develop specific movements that'll be important in boxing. The myth I think is mostly because people think that weights aren't worth doing if you don't end up with an eight-pack chiseled out of stone. Most people treat lifting as a point of vanity.

[@unknownperson-qm1eu]

I try to add weight training into my routine but I find it easier to just do calisthenics with weights along with mauy Thai and boxing

[@Jaromeo1287]

Pewh! Good. I'm a Muay Thai and Karate guy. I just recently got a weight machine. In the manual it has a strength training workout that I'm about to embark on. I just finished inputting it into my fitness record keeping app which took forever! I would have been so sad if an expert like Ramsey said weight lifting is bad for us martial artists😅

[@Inlinetodie]

Yes, so true, need to know how to train for your sport, can't isolate muscle areas to build size, if you need speed and limber, to throw a punch fast, after boxing, I figured I would put on muscle and build up, I got to 250, so now if I tried to get back in ring, that's a whole new ballgame, trying to throw punches with this much weight is harder, I found my arms thinned out, my chest grew and my quads got thick. Now I'm able to keep a 300lb bag sideways with dry combos, and at a heavier weight with more force, you damage your training gloves much quicker.

[@ashtraydekay6624]

The rocky chasing the chicken around the yard comment, I laughed out loud, for real.

[@madhav_g7960]

Hey ramsey I have a situation, I've been training in Muay Thai for a month and half and the Gym im training isn't really that great. Which means the trainers look like they aren't happy with the jobs or something. I noticed it when they started holding pads for me they look extremely frustrated ,and it isn't just for me he is frustrated with everyone else, it almost feels like a unprofessional way of teaching. Unfortunately this is the only gym near me right now. I really want to learn Muay Thai and improve but the coaches looks so frustrated which makes me uncomfortable. So any advices?

[@callmedavex2]

It's about the ratio, too much heavy can slow you down, but a small amount can actually be beneficial overall, really depends on your goals

[@paulthomassen5007]

The standard warm up for boxing is strength training, but without weights. training with weights might increase your weight, and you should possibility be careful if you are competing and has to stay below a certain weight

[@RamseyDewey]

Lifting weights does not increase your weight. It has never and will never increased your weight. The only thing that will increase your weight is eating a caloric surplus.

[@paulthomassen5007]

@@RamseyDewey That's right to a point. But if you are training a lot, you'll have to eat garbage or eat like a bodybuilder to have a surplus. Some of the crosscountry skiiers used to have marsipan with them to have enough energy to train

[@RamseyDewey]

That’s not right to a point, it’s 100% factual.

[@Anduehan97]

reminds me of the saying strength is never a weakness

[@bigman6315]

Hello brother, (RAMSEY ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!) how would you recommend you lifts weighs? Do You recommend low reps heavy weights for strength like a power lifter would like sets for 3 ? Also do you think boxers should also do bench press and overhead press or would this add too much bulk and just stick to squats, deadlifts and cleans? Thanks 🙏

[@diego1590]

Canelo trains for explotion, 80 % of your heaviest lift and do it 5 times.

[@bigman6315]

@@diego1590 yeah I’ve seen a lot of boxers like Canelo and AJ use power lifting methods for their lower body, but I can’t seem to find a video on them lifting for upper body. Would you recommend incorporating bench and overhead press (in sets of 5) into strength training for boxing?

[@diego1590]

@@bigman6315 that and deadlifts, it makes sense to have those muscles fit for boxing knowing where power comes from.

[@barisciano]

Coach Ramsay ...please let me know...Do elite boxers today train with heavy compound movements like deadlifts and squatting like you are demonstrating in your videos.If so, is it wise to do this training in a separate phase of training i.e offseason or a long time before fight camp ? I know MMA fighters do fairly heavy squatting and deadlifting, but I have never seen a boxer train that way. Please clear this up for me as my info may be outdated or incomplete.

[@sheadoherty7434]

Yeah its common in boxing. Periodising your training really comes down to maintaining one area while focusing on another.

[@ibexsouther7483]

I've had people ask me about whether or not I've been in a fight in a manor that suggested they are stronger or tougher than me. No but I train my triceps and forearms quite often. My grip strength is 250 lbs in both hands so I'd probably do some small joint manipulation or 2 finger submissions. I have no intentions of punching people unless it's a fist bump.

[@hunteraceves2581]

Very stupid question but I just want to know the facts. Could a minimumweight ever knock out a heavyweight (at a flat 200lbs) based purely on the criteria of punching power. Thanks coach for the content keep it up!

[@demoncore5342]

I mean, squats deads and cleans twice a weak, that's plenty of hinge work and will definitely get one a lot stronger. So yes, just something that does not look like whole a lot at a first glance. Beside sprints, what else was in there? Or was it solely hinge/posterior chain?

