Latest news with #strengthandconditioning
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
The two exercises that give Moses Itauma ‘the edge' over most opponents
Picture a boxer in the gym and there is a high chance a montage of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa pops into your head – stair sprints, single-arm press-ups and pull-ups, sit-ups and a whole lot of skipping. Many of these moves still have their place. However, strength and conditioning is an evolving art, and while some trainers stick with the old ways, many are now implementing new and varied training methods to improve their fighter's performance inside the ring. Jordan Vine, S&C coach to rising star Moses Itauma, is one of those looking to progress the sport's approach to lifting weights. 'I think a lot of strength and conditioning coaches in boxing typically train their fighters as ' boxers',' he says. 'They think there's only one way to do it, rather than training the individual [ they're working with ]. We all have strengths and we all have weaknesses. No one is the same, no fighter is the same, so we all need to train differently.' Itauma's 12-0 professional record suggests Vine's individualised approach is working, with the 20-year-old blending athleticism and technical skill with extraordinary power to deliver 10 knockouts in that time – many of them within the opening rounds of the fight. He and Vine have a secret weapon for developing the latter attribute: Olympic weightlifting. This is how they are using it to prepare for the Dillian Whyte fight on 16 August. What is Olympic weightlifting? Olympic weightlifting comprises just two moves: the snatch, and the clean and jerk. The snatch involves lifting a barbell in one fluid motion from the ground to overhead. The clean and jerk sees athletes lift a barbell from the ground to their shoulders (the clean), then send it overhead in a separate motion (the jerk). These are the two exercises that Olympic weightlifting athletes must perform during competition – they have three attempts at each, and their score is the combined total weight of their heaviest successful snatch and heaviest successful clean and jerk. To train for this sport, athletes use many derivatives of the two exercises such as clean pulls, power cleans and snatch balances – these are often partial repetitions, focussing on a specific portion of the lift and developing the requisite attributes. Athletes from other sports can also use these variant exercises to develop the desired physical skills. Why is Olympic weightlifting beneficial for boxers? 'Olympic weightlifting is my background, so we do a lot of Olympic lifts,' Vine says. 'For me, they are the best exercises for developing explosive power, and I use them in most of my sessions.' It shows. Moses Itauma can power clean more than most people can deadlift: 140kg. However, Vine says many coaches shy away from these technical lifts because they do not know how to coach them. As such, they miss out on the potential benefits. While strength is needed to execute Olympic weightlifting moves, power – force times velocity – is the linchpin. If the bar is lifted slowly from the floor to the hip, it will lack the momentum needed to carry it to the shoulders or above, so force has to be generated incredibly quickly. Most of this force comes from the hips through a process called 'triple extension' – the simultaneous extension of the hip, knee and ankle joints. It is the rapid extension at the hip, twinned with the movements of the joints below it, that generates force explosively to send the bar skywards. A powerful triple extension can also be seen when throwing a punch, with the boxer winding up then unleashing a shot in the blink of an eye. The Olympic lifts are a lesson in power transfer too. Full-body tension is required as force is generated through the ground, then transferred through the legs and core to the shoulders and arms. In boxing, the force transfer for a punch follows a similar journey, so developing this ability through weightlifting is likely to transfer. Athletic benefits of Olympic weightlifting A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Sports Medicine journal set out to compare the training effects of weightlifting, traditional resistance training and plyometrics on strength, power and speed. It found that weightlifting training added bonus benefits beyond standard strength training, offering greater improvements in sprint speed and jumping performance – both closely aligned with power production. Researchers concluded: 'These findings support the notion that if the training goal is to improve strength, power and speed, the inclusion of weightlifting exercises within phases of the training cycle may be advantageous to target goal-specific adaptations while also promoting the development of a well-rounded athlete.' The report found that plyometric exercises offered similar improvements in strength, jump performance and speed, suggesting that all three training methodologies have a place in a professional athlete's training programme. Moses Itauma's wider programme Itauma's wider training plan reflects the lessons above, containing a blend of exercises to develop maximal strength, power and agility – supporting his efforts in the boxing ring. He also completes long, slow cycles to build his aerobic base. It is these exercise that he – and his coaches – believe will carry him to victory on Saturday night. Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Raiders Fans Hilariously Ravage Jon Gruden's Son After Preseason Video Goes Viral
