Before the world’s best fighters step into the ring, they have to step on to the scale. And it’s here that we see these combatants invoke a bodybuilder spirit by hitting their best front-double-biceps and most muscular poses. And why not? By the time a fighter reaches this point, he’s gone through 6-12 weeks of brutally effective conditioning and strength training, both to make weight and to maximize his body’s metabolic machinery. The result is a dialed-in, rock-hard physique, ready for war at the sound of the bell.
George Foreman III knows a thing or two about this process. The son of the Hall of Fame heavyweight followed in his father’s footsteps for a time, amassing a 16-0 record, with a very Foreman-like 15 knockouts along the way. But the younger George also happens to be a Rice University graduate with a degree in kinesiology and a head for business. He is the founder of The Club, a expansive, upscale boxing gym in Boston dedicated to helping its clientele cultivate their own fighter physiques.
But getting ripped like Manny Pacquiao or Roy Jones isn’t just a matter of hitting the road with your running shoes. Foreman knows that fighters have to be well-rounded and that the training is always related to strategy.
“Fighters win with tools, strategy and intellect but the resource which allows us to use these tools is the good, old fashioned physical conditioning to deliver oxygen to the body at the necessary pace,” he says. “The best lumberjack with the sharpest axe can’t split wood if he is too tired to swing it.”
So Foreman helps clients from all walks – “everyone fights,” as he says – wield that axe with power, speed and precision.
“For the everyday guy, the basis for all of these workouts should be two or three minutes on and one minute of rest,” he says. “The boxing workout was built on interval training simply because of the nature of how the sport is played by rounds. Training for these rounds you push yourself in intervals within the rounds. Boxers have been training like this for decades. It has only recently become hip to the mainstream public with HIIT and other trending workouts. To be able to get your heart rate up so many times in a workout you will burn more calories and find that you accomplish much more work in a smaller amount of time. And on top of everything else, boxing is fun – it is both a physical and mental release. How can you beat that?”
FIT WITH FOREMAN III
No matter what you’re preparing for, this interval-based workout can help you increase your power and work capacity while helping you achieve razor-sharp conditioning
This workouts calls for 10 two-minute rounds. Ideally, you should be working 20 seconds at a high intensity followed by 10 seconds of rest for the full two minutes. Foreman says that you can work straight through at a lower intensity for a slightly easier workout.
Round 1: Shadowboxing (no resistance)
Throw alternating straight lefts and rights (jabs and crosses) at eye level or just above, for speed. Be mindful of your form, making sure to punch to full extension, under control, rotating through your waist on each punch.
Round 2: Shadowboxing (with weights)
Throw alternating straight punches with 2-3-pound hand weights while going up and down, in and out of squat.
Round 3: Mountain Climbers
Take long, aggressive strides for the full work period. Your front foot should end up even with your hands and your back leg should reach near-full extension. Both feet will be off the floor momentarily when you switch.
Round 4: Plyometric Lunges
Explode off the floor on each rep, switching foot position in the air. Repeat for time. “This builds lower body explosivness and improves core stabilization,” Foreman says.
Round 5: Get-Up Sit-Ups
Lie on your back holding two dumbbells or kettlebells at full extension. With your legs slightly bent, perform a full sit-up, while keeping your arms perpendicular to the floor. In the finish, you will be sitting up with the weights held at full extension over your head.
Rounds 6 -10 on next page.
Round 6: Kettlebell Figure 8 to a Hold
To get this right, start with kettlebell in your left hand, pass it through your legs to your right hand and pop your hips through to a full standing position, catching the bell in the rack position at chest level with your left hand (your right hand is still on the handle). From there, repeat the process the opposite way, passing the bell through your legs with your right hand. Be sure to full extend at the hips at the top of each rep. “This is a great move to develop the uppercut,” says Foreman.
Round 7: Windmill with Dumbbells in Both Hands
Start in a standing position holding a kettlebell in each hand. With one arm extended overhead, drift your glutes back in the direction of the overhead bell and reach down to floor with opposite hand, while keeping your eyes on the kettlebell above you. Use your obliques, hips and hamstrings to slowly extend back to the original position. For a slightly easier version, lower the weight, or only use a kettlebell in the overhead position.
Round 8: Iron Cross with Squat
Start in good squat position with a light pair of dumbbells extended out straight, arms parallel to the floor. Squat to 90 degrees while keeping your arms straight and moving the dumbbells out to your sides. Squat out of that position as you bring the dumbbells back to their start position at full extension in front of you. “For fighters, this fights shoulder fatigue so you can keep hands up,” Foreman says. It also develops serious shoulder definition.
Round 9: T-Pushups
Perform a push-up and, as you come back to full extension, rotate your torso to lift one arm above you to make a “T” shape. On your next push-up, switch sides. “This is great for core Stabilization and your lats – the muscles that punches are supposed to come from,” Foreman says.
Round 10: Med Ball Slams
“You do this in place of chopping wood,” Foreman says. “And that’s my real favorite exercise.” Grab a heavy med ball, hoist it overhead and slam it to the floor. Explode up out of that squat and repeat for reps.
George Foreman III is the second son of former world heavyweight champ George Foreman Sr. George III graduate from Rice University with a degree in Kinesiology and served as business manager for his father for seven years. While managing his father’s business, he began learning to box with George Sr. as his trainer and launched a successful professional boxing career achieving a record of 16-0 with 15 knockouts. In 2012, George III launched his own luxury fitness concept call The Club by George Foreman III which is a culmination of his life’s work in fitness, business and boxing, and he plans to open 300 more over the next six years.
