Nerdcore Boxing

At the end of my grueling boxing class I’ve been sparring 3-4 rounds. The problem is my boxing club requires you to do 5 rounds before you can represent them in competition (note amateur competitions are usually 3 rounds, but we over-prepare).

I’ve been working at getting my “sparring endurance” up, but it’s been a real chore. A few months ago somebody told me to do 40 minutes of cardio, which just didn’t work.

I’ve recently been focusing on 3 areas and have started to see some success:

1. Extra Jump Rope - If you think about it, the two major activities in the ring are punching and making small fast steps. Jump rope works on the latter. I’ve been jumping for 20 minutes straight while moving in different directions.
2. High Intensity Cardiovascular Training - Instead of doing 40 minutes of cardio, I’m doing shorter and more intense sessions. My goal is to always maintain the intensity of running 8 minute miles. Right now I’m doing 25 intense minute sessions.
3. Shadow Boxing in Sparring Gear - Shadow boxing is often done without gloves or a mouthpiece, but I’ve been putting on everything. I’ve been using 20 oz gloves, which are even heavier than sparring gloves.