20 pounds by February For Golden Gloves

[striker17]

what up guys? To make a long story short I started to do a Boxing workout about 5 months ago. Not the Cardio kind, the real kind, mitts, sparring etc..The guys at the gym have just about talked me into entering the golden gloves in february. I was about 185 when started and am sitting at 160 right now. I'm 34 and still have some extra fat etc.. I'm only 5-6. I was hoping for some diet /strength advice from you guys as I would like to fight at 140lbs in February and actually gain strength. I'm open to supplements etc.. Any help would be awesome. I'm not the best boxer but want to at least give it a good shot with the diet etc.. I read the boxers under utilize the power of supplements more than most athletes due to the old school mentality of the sport. I need an edge!! Help!!!!

 

[CROWLER]

I will vote for BCAAs to help you maintain as much muscle as possible while you are reducing your bodyfat.

Others can chime in with other specifics.

I would also recommend talking to your coach and other EXPERIENCED boxers as they have been there before.


CROWLER

 

[Mr.50]

what up guys? To make a long story short I started to do a Boxing workout about 5 months ago. Not the Cardio kind, the real kind, mitts, sparring etc..The guys at the gym have just about talked me into entering the golden gloves in february. I was about 185 when started and am sitting at 160 right now. I'm 34 and still have some extra fat etc.. I'm only 5-6. I was hoping for some diet /strength advice from you guys as I would like to fight at 140lbs in February and actually gain strength. I'm open to supplements etc.. Any help would be awesome. I'm not the best boxer but want to at least give it a good shot with the diet etc.. I read the boxers under utilize the power of supplements more than most athletes due to the old school mentality of the sport. I need an edge!! Help!!!!

Bro I have a good amount of experience in amature boxing and I am a USA Boxing coach. Also I am about you age. I would suggest that you be very careful at this point about trying to fight in the 140 pound class by February. I am not saying you can't do it but that is a total weight loss of 45lbs in approximately 8 months (the five you reference and 3 more between now and Feb). This is a tremendous amount of weight loss especially if you are not a person who usually is around 140 and ballooned up between fights because of sloppy lifestyle (of course yo yo weight loss presents another host of problems).

I agree that BCAAs are a great choice. Also you must invst in a hydration supplement like Poisiden. One of the greatest risks you will encounter with that much weight loss is the possibility of dehydration which can exacerbate fight related injusties especially to the head (even with head gear as in amature).

I am not trying to discourage you from your goal of fighting at 140 I just think fighting at a slightly higher wieght and reducing over a longer period of time would be a healthier approach and also give you a much better idea of what you can do in the ring when not depleated of fulids and muscle mass.

Mr.50

 

[Rodja]

When are the weigh-ins for this tournament? If it is day-before weigh-ins, then you only need to get to 147 or so.

 

[Nitrox]

IIRC weigh-ins are on the same day for amateur boxing but may depend on region.

Losing 20 lbs over 10 weeks is doable depending on how stocky you are. However it would be aggressive and you would probably have to learn how to plan meals and estimate calories to make sure you stay on track.

Unless you don't currently lift and can get the 'newbie gains', you will have a hard time gaining strength via muscle size on such an aggressive diet. The body doesnt really like to build muscle while losing fat. IMO it's better to focus on strength training to preserve what you have.

HTH

 

[Kristopher]

Im with .50, you should not try to cut 20lbs for your first fight.
Wait till you have some more experience before trying to drop that much weight, as it will probably hinder you.

I have experience trying to drop mass amounts of weight for fights (mma not boxing) and its not fun.

I reccomend you shoot to fight between 150-160, and focus on technique and sparring. As well as working on getting in very good cardiovascular shape. If nothing else, being in great cardio shape will make the boxing match funner, rather than painfull.

Trust me man, nothing sucks worse than sucking wind halfway through your match.. You cant just give up like in sparring, you have to push through and fight.

