V̇o2 Requirements of Boxing Exercises

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify the physiological requirements of various boxing exercises such as sparring, pad work, and punching bag. Because it was not possible to measure the oxygen uptake (VO₂) of "true" sparring with a collecting gas valve in the face, we developed and validated a method to measure VO₂ of "true" sparring based on "postexercise" measurements. Nine experienced male amateur boxers (Mean ± SD: age = 22.0 ± 3.5 years, height = 176.0 ± 8.0 cm, weight = 71.4 ± 10.9 kg, number of fights = 13.0 ± 9.5) of regional and provincial level volunteered to participate in 3 testing sessions: (a) maximal treadmill test in the LAB, (b) standardized boxing training in the GYM, and (c) standardized boxing exercises in the LAB. Measures of VO₂, heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration [LA], rated perceived exertion level, and punching frequencies were collected. VO₂ values of 43.4 ± 5.9, 41.1 ± 5.1, 24.7 ± 6.1, 30.4 ± 5.8, and 38.3 ± 6.5 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹ were obtained, which represent 69.7 ± 8.0, 66.1 ± 8.0, 39.8 ± 10.4, 48.8 ± 8.5, and 61.7 ± 10.3%VO₂peak for sparring, pad work, and punching bag at 60, 120, and 180 b·min⁻¹, respectively. Except for lower VO₂ values for punching the bag at 60 and 120 b·min⁻¹ (p < 0.05), there was no VO₂ difference between exercises. Similar pattern was obtained for %HRmax with respective values of 85.5 ± 5.9, 83.6 ± 6.3, 67.5 ± 3.5, 74.8 ± 5.9, and 83.0 ± 6.0. Finally, sparring %HRmax and [LA] were slightly higher in the GYM (91.7 ± 4.3 and 9.4 ± 2.2 mmol·L⁻¹) vs. LAB (85.5 ± 5.9 and 6.1 ± 2.3 mmol·L⁻¹). Thus, in this study simulated LAB sparring and pad work required similar VO₂ (43-41 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹, respectively), which corresponds to ~70%VO₂peak. These results underline the importance of a minimum of aerobic fitness for boxers and draw some guidelines for the intensity of training.

Physiological Responses to Simulated Boxing: The Effect of Sitting Versus Standing Body Position During Breaks – A Pilot Study

“…The consequence of such high anaerobic participation was the accumulation of blood lactate, achieving in some cases values between 12 and 14 mmol/L (2). Even the specific conditioning exercises in training sessions revealed a high participation of the glycolytic system, in which regularly observed values were between 9 and 12 mmol/L in sparring and bag punching (12)(13)(14). The intermittent nature of this sport (three bouts of three minutes with one minute of rest) implied optimal recovery between bouts and conditioning to achieve the best performance during the rounds.…”

“…In fact, the perception of environment and the competition might constrain the values obtained. In a study that compared the same training session in two different conditions (in field and in laboratory), it was reported that boxers had greater values of HR and blood lactate concentrations in field (12). creased from round to round.…”

Warm-up Practices in Elite Boxing Athletes: Impact on Power Output

“…In previous studies, athletes have been shown to exercise between 85-90% HR max 23 during simulated competition while blood lactate values of ~9-12 mmol have been reported following 3 24 rounds of sparring (1,11). In amateur boxing, upper-body power output (PO) is important as fast punches are 25 more likely to score points, in particular during the early stages of a fight (8).…”

Heart rate response during a simulated Olympic boxing match is predominantly above ventilatory threshold 2: a cross sectional study

“…Heart rate (HR) monitoring offers the opportunity to directly and easily evaluate the physiological profile of discipline-specific performance and inexpensively evaluate the physiological demands 5. However, few studies in the literature have reported on the physiological demands of combat sports 1,6–9. In this context, maximal graded exercise testing is commonly employed to determine physiological response to exercise.…”