[@RamseyDewey]

That was the bulk of it.

[@amhawk8742]

I started bulking (going from 52kg to 58kg) and strength training after watching some of your videos last year and I was wondering, how much should I lift (as a young, non competing, male kickboxer)? Some people have told me: deadlift twice your weight, bench press one and a half times your weight, squat between those two, overhead press and barbell row your body weight, and do a few chin-ups and pull-ups etc. Are these the only exercises needed to build strength, and would these amounts be appropriate to aim for?

[@Morpheah]

It doesn't matter, especially if you don't compete. You have nothing to prove to anyone, so becoming a better "version" of yourself over time is all that matters. Look up "progressive overload" and make sure you comprehend what it means, it's crucial. The exercises you mentioned are a great start, both for strength and muscularity. The numbers they gave you are a good start too, but they don't matter, everyone is different. It would take time for me to explain in a comment, so if you're a complete beginner, search youtube for a free novice program, either for hypertrophy or hybrid. I've never been interested so I have no idea what's out there, but anything you can find by any the following channels is going to be excellent: NaturalHypertrophy, AlphaDestiny, Enkiri Elite Fitness, Geoffrey Verity Schofield, Jeff Nippard, CanditoTrainingHQ. Good luck mate!

[@sheadoherty7434]

You're not a competitive lifter, just get stronger over time. Leave the strength standards to the powerlifters, weightlifters and strongman. If you're a fighter then the only standard should be winning fights.

[@sheadoherty7434]

@@Morpheah also, we have the same taste in lifting channels

[@incarnacomics]

My wrestling coach in highschool was old school and against weight training. So, we climbed ropes, worked on the parallel bars, climbed the peg board, did pushups with guys sitting on our backs and ran stairs till we dropped. We were always at or near the top of any teams in our state. Other teams did weight training, but I never felt over powered by any opponent. I found that mental toughness and Iron will were the prime keys to victory.

[@RamseyDewey]

That sounded a lot like “my coach was against resistance training, so we did resistance training”.

[@incarnacomics]

@@RamseyDewey Very true! Just didn't like the idea of cranking iron. We also did isometrics, which is the ultimate resistance training. Trying to move an immovable object.

[@jeice13]

It seems like the bigger risk of weightlifting is if it makes you heavier and pushes you up weight classes (or above the highest weight) fighting seems to favour lean strength because you fight weaker opponents

[@RamseyDewey]

Lifting weights does not increase your body weight. Eating a caloric surplus increase your weight.

[@abaddontheannihilator8144]

Question: Can you explain the difference between the two different types of punching power in boxing? I watched a video from The Punch Proffesser where he mentioned that there are 2 different types of power punches, one is where you are using body mechanics to generate power while the other is you running through the opponent (So like throwing your weight at him I assume). Can you demonstrate these two different types of ways to generate power. I've seen your video about how to punch harder but perhaps you can elaborate more on this specific subject.

[@RamseyDewey]

Great idea for a video! Thanks!

[@abaddontheannihilator8144]

@@RamseyDewey Sure thing, it's definitely a topic that interests me.

[@georgefoley9793]

I am not a boxer, but I recently started practicing Karate, and I quickly realized that I needed to become an athlete first, before I could have any chance of being effective in sparring, which is why I train 6 days per week now, of which four days are heavily physically intensive, and two days are more focused on technique.

[@Joel-wj9ql]

When you throw a right hook, the amount of power you are capable of delivering to your target comes down to your front delt, pectoral and bicep. Delivery, not production. Yes the power starts in the legs but if your opponent's neck is stronger than your shoulder girdle then the snapping effect on their head will be reduced and knockout ability will be severely compromised.

[@jawbreaker8363]

Punching power is something you’re born with. You either have devastating power or you don’t. Chopping wood can improve it though slightly and makes you stronger.

[@lulospawn]

I think it's important to see where the strength question comes from. If you're a guy that does less combat and more D&D you're bound to think DEX is more important than STR of you use finesse weapons and you can break out of grapples using Acrobatics. By that same logic you could engage in an MMA match as Wizard and cast Sleep on the opponent. You don't even need high INT for that spell. If it works you're probably going to be DQed but you'll also be on youtube forever. Or... you could see strength for what it is and realize there's strength in any physical activity. Hell... Even for golfing you need strength.

[@Jpo-xw1jc]

I box but I love lifting. I only lift two days a week and after watching this video I feel much better about it lol 😆. Thanks for putting my mind at ease sir!