It seems that being the son of Jon Gruden does not get you a pass from the peanut gallery among the Las Vegas Raiders fan base. Gruden is a beloved coach for many Raiders fans. Despite an email scandal ending his second tenure with the franchise four years ago, he helped bring the legendary team back to respectability during both stints. There are also still remnants of his time with the organization in the coaching staff, including his son, Deuce. Who is eldest child is in his 10th season as the Raiders' strength and conditioning assistant. 'Gruden works extensively with all position groups throughout the roster with a focus on strength training. His responsibilities also include assisting the athletic training staff in transitioning players back from injury into participation and managing performance data for the team's strength and conditioning staff,' the team's website explains about his role with the team. Gruden, who is also an accomplished power lifter, looks the part of a strength coach. That is, until he stands up. The Raiders assistant is on the shorter side, and it stands out compared to the mammoth players on the team's roster. And that is what happened over the weekend during their preseason game against the Seahawks. As a video of him on the sidelines went viral. However, instead of being amazed by the assistant's impressive physique, Raiders fans on X turned into the NFL's version of 'Mean Girls,' and ravaged Jon Gruden's son with a wide variety of comments and jokes about his height limitations. Related Headlines Report: Browns To Give Shedeur Sanders Another Huge Chance To Win Starting Job Versus Eagles Latest AL East Notes: Yankees Heating Up, Roman Anthony Homers Again, Dean Kremer Dominant Cincinnati Reds game today: TV schedule, scores, stats leaders, and 2025 Reds schedule
The Independent
06-08-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The best exercises for developing knockout punching power, according to leading boxing coach
There are few sports where the way a team or athlete wins is almost as important as the result itself. Boxing is one of them. Look at a fighter's record and it will tell you their total number of wins, losses and – in rare cases – draws. But accompanying these figures is a bonus detail: how many of their victories came about via knockout. This eventuality is a result of myriad factors falling perfectly into place: skill, speed, timing, power, execution, aggression, and more. An athlete's physicality is also key to consider, and Matchroom boxing's head of performance Dan Lawrence says this factor can be developed through carefully structured strength and conditioning protocols. 'An exercise is a means to drive a physiological adaptation,' he tells me. 'To target power, we need exercises that maximise power output and rate of force development.' These are his three favourites for developing explosive punching power. Medicine ball punch release Note: 'Focus on speed, intent and power – this is not conditioning so do not induce fatigue,' Lawrence advises. - Stand roughly six feet away from a wall then stand side on to the wall holding a medicine ball in both hands at chest height. - Load the back hip, furthest from the wall, and dip your knee. From here, explosively rotate your torso and extend the arm furthest from the wall to push the medicine ball as powerfully as you can towards the wall. - Reset and repeat. Benefits of the medicine ball punch release While strength and conditioning goes far beyond simply adding load to movements you would do within the target sport, this exercise offers impressive transferability to boxing. 'It mimics the rotational power needed for punches and gives a boxer a deeper understanding of the key components involved in throwing a shot – most notably the transfer of energy from foot to fist through the kinetic chain,' Lawrence says. 'This involves a coordinated sequence of both joint movement and muscle activation.' He adds: 'Starting from the floor with your feet pushing off the ground, you transfer force through the hips and use the core as a transfer centre before expressing this force through the arm and then the fist. This efficient energy transfer is crucial for generating explosive power in a punch.' Lawrence also says it is imperative to include a small bend of the knee before throwing the medicine ball, as this utilises a process called the stretch shortening cycle (SSC) where a muscle is lengthened then quickly shortened. 