Expert: Jack Rose - 6/19/2010

Question
should a 195lbs,6'4' boxer spar on the DAY AFTER a 30minute intense jogging SESSION? should i spar on the SAME DAY of a 30min run? should a boxer fight a real 10 round fight on the day after a 30min run . also , if i spar outside in 95 degree sun in mid-noon ,will my performance be slightly diminished or drastically diminished provided i maintain good hydration throughout the 8 rounds of sparring? please answer each question, as i greatly appreciate your time and patience.

Answer
Marco,

Yes I would spar you the day after a 30 minute run as long as you didn't have a fight in the next few days.

Yes I would spar you the same day as a 30 minute run but it would be two different workouts. I run you early in the morning, you eat and then rest until late afternoon, then we spar a certain amount of rounds depending on who you are. Again, as long as your not fighting in the next few days.

No, I would not run you the day before a ten round fight. Nothing you do the day before a fight is going to change your conditioning that close to the fight so it's pointless. Three days before a ten round fight, your serious training should be over. No long runs and no sparring. You need rest and hydration. The only thing you'll do is shake out with some shadowboxing or light pads, a light run after dinner the first two days but the day before the fight, you will do nothing but rest and eat/drink correctly.

Yes your performance will drastically diminish after sparring outside in that kind of heat. It is not advised and you are risking heat exhaustion. You cannot keep pace with the amount of water your losing by drinking during the sparring. You are losing it too fast. It's like being in a boat taking on water at a gallon per second and your reaching down with your hands trying to throw water out of the boat.... prepare to sink.

Dehydration is your biggest enemy in heat and the boxer's safety has to be watched very closely by his trainer.


good luck