Fedor Emelianenko has been discussed on this blog before.  As mentioned originally, his training is simplistic, yet intense.  His training style is actually quite similar to what was seen in a recent entry (on Sugar Ray Robinson).  Like Ray, Fedor focuses on the basics.  You won’t find him training at a state of the art facility.  On the contrary, his surroundings are crude at best.  Fedor is yet another example of a dominant fighter who has thrived on the basics.

Below is a video that describes his training, or in his own words…

“I like this feeling of weariness after training, when I’m walking home exhausted, dragging my feet. I like this a lot.”

Additional footage can also be seen in the following compilation.

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For those who are not familiar with Fedor, the brief highlight video that follows will tell you all that you need to know.

I won’t waste any text on this entry.  The video below tells the entire story.  As you’ll see, losing weight isn’t as complicated as many would like you to believe.

Never underestimate the significance of hard work, consistency, and perseverance.  As an old saying suggests,

“I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.”

Homemade medicine balls have been discussed on this blog several times before (ex. here and here).  There are also a few variations listed within the homemade equipment archives.

The instructions are fairly straightforward.  The balls are filled with sand and then sealed to prevent leaking.  The medicine ball seen in the video below is 23 pounds and has been used regularly for approximately 18 months.  It is one of several DIY balls that I have in the gym.  Heavy medicine balls are often difficult to find locally hence my reason for building these balls.

This particular ball was first sealed with a flat tire repair kit.  I then added a second layer of protection with a thin coat of epoxy which was then covered with Gorilla Tape (the black area seen in the picture above).  The end result is a durable and compact medicine ball.

Non-bounding Medicine Ball

A common question that I receive about DIY med balls is in regards to their non-bounding nature.  A basketball filled with sand obviously does not have much (if any) bounce to it.  I personally prefer a non-bounding ball as you can throw it with maximal force without concern over it flying back at you (like this).

I do realize however that a small rebound can be useful when throwing the ball for multiple reps. With this in mind, I want just enough rebound to allow for an easy catch after each throw.  I do not want the ball crashing to the floor like a dead weight, as it would interrupt the flow of the exercise.

Therefore, I use a large tire as a rebounding surface for the ball.  The tire adds a small amount of rebound that wouldn’t be present when throwing against a solid wall (ex. brick or cement).  The tire is also a much more forgiving surface which extends the life of the ball.

As you can see below, I angle the tire slightly to prevent it from tipping.  This angle also helps to provide just enough rebound after each throw.

As for finding one of these large tires in your area, take a look at this past entry.  I was fortunate to acquire these tires for free.

Finding A Tire To Flip

Video Demonstration

The video below shows a brief demonstration of a one arm throw with the homemade medicine ball.  A conventional stance is used for the right arm and a southpaw stance for the left arm.  Train both sides equally.

As you can see, an inexpensive DIY medicine ball can be a useful power training tool.  Sledgehammer swings make a nice addition to these throws for a brief power training circuit.  I often have fighters perform these exercises after I’ve finished holding the mitts for them.

The combination of a free tire, a $5 DIY medicine ball and a sledgehammer make for an inexpensive, yet highly effective power training kit.

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For more homemade equipment ideas, please refer to the link below:

Homemade Exercise Equipment Archives

Philippe Croizon recently became the first quadruple amputee to swim across the English Channel. Below is a video summary of his amazing accomplishment.

It was sixteen years ago that Philippe suffered a terrible electrical accident that left him severely burned. Medics were forced to amputate each of his limbs. Shortly after the accident, Philippe watched a documentary about a woman who had swam the English Channel. It was then that the seed was planted for him to overcome this challenge.

In his own words,

Two solutions were offered to me: to die or decide to live. I chose to rebuild myself. I watched that documentary and thought, ‘Why not me?’

He went on to say,

You only need to want something, and then it becomes possible to go beyond your limits.

Philippe lived by these words. When he began training for the challenge, he struggled to finish just two laps in a pool. It took him two years of dedicated training to accomplish his goal. Many weeks consisted of 35 hours of swimming practice.

In summary, Philippe offered the following words,

I’ve done this for myself, for my family, and for all those who have suffered tragedy and lost their taste for life. This (swim) is a symbol of overcoming your limits.

I’ve written about hill training several times before.   There is no mistaking the intensity and effectiveness of a hill running session.   It is rare for a week to pass without us hitting the hills in my local area.  I’m fortunate to live close to a brutal mountain road that travels upward for well over a mile.  One route that we often take equates to over 2 miles of running (almost entirely uphill).

We are not the first to take advantage of mother nature for training however.  Jerry Rice is one athlete who was known for brutal hill workouts throughout his illustrious career as an NFL wide receiver.  He speaks about his training in the video below.

For those who are not familiar with Jerry Rice, he is generally regarded as the greatest wide receiver to ever play the game.  Ironically, he’s also an individual that many doubted before making the NFL.  Initially, many scouts were wary of his less than stellar sprinting speed when tested in the 40-yard dash.  Jerry’s tremendous work ethic is one reason why he was able to prove his critics wrong.  He will long be remembered for this work ethic and dedication to the sport.

It is safe to say that most athletes could learn something from Jerry Rice.  I know that I did growing up as a fan of his.

