Real Strength Training For Boxers!

Force Production By Muscles
1) IntraMuscular Coordination.

Motor unit recruitment. All muscle fibers are grouped together as motor units. A motor unit is a nerve and all the muscle fibers innervated by the nerve. All the muscle fibers in a motor unit are the same type. If the fibers are slow twitch in a motor unit the unit is considered a low threshold unit. This unit requires light tension for recruitment. When the fibers are fast within the unit it is considered a high threshold unit. Heavy tension is required for the recruitment of high threshold Mu's. When a motor unit is sufficiently activated the entire pool of fibers contract. If the message from the nerve is too weak nothing happens. This is called the all or none principle. Increasing the number of units recruited greatly increases strength. Beginners usually have little success in recruiting numerous motor units. Advanced athletes have the capabilities of recruiting multiple Mu's, which increases force production.

2) Intramuscular Coordination.

Rate coding. The firing rate of motor units usually increases with training. This is called rate coding. When a muscle fiber is stimulated it twitches. With increasing nervous system stimulation the twitches begin to overlap. When this happens rate coding is in action, which causes increased force production. When intensity levels are between 50-80% of 1RM increased motor unit recruitment is the main contributor to strength increase. When the intensity level reaches between 80-100% of 1RM in a given movement, the main contributor to increasing force production is the increased firing rate of motor units. Calculate your 1RM, click here!

3) Intermuscular Coordination.

This refers to the bodies ability to maximize the synergist effects that varying muscles display in order to perform a movement.

Absolute Strength
The maximum amount of muscoskeletal force that can be generated for one effort (1 RM). According to Tudor Bompa (Romanian strength coach) no visible increase in power takes place without a substantial gain in absolute strength. Absolute strength forms the foundation for increasing speed-strength.
Speed Strength
Strength divided by time, or force x distance divided by time. In Charles Staley's book The Science of Martial Arts Training he lists 3 parts to speed-strength .

1) Starting Strength. The ability to turn on as many muscle fibers as possible at the beginning of a movement. (Examples: coming off the line in sprinting, the javelin throw , throwing a quick knockout punch). 2) Explosive Strength. The ability to leave on the muscle fibers once they are stimulated. Referred to as rate of force development (examples: 100 m sprint, shot-put).
3) Reactive Strength Or Reversible Strength. Refers to the bodies ability to store potential kinetic energy in the eccentric phase, and convert it to actual kinetic energy in the concentric phase. (Example: bending down at the knees and immediately jumping upward, powermetric drills).