'Think of this as a spring-like mechanism where the muscle lengthens under tension, storing elastic energy just like a spring,' he explains. 'Then, the muscle shortens rapidly, releasing the stored elastic energy and producing a powerful contraction. Trap bar jump (or substitute loaded jump) Sets: 2-3 Reps: 3-5 Note: 'The key focus is jumping with maximal intent on each repetition, then absorbing force and killing your landing,' says Lawrence. 'There should be no sloppy reps; reset on each repetition and go all in with each jump. Research suggests that loading trap bar jumps with 30 to 40 per cent of an athlete's one-rep max trap bar deadlift is optimal for developing strength-speed [ the ability to move a moderately-heavy load as quickly as possible ].' - Stand inside the frame of a loaded trap bar or hex bar. - Hinge down to grab the handles of the trap bar so your palms are facing inward, and your arms are extended in line with the middle of your feet. - Keeping your chest up, shoulders back and core tight, drive through your midfoot to stand up explosively, jumping as high as you can at the top of the rep with your knees and hips extended – your legs and torso should form a straight line. - Absorb the impact of the landing with your legs, then control the weight back down to the starting position and repeat. - You can also complete this exercise with dumbbells, holding a weight in each hand. Benefits of loaded jumps Trap bar jumps develop both vertical and total-body power generation through triple extension – the simultaneous extension of the ankle, knee, and hip joints. This is a position often seen in boxers when throwing a powerful punch. 'This dynamic exercise improves force production, rate of force development and explosive power – all crucial for effective punching and overall boxing performance,' says Lawrence. 'By enhancing a boxer's rate of force development [ how quickly they can generate force ] it gives them the ability to generate force quickly, which is vital for delivering powerful punches.' Lawrence also points to research linking an athlete's performance in the trap bar jump to other metrics which correlate favourably to boxing ability, such as vertical jump height and acceleration. 'This indicates a positive transfer of training,' he says, 'taking results from the gym and using them to improve in-ring performance, where it matters.' Lawrence prefers this exercise to a loaded jump with a barbell on the back because he has found it encourages improved 'kinetics and kinematics', or movement quality. This allowed his athletes to execute the move with greater intent, and thus power, driving improved physiological adaptations. Trap bar deadlift Sets: 3-4 Reps: 3-5 Note: Lawrence prescribes using a weight that is 85 per cent or more of your one-rep max trap bar deadlift. - Stand inside the frame of a loaded trap bar or hex bar. - Hinge down to grab the handles of the trap bar so your palms are facing inward, and your arms are extended in line with the middle of your feet. - Keeping your chest up, shoulders back and core tight, drive through your midfoot to stand up straight. Due to the heavier weight, this should not be as fast as the trap bar jump. - Reverse this motion to control the weight back down to the starting position, then repeat. Benefits of the trap bar deadlift In exercise, there are many who believe strength is the foundation of everything. After all, you cannot perform a movement your body is not strong enough to physically tolerate. For this reason, Lawrence finds it is important to establish a good baseline level of strength in his athletes, and there are few better exercises for achieving this than a heavy trap bar deadlift. 'Though strength conditioning and physical preparation is now a firm fixture in combat sports, lots of boxers have a relatively low training age,' he says. 'This means their exposure to properly structured strength and conditioning is relatively low. He adds: 'Therefore, solely carrying out [explosive] exercises to target the right side of the force-velocity curve [a graph demonstrating the inverse relationship between force required and velocity generated in muscular contractions] would likely be better served with a foundation of basic strength.' Maximal strength is the greatest amount of force your muscles can reduce. Developing this via low-rep, high-load compound exercises is a key component when 'building the complete athlete'. 'The strength and power developed through the trap bar deadlift directly translates to improved punching power,' Lawrence says. 'By building a strong foundation in the lower body and core, boxers can generate more force with each punch. 