In my first MMA fight, i somehow got scheduled for 5x5 minute rounds. In MMA that is championship time.. i was in OK shape, but nothing ready for 5x5. By the fourth round i was sucking wind, and i wanted to cry.

Dont put yourself in a position to fail.

Otherwise, i found Lean Xtreme to help with the anti cortisol effect that will help counter the effects of hard training. Make sure your diet is clean, and as close to perfect as you can get it. Also make sure to have a cheat meal at least once a week.

Good luck!

 

[Mr.50]

Im with .50, you should not try to cut 20lbs for your first fight.
Wait till you have some more experience before trying to drop that much weight, as it will probably hinder you.

I have experience trying to drop mass amounts of weight for fights (mma not boxing) and its not fun.

I reccomend you shoot to fight between 150-160, and focus on technique and sparring. As well as working on getting in very good cardiovascular shape. If nothing else, being in great cardio shape will make the boxing match funner, rather than painfull.

Trust me man, nothing sucks worse than sucking wind halfway through your match.. You cant just give up like in sparring, you have to push through and fight.

In my first MMA fight, i somehow got scheduled for 5x5 minute rounds. In MMA that is championship time.. i was in OK shape, but nothing ready for 5x5. By the fourth round i was sucking wind, and i wanted to cry.

Dont put yourself in a position to fail.

Otherwise, i found Lean Xtreme to help with the anti cortisol effect that will help counter the effects of hard training. Make sure your diet is clean, and as close to perfect as you can get it. Also make sure to have a cheat meal at least once a week.

Good luck!

I agree totally with the above. Also my concerns are not just about dropping the additional 20 from here but the fact that you have already dropped 25 in the last 5 months. I think that is great and your effort should be commended but rapid weight loss is not optimal for fight performance. Also if you already had a bunch of other fights under your belt you would at least know if you get into the ring and feel like sh*t that it is becasue you are depleated not because that is how fighting normally makes you feel. Fighting is as much a mental sport as it is physical and you don't want to set your psychological baseline for fighting at feeling like sh*t because you may erroneously lead yourself to believe it is because you are not a good fighter rather then it is just because you are depleated and your fitness was not there. Build up your mind as you would your body. Overreaching and overtraining only lead to a depressed outcome.

Mr.50

 

[striker17]

I like the advice

I agree totally with the above. Also my concerns are not just about dropping the additional 20 from here but the fact that you have already dropped 25 in the last 5 months. I think that is great and your effort should be commended but rapid weight loss is not optimal for fight performance. Also if you already had a bunch of other fights under your belt you would at least know if you get into the ring and feel like sh*t that it is becasue you are depleated not because that is how fighting normally makes you feel. Fighting is as much a mental sport as it is physical and you don't want to set your psychological baseline for fighting at feeling like sh*t because you may erroneously lead yourself to believe it is because you are not a good fighter rather then it is just because you are depleated and your fitness was not there. Build up your mind as you would your body. Overreaching and overtraining only lead to a depressed outcome.

Mr.50

I think I may already be experiencing some side effects from too much weight loss and trying to box. The past week I have had 0 energy during my training sessions. I would rather be strong and lose at say 152 then weak as **** and lose at 140.

 

[Mr.50]

I think I may already be experiencing some side effects from too much weight loss and trying to box. The past week I have had 0 energy during my training sessions. I would rather be strong and lose at say 152 then weak as **** and lose at 140.

Yes low energy is one of the main manifestations. Of course this is a major problem when actually in a competitive event because you can not just stop. You don't want your early experiences to be negative becasue of overtraining. Build a strong base both physically and mentally.

Mr.50

 

[Kristopher]

Yes low energy is one of the main manifestations. Of course this is a major problem when actually in a competitive event because you can not just stop. You don't want your early experiences to be negative becasue of overtraining. Build a strong base both physically and mentally.

Mr.50

Word
I lost my first fight because of the mental aspect, not the physical.
Consequently, although i outmatched my second opponent in a number of areas, i won because of the mental aspect... confidence is a life saver, or a killer, depending on if you have it or not.