Building up body strength for competition?

Question

Hey, I'm hoping to restart participating in competitions come the start of college but during the summer I've gotten totally out of shape. Swimming I know is great for all body muscles, but in particular for the side of the rib cages, and solar plexus where more often than not you get the punches. I was never one for taking a punch, even with the pads on and really need to build up in particular there. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

An abs wheel is great.  Dumbbell  bench pull overs really build the chest box.  Having a partner train your abs with medicine ball shots works really well.  I like weighted incline sit ups because they're just hard.

My best advice is to get with a boxing coach.  So much more of it has to do with the way you breath and the way you move when you're hit, than adding a 1/4 inch more of muscle.

Answer 2

Swimming sounds like a good place to start. Get an ab wheel and use it. Work in other bodyweight exercises as well. Do a lot of air squats. They build your legs, and increse endurance.