I’ve written about training the hands with a rice bucket before, but the video below helps to illustrate some of the specifics.

I first learned about the rice bucket as a young baseball player.  Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton popularized it.  He credited the rice bucket for developing the necessary hand strength to throw his tight slider.  Several other well known pitchers used the rice bucket as well (ex. Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens).

The rice bucket is also useful for fighters.  It is important to have strong, enduring hands.  Not only will strong hands be less susceptible to injury, but the added grip endurance allows the fighter to continually clench the fist when striking round after round.  A fighter who lacks grip endurance will struggle to clench the fists on impact, particularly when the hands are wrapped with gauze, inside small competition gloves.

The rice bucket is an inexpensive option for hand work.

The Specifics

I fill each bucket with approximately 20 pounds of rice.

To fill each bucket, I use “extra long grain” rice.  The 50 pound bag below cost less than $15.  Smaller bags could obviously be purchased for personal use.  I buy the 50 pound bags to fill up multiple buckets.

In summary, the rice bucket may seem odd, but it is actually quite useful and can be used almost anywhere.  If you are looking for an inexpensive hand training option, a bag of rice may just what you need.

Following the popularity of the last entry, here is another look back at the training style of an all time great.  Within the video below, you’ll see footage of Muhammad Ali training for various fights throughout his career. Included are preparations for opponents such as Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, Ernie Terrell, and George Foreman.  You’ll see Ali hitting the bags, shadow boxing, jumping rope, and sparring with those such as Larry Holmes and Jimmy Ellis.  You’ll also hear commentary from Ali’s trainer Angelo Dundee.

As with the previous entry, you’ll see a world class fighter who thrived on the basics.

Most consider Sugar Ray Robinson to be the greatest boxer of all time.  He had the perfect mix of power, speed, and skill.  We may never see another fighter like him again.

Yet despite his amazing talents, this entry is not about Ray Robinson’s accomplishments.   Such accomplishments have already been discussed here several times before.  Within this entry, I’d like to instead highlight the video below.  Within it, you will see a brief compilation of Robinson’s training.

The clip begins with a summary of his training regimen.  He describes going to bed early while in training camp.  He also mentions running each morning and training in the gym with a variety of calisthenics, boxing, and rope work.  His training was simple yet highly effective.  You won’t see any of the fancy gadgets that litter today’s industry.

When the greatest fighter in the world thrived on the basics, it should serve as a message to all.  Don’t stray too far from the sport itself. As a fighter, nothing compares to the fundamentals of sparring, bag work, mitt work, etc.

In addition, I’ve had several questions come in over the past few months about what equipment is necessary to start a boxing gym.   Once again, Ray Robinson offers a prime example of what is needed to start a gym.  It isn’t the fancy equipment that develops fighters.  The best gym in the world could be an empty warehouse if there were quality sparring partners found within.  Fighters learn by working with experienced trainers and by sparring with other experienced fighters.  From an equipment standpoint, one can do quite well with the basics.

As a younger fighter, there was a time when I trained in the basement of a housing project.  We didn’t even have a ring.  We sparred in an open area and did our best to stay off the ropes (which were actually cement walls).  Below is a picture of me there (white shirt) from back in the 1990′s.

We had two heavy bags hanging, a few jump ropes, a speed bag and a medicine ball.  My trainer also had an old pair of mitts.  We’d spar, hit the bags, hit the mitts and work through our calisthenics and rope work.  We’d also run laps outside.  That was the extent of the gym.  It was as low-tech as anything you’ll ever see yet we had some very good fighters in the gym at that time.

In summary, the people within the gym often make the gym, more so than any piece of equipment.  This isn’t to say that equipment cannot be useful, but just a reminder that you can get a boxing gym up and running without an extensive facility.  You’ll likely accumulate equipment as the months pass, but you can certainly thrive on the basics.  Ray Robinson offers perhaps the greatest example of all.

Below are three new homemade equipment links that have been added to the forum archive.   These links were passed along by readers of the site.  Thanks to everyone for contributing.

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Homemade Adjustable Safety Squat Rack

Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5

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Another Option for Sandbag Construction

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Homemade Weighted Vest

http://www.home-gym-bodybuilding.com/homemade-weight-vest.html

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For more homemade equipment ideas, please refer to the link below:

Homemade Exercise Equipment Archives

Neck training has been discussed on this blog before, along with numerous related discussions within the forum.  Use of a weighted harness is one of the most common exercises for the neck.  Below is a video that shows a low-tech variation with bands (starts approximately 50 seconds in).

These band exercises are similar to a partner exercise that I often perform with a towel.  The athlete will hang his head off of a bench or over the end of a boxing ring.  The coach will then stand next to him with a towel draped over his head.  He’ll  apply resistance by pressing down with the towel, as the athlete resists with his neck (typically performed for slow, controlled reps).

With a partner and towel, you can train the neck in several directions.  The athlete will begin by lying on his back, then each side, and finally on his stomach.  Resistance bands can also be used in place of the towel.  The added benefit of the bands is that they are much more useful when performing these exercises alone while standing  (as seen within the video).

Ultimately, the neck is one of the most neglected areas.  All fighters should train the neck regularly.  Resistance bands are a useful tool to add to the neck training arsenal.