'I've found the trap bar allows for greater loads to be lifted, and this increased load can lead to greater maximal strength development and also contribute to an improved rate of force development, which is critical for punch power.' This may sound obvious, but lifting heavy weights also teaches your body, brain and central nervous system how to do just that: lift heavy weights and generate large amounts of force. 'It increases the recruitment of motor units, particularly fast-twitch fibres, and improves the rate at which these fibres are activated, resulting in greater punch force and speed,' explains Lawrence. Another benefit of the trap bar deadlift is that it places athletes in a favourable position. 'The trap bar is deemed a safer variation of the deadlift than a conventional deadlift with a lower technical component to coach,' Lawrence says. 'The raised handles on a trap bar enable a more-upright stance, making it easier to maintain a neutral spine and keeping the scapula retracted. It also reduces spinal loading due to the trap bar enabling the boxer to position the weight closer to their centre of gravity. He adds: 'The typical boxer's posture means they tend to present with a forward head and rounded shoulder position, so building posterior shoulder strength and stability is key. With the trap bar allowing for scapular retraction, this could be seen as a benefit.' However, Lawrence says, one drawback of the move is it offers less posterior chain development than a conventional deadlift – a factor which can be the basis for powerlifting purists pushing people towards this more traditional lift. But given its many benefits, it's still his top pick for boxers. 'I also use it when we target both strength-speed [ moving moderate weights as fast as possible ] with a trap bar triple extension, and speed-strength [ moving at very high speed against the greatest load you can maintain this with ] with a trap bar jump, so coaching the trap bar deadlift brings familiarity to the athlete for when we start surfing the force-velocity curve with other exercises.' DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch: Shane Beamer hypes up South Carolina football's strength staff ahead of 2025 season
Coach Shane Beamer gave kudos to South Carolina football's strength and conditioning staff ahead of preseason practices which begin on Aug. 1.
New York Times
01-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
After 15-year absence, an emotional Barry Brennan returns to Blue Jackets' staff
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In the summer of 2001, the Columbus Blue Jackets hired Barry Brennan to be the strength and conditioning coach for their American Hockey League team in Syracuse, N.Y. Part of the gig was to help with the NHL club's development camp in early July. 'I drove all night — 12 hours — from Ottawa to Columbus to get there early in the morning, because I couldn't freaking wait to get started,' Brennan said. 'I got to the rink (Nationwide Arena), was walking around trying to find the dressing room, and just pinching myself that I was working in an NHL rink. Advertisement 'When I finally found the dressing room, a guy was sitting on a chair right next to the door. The guy. I knew exactly who it was, and I honestly almost fainted.' There aren't many Blue Jackets coaches or staff who have been with the organization long enough to have had a personal interaction with franchise founder John H. McConnell, who died in 2009. But Brennan is one of the lucky few. And it's a big reason Brennan was so excited — almost to the point of tears, he said — to return to the Blue Jackets on Thursday, when GM Don Waddell announced his hiring as the club's new strength and conditioning coach. He last held the job in 2010. 'This whole time, through the interview process and in the last day or so since I found out I was coming back, I've been thinking about that (interaction) with Mr. Mac,' Brennan said. 'He reached out his hand, shook mine and said, 'You must be Barry. Happy you're here.' 'It was so genuine. What owner does that? I was a minor-league guy, a peon. It was so meaningful to me, and I walked away saying to myself, 'This is where I belong, and I'm going to do everything I can for that man and his hockey team.' I will never forget it. 'This place just means so much to me. I mean … I'm getting emotional, but it does. This city, this organization … these fans. To get this opportunity … I'm just so freakin' thrilled about what we're going to get done here, and I can't wait to get started.' Waddell said he was sent 'so, so many' applications for the job, which came open shortly after the season ended in April when previous strength and conditioning coach Kevin Collins was among a wave of support staff whose contracts were not renewed. He spent months cutting the list down to four or five candidates, then went into hyperdrive talking to mutual contacts around the league. Advertisement NHL legend Sergei Fedorov, who played for the Blue Jackets when Brennan was working in Columbus, crafted a handwritten letter to persuade Waddel. Fedorov admired Brennan's work so much that he took him along to Russia as strength and conditioning coach when Fedorov was general manager, and later coach, of CSKA Moscow. It also meant a phone call from Waddell's longtime compatriot Rick Dudley, along with other Blue Jackets luminaries — director of player personnel Rick Nash, assistant coach Jared Boll, team services director Aarron Johnson, broadcaster Jody Shelley — who were all players when Brennan ran the Blue Jackets' weight room. 