VMA boxing exercise: boost your endurance

Introduction

Want to maximize your results and outperform your opponents? Read this article designed for you, and discover how to transform your training today.

There Maximum Aerobic Speed (MAS) is a crucial element for any athlete looking to improve their performance in combat sports. VMA represents the rate at which your body optimally uses oxygen. In other words, the higher your VMA, the more you are able to maintain a high intensity over a long period of time, which is essential in boxing. Indeed, boxing is not only about brute strength; it also requires unfailing endurance to chain together rounds without weakening.

In this article, we'll walk you through specific exercises to boost your VMA. Whether you're an amateur or experienced boxer, these exercises will help you increase your endurance, recover faster between rounds, and perform at your best in the ring. Get ready to discover training methods that will transform your approach to boxing and maximize your performance.

Understanding VMA in Boxing

To become an accomplished boxer, understand the concept of Maximum Aerobic Speed (MAS) is essential. VMA is the speed at which your body reaches its maximum efficiency in using oxygen during an effort. In other words, it is the limit to which your body can maintain an intense effort before switching to “anaerobic” mode, where energy reserves are used without oxygen.

What is VMA?

VMA is often used in endurance sports to assess an athlete's ability to sustain a prolonged effort. The higher your VMA, the more capable you are of maintaining a fast running intensity over a long distance. But why is it so crucial for a boxer? Simply because boxing is a sport that requires both power and endurance. Having a good VMA means that you can maintain a high pace for several rounds, without showing signs of fatigue, which gives you a considerable advantage over your opponent.

For a boxer, VMA is more than just running around a track. It directly impacts your ability to chain punches, dodge attacks, and remain explosive throughout a fight. By working on your VMA, you not only increase your endurance, but also your ability to recover more quickly between intense efforts, a crucial asset when the rounds pile up.

Physiology of effort in boxing

In boxing, physical effort is a complex mixture of exercises aerobic And anaerobic. Aerobic effort, fueled by oxygen, corresponds to the recovery phases and times when the pace of the fight is less intense. This is where VMA plays a key role, allowing you to recover more effectively between sets of intense efforts.

Anaerobic exercise, on the other hand, occurs when you engage in explosive actions, such as a series of hooks or uppercuts. At this point, your body draws on its energy reserves, without using oxygen, which leads to a buildup of lactate and faster fatigue. However, by improving your VMA, you can delay this transition to anaerobic mode, allowing you to stay longer in the aerobic zone, where you are more efficient and less prone to exhaustion.

So, understanding and developing your VMA is essential to optimizing your boxing performance. By improving this ability, you will be able to manage your efforts more strategically, conserve your energy longer, and dominate your opponents even in the last rounds.

VMA Exercises for Boxers

To improve your Maximum Aerobic Speed (MAS) In boxing, it is crucial to integrate specific exercises into your training routine. These exercises are not limited to classic running sessions, but include methods directly applicable to the demands of the ring. A good VMA training for a boxer must be diversified, intense, and above all, focused on the movements and energy needs typical of boxing.

Basic exercises to improve VMA

Basic exercises to improve VMA are mainly based on the split. Interval training, or interval training, consists of alternating periods of intense effort with periods of active recovery. It is a proven method for increasing your VMA effectively.

• Short split: The classic drill here is the 15/15, where you do 15 seconds of maximum effort followed by 15 seconds of rest, repeated for several minutes. This drill develops your ability to repeat explosive efforts, essential in boxing, while optimizing your recovery between each sequence.
• Long split: For more prolonged endurance work, 30/30 or 1/1 (one minute of effort, one minute of rest) is ideal. This type of training allows you to improve your tolerance to effort over a longer period of time, which is crucial when the rounds pile up and fatigue starts to set in.

These exercises are fundamental for any physical preparation, but for a boxer, it is important to go even further with exercises specific to the discipline.

Boxing-specific exercises

Adapting your VMA exercises to boxing allows you to develop not only your endurance but also your explosiveness and your reactivity, essential qualities in the ring.

• Shadow boxing intensive: A shadow boxing session at maximum speed for 3 minutes, followed by a minute of rest, perfectly simulates the conditions of a round. This type of exercise helps you work on both your technique and your VMA, training you to maintain a high pace while remaining technically precise.
• Sprints with punching bag : Alternate quick punch combinations on the punching bag with sprints on the spot. This exercise mixes aerobic and anaerobic effort, just like in a fight, training you to remain explosive even after intense effort.

Circuit training

Circuit training is great for boxers who want to maximize their VMA while also strengthening other aspects of their fitness.

• Power circuit: Combine exercises like push-ups, squats, and shadow boxing into a quick routine. This type of circuit strengthens your muscles while working on your endurance, preparing you to maintain your power throughout the fight.
• Speed circuit: Use resistance bands to work on the speed of your movements. For example, chain together series of quick hits with resistance bands, followed by movements without resistance to fully exploit the speed developed. This type of circuit not only improves your VMA but also your reactivity and agility in the ring.

These exercises are designed to not only improve your VMA, but also to make your workouts more specific and effective according to the demands of boxing. By regularly integrating them into your routine, you ensure superior endurance and better management of your efforts during your fights.

Training planning

To maximize the benefits of exercises, Maximum Aerobic Speed (MAS) In boxing, it is essential to plan your training well. Good planning allows you to progress steadily, avoid injuries, and prepare your body for the intensity of fights. It is not just about doing exercises, but structuring them strategically so that they fit perfectly into your overall physical preparation program.

Structuring a VMA session

Structuring your VMA sessions is crucial to avoid overtraining while ensuring consistent progress. A good starting point is to spread your sessions out over the week, taking into account the necessary recovery.

• Example of a weekly session: For a boxer, three VMA sessions per week are often sufficient. You can start the week with a short interval session, such as 15/15, to work on your explosiveness. Later in the week, a long interval session, such as 1/1 minute, will allow you to develop your endurance. Finally, a third session, focused on boxing-specific exercises, such as intensive shadow boxing, will complete the whole thing.
• Active recovery: Between each VMA session, plan active recovery days. Active recovery can include activities such as jogging, light cycling, or even dynamic stretching. These active rest days allow your body to recover without losing the benefits of the previous workout.

Integration into a boxing program

Integrating VMA exercises into a comprehensive physical preparation program is essential for a boxer. VMA should not be worked in isolation, but in synergy with other aspects of your preparation.

• Adaptation of workloads: It is important to gradually increase the intensity and duration of your VMA exercises. Start with shorter intervals and increase the duration as your fitness improves. Monitor how you feel and adapt the workloads according to your level of fatigue and your goals.
• Recovery and nutrition: To maximize the results of your VMA training, don't overlook the importance of recovery and nutrition. After each intense session, give yourself enough time to recover. Nutrition also plays a key role: a diet rich in protein and complex carbohydrates helps with muscle repair and replenishment of energy stores.

By carefully planning your VMA sessions and integrating them harmoniously into your preparation program, you ensure that you reach your performance goals without exhausting yourself. Good planning is the key to developing solid endurance, capable of supporting you throughout your fights, and allowing you to always be at the top of your game in the ring.

Conclusion

Improving your VMA is essential to perform in boxing. With targeted exercises and careful planning, you can increase your endurance and explosiveness in the ring. A well-worked VMA allows you to maintain an intense pace while recovering quickly.

Interval training, boxing specific exercises and circuits are keys to boosting your performance. Plan your sessions intelligently and integrate them into your program to optimize your results. Don't neglect recovery and nutrition to maximize your gains.

Do boxing at the Circle

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