Boxing Workout For Speed

How can I get faster is probably the question I am asked most as a boxing coach, if it’s not that then it is how can I punch harder? There is a lot of debate around these questions, predominantly based around the opinion that speed is natural(or that big punchers are born and not made).
Whatever your opinion, and my opinion personally is that speed is something which is more natural than power – that does not mean there are exercises you can do to help train one of these traits. Just because you don’t think you hit hard does not mean you should avoid training how to increase your power. You might think you are slow, maybe you are quicker but want to be quicker, why not train in a way that teaches the body to work quicker or more explosively?

In this article I am going to look at boxing training for speed. We will look at certain exercises you can add in to your training routine to help you increase your speed with the use of resistance. if you are looking at increasing speed without the use of weights then my number one suggestion would be to include more sprints into your workout.
I will add that when looking to increase speed, base your whole workout around your goal. Don’t go into the gym and do a bodybuilding or power based workout and then add an exercise or two for speed at the end. Focus on improving speed since speed can often to be a mindset, you have to think you want to hit fast and focus on being fast and explosive. It makes the workout much more productive if you select a goal for the training and then attack the session with this sole aim in mind.

Resistance bands make a great addition to your boxing training.

Boxing Training For Speed

Speed training is a technique used to increase speed in your chosen activity. The idea here is to reduce the weight, I would select the lower end so 30-50% of your 1 rep max and then select the exercise you want to use. By decreasing the weight, we can increase the speed of which we lift the weight, this forces us to recruit maximum fast twitch muscle fibres, which is of course great for movements such as punching. As you will be training quickly and explosively, you will want to keep the reps low, simply because you cannot train fast and long at the same time, short bursts of activity focusing on speed is what we are looking for here. Train for 2-3 reps per set and around 5-6 sets of each exercise.
The name of the game with speed training is to lower the weight slowly, then lift the weight as fast as you can. We want to accelerate as quickly as possibly. Imagine sprinting from a stand still when they shout ‘GO!’ or sitting in your car at the traffic lights and putting your foot on the accelerator when the light turns green to go, 0-60mph in 5 seconds is what we want.

The first exercise we can use for speed training is the speed bench press. Pick a weight that is 30-50% of your 1 rep max and lower the weight slowly. Then push up as fast as you can, do this for 2-3 reps. Take a rest and begin your next set when you are feeling fresh. Speed training should not be like conventional training, when training for speed you are training for maximal output in short bursts, you should not be feeling tired at the end of the set or before the set, you cannot hit fast or run fast when you are tired, train for speed and ensure you are recovered between each set.
The video below describes how you use speed training for the chest.

Feet on floor ensuring a solid base to push from with a slight arch in the back with your chest raised
Dismount the bar and assume a shoulder width overhand grip
Slowly lower the barbell under control until the barbell touches your chest
Applying as much force as possible, press the barbell out as fast as you can until the arms are fully extended
Once in the top position, take a breath and repeat again

The second exercise you can use is the speed deadlift. The deadlift is arguably the best weight training exercise you can do for boxing. It trains the whole body and if you use the speed training technique it can aid overall speed and power. Lower the weight slowly again, lift the weight explosively – again you are using 2-3 reps with 30-50% of your 1 rep max and training for 5-6 sets. Speed deadlifts will help you transfer the explosive energy in your legs, glutes and hips into the punch, giving it a really nice snap from the hips.

Feet hip to shoulder width apart
Keep a firm base, knees slightly bent, tight core, weight on heels
Hands on the bar slightly wider than shoulder width. Overhand or hook grip
Hips down, arms locked, head up
Core tight, lift explosively with SPEED, keeping the weight on your heels
Pushing through the floor with your heels, contracting your core, keeping the back flat
At the top of the movement, tense your glutes and stand upright
Do not lean back or turn your head
Start to lower the bar and break at the hips flexing forward and pushing the glutes back. Ensure your back remains flat at all times.

The third exercise to use is the speed squat. You can also use a slight variation by using the jump squat. The idea is the same, lower the weight slowly and then explosively lift the weight. This exercise is great because jumping or squatting will directly correlate to your punching power. If you are training this movement for speed, it will positively impact your speed when throwing punches, especially any punch which requires a step in including punches such as the lead hook.

Feet slightly wider than shoulder width
Firm base, knees slightly bent, tight core and weight on heels
Wider than shoulder width grip on bar, resting on traps
Head up, chest pushed out, slight arch in back
Descend under control until you reach just below parallel
Do not lean forward
Once in bottom position, drive upwards very aggressively using your quads and glutes
Keep your core tight and ensure your back remains in a slightly arched position

One thing I would like to re-iterate is that your technical training should always come first. If you have to choose between technique work and strength and conditioning, always choose the former. You can get quicker with your punches by throwing more punches with the intention of training for speed. Speed and power will result from having good technique, so get the techniques right and then add speed training to supplement your boxing training.
I have also intentionally left out shoulders, simply because I find when training shoulders it doesn’t always translate into a faster punch, so tread carefully when training shoulders, make sure you have enough time to recover for your boxing workouts. Obviously it has to be done, but fit it in depending on your boxing schedule and the three exercises above would always be my preferred options, shoulders would be my choice only after I had trained the above three. They are also worked when training the speed bench press. The three exercises I would choose for shoulders would be the overhead press, battle ropes and landmine lunge and press – not necessarily in a speed training fashion(with the exception of the overhead press).

The number one book for Strength and Conditioning for Boxing – From Fayz Fitness.