'Usually when you talk to as many people as I talked to, you're going to find somebody who has some kind of a complaint or an issue with somebody,' Waddell said. 'I talked to a lot of people. Not just people in this building, but all around the league, around hockey. Nobody had anything negative to say. It was all glowing. 'His track record is impressive. You don't put that together without knowing what you're doing. And his work ethic is tremendous. But his passion for the job … and his passion specifically for Columbus, really stood out.' Brennan spent four seasons working for the Blue Jackets' AHL club before he took over in Columbus, spending five seasons with the Blue Jackets (2005-06 to 2009-10), including the franchise's first Stanley Cup playoff berth in 2009. After Columbus, he spent one season with the Atlanta Thrashers, but didn't make the move when the franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. Waddell was the Thrashers' club president during Brennan's one season in Atlanta. Over the last 15 years, Brennan has worked in Russia's KHL and operated a gym in Ottawa, working with NHL players and prospects, professional boxers, etc. When Brennan and Fedorov arrived in Moscow, CSKA was the fifth-worst team in the 23-team KHL. In the years since, they've had the best record in the league six times, won three Gagarin Cups as the league champion and finished as runner-up three times. Advertisement Fedorov invited Brennan as one of his guests when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015. Waddell said Brennan's expertise and experience, along with his passion for the job, were the reasons he was picked. But his experience with CSKA should come in handy with Russians Yegor Chinakhov, Kirill Marchenko, Ivan Provorov and Dmitry Voronkov on the roster. The Blue Jackets also have a plethora of Russian prospects: goaltenders Pyotr Andreyanov and Sergei Ivanov, forward Kirill Dolzhenkov, and defenseman Nikolai Makarov, who may come to North America over the next several seasons. 'You have to be able to get 22 or 23 guys in the room to believe what you're saying,' Waddell said. 'We feel like he's the guy who can do that.' Brennan takes over a Blue Jackets roster that is not only blessed with some of the NHL's best young talent but was also one of the league's biggest surprises last season by finishing just two points out of a playoff spot. It's also a club that has been overwhelmed by injuries in recent seasons. The Jackets had 309 man-games lost to injury last season, fourth-most in the NHL. That marked the fifth time in six seasons they exceeded 300 man-games lost in a season, including a franchise-record 563 in 2022-23. Ryan Gadbois, an assistant under Collins the last four seasons, will remain in that capacity under Brennan, although Waddell said he was impressed with how Gadbois handled summer workout instruction with players over the summer, during development camp, etc. Ben Eaves will enter his sixth season as the AHL Cleveland strength and conditioning coach. 'I told (Gadbois) and (Eaves) that we're all going to work together, all pulling the rope in the right direction,' said Brennan, 62. 'They're going to be the guys who take over for me, so I want to help show them the path and let them run. It's a group effort.' Advertisement Even as the years ticked by, Brennan said, he always had a strange sense that his time in Columbus wasn't finished. When he returned to Columbus for a Bruce Springsteen concert in the spring of 2024, Johnson showed Brennan the refurbished dressing room at Nationwide Arena, and the fire burned even hotter. The last couple of days, Brennan said, have been emotional. 'I watched every Blue Jackets game I could, even when I was over in Russia,' Brennan said. 'I poured everything into Columbus. That place means everything to me. Everything. To come back there … man, I can't even begin to describe it. 'I'm coming back to finish the job we started. From the day I left, I wanted to come back here and help this team get to the playoffs. I feel like this team is right on the edge. There's some work to do, absolutely, but this can be special. I want a Stanley Cup for Columbus. To be part of that would be the dream of a lifetime.' (Top photo of Barry Brennan with Alexander Radulov: Courtesy of Barry Brennan)