[@genreartwithjb5095]

Push-ups and body weight exercises would be the way to go I would think especially for meso and endo morphs

[@Riebeano]

When I was an amateur boxer I fought at 65kg started weight training to pack on some pounds. My coach said I would lose my speed but did it anyway got to 75kg dident really notice much of a difference between my speed gained alot more power aswell. When I got to 82kg I lost my speed felt like a slug but had alot more power but I just wasn't the same I was getting tagged with shots felt slow on my feet pretty much just sluggish.

[@juandiablo6667]

Can you do running without screwing your knees? I really feel it helps me fight longer but I want my knees good

[@josephrainbolt3849]

I've actually been told to train without weights. Thank you for this video.

[@douglascoe1385]

There are many different ways of weight/resistance training, but realistically no lifting is going to make you a worse boxer/fighter(with the caveat that you still train your fighting techniques properly). As you stated quite well. There is 1 possible detriment to weight training for a fighter however. If you lift so much, or build muscle so easily that you go up in weight when you are short, it becomes a disadvantage. I had to quit lifting at 17 because I had already gone up 2 weight divisions(while remaining the same height), lifting fairly casually 3-4 times a week. I still ended up having to fight most of the time 2-4 weight divisions higher than I weighed, because few guys in amateur boxing wanted to fight someone so muscular. The ones who did were quite surprised to find that I was faster and more mobile than them.

[@RamseyDewey]

Lifting doesn’t cause weight gain. A caloric surplus causes weight gain. At age 17, your body is still growing. You’re going to gain weight no matter what you do at that age.

[@Imustscream]

Hey Coach, you mentioned the issue with squats and deadlifts are fine (if you’re in reasonable shape, back and knees healthy). I’ve heard that squats and deadlifts are “terrible” and will injure you in and around the gym. Is this because these exercises are particularly easy to mess up more than other weight training? Is the amount of weights people claim to be able to lift cause people to not start small and instead feel they have to life more than is safe? I’m about to go from my physical therapy exercises in the gym to consulting a trainer and I’d like to do those particular core building exercises so as to support my back (stenosis) I want to push hard but I don’t want to risk surgery required injury. Thanks coach. I hope the quarantine lifts off of your apartment complex.

[@RamseyDewey]

Basically yes: people get injured (1) using bad lifting form, and (2) lifting too much too soon. It’s that simple.

[@g49385]

Very curious why I do not see more heavy barbell over head press in combat sports.

[@RamseyDewey]

What do you believe would be the athletic transfer of an overhead press to combat sports?

[@chrisparker389]

Hi Ramsey when I see the picture of one of your video the way you two was positioning; I wonder for fun if it's possible to make a double triangle choke. like to each other. pretzel style ? XD

[@LearnTheLandScandinavia]

Hey Ramsey can you make a video about how to make snap downs heavy?

[@RamseyDewey]

Yes! You may need to change up your footwork and your levers if your snap downs feel wimpy. I was working on this last night, actually.

[@mrmoth26]

Is it OK to do less weight training to be able to do more technique and sparring? E.g. 2× a week instead of 3+ so you can wrestle/roll/sparr more?

[@jettfuelfitness]

It’s possible but if you’re weight training 2x a week you have to train really hard which would result in being tired / sore for several days each time. If you lift weights 5+ days a week you can afford to do less intense workouts which are easier to recover from. If the issue is time, then I would suggest 3x a week for 1 hour at a high intensity with relatively low volume (not too many exercises). It’s worth learning a bit about programming for this, I’d recommend starting strength as a good ‘start’. It’s in the name after all.

[@kampar82]

Don't get advice from from the internet. Unless the guy is named Ramsey.

[@Gloin79]

Or course if you have to choose the more specific training should take the priority. If you're worried if your strength training is 'enough' just make sure you're progressing. As long as you're progressing overtime even if it's slow you're good

[@demoncore5342]

Yes, 2X is enough if you are doing weights for something else. 3X might be in fact pushing it, 4-5X is definitely too much. And one more thing, 3X1 at 90%, that's hard, 5X5 at 80%, that's hard, 5X10 at 60%, that's hard. So train hard, not like a gymbro idiot!

[@RamseyDewey]

It’s okay to do a workload that yield results that you are okay with.

[@RovingPunster]

Without watching the vid, my thoughts from my own personal experiences 30 yrs ago, was that boxing and striking martial arts in general benefits the most from an emphasis on FAST TWITCH MUSCLES, whereas grapling and modern MMA benefits from SLOW TWITCH MUSCLES. Fast twitch and slow twitch muscles are best trained differently - the former with fast high rep exercises and speed/coordination training, and the latter with functional strength training and selective weight training. 30 years ago, when I did all my reading and research, that was pretty much the cutting edge of PT at the time. Things have progressed quite a bit since then, and functional training in particular has seen increased emphasis concurrently with the rise of MMA.