The training methods of Vasyl Lomachenko are unique, weird, wonderful and very effective!
The DOUBLE Olympic champion and three-weight world champion is known for his unorthodox training regime and boxing style, but what are the benefits of the methods he implements during camp?
In the next three articles we will be looking at the Ukrainian’s training methods, the potential benefits and how you can apply these to your training.
- Footwork drills
- Press-up variations for grip strength
- Lomachenko Mental Exercises
- Low-intensity and low-impact conditioning methods
- Underwater breath holds
This week, we are going to see the Footwork Drills and Press-up variations for grip strengths.
FOOTWORK DRILLS
There’s not many boxers, if any, you’d put above Lomachenko for their footwork skills.
This is down to years and years of practice, as well as a multi-sport approach from a young age. His father, nicknamed ‘Papachenko’, temporarily prohibited young Vasyl from boxing at a young age, and took his son to Ballet lessons instead.
If you don’t fancy taking up Ballet lessons, there’s a range of drills that can help improve your footwork.
Loma uses ladder drills to build a range of physical adaptations beneficial to boxing, including;
- SPEED
- REACTIVE STRENGTH
- CO-ORDINATION
- CALF CONDITIONING
PRESS-UPS AND GRIP STRENGTH
Loma performs some pretty impressive press-up drills using gymnastic rings.
These are incredibly hard just to do press-ups on, but in some videos he’s seen to do explosive and single-arm variations displaying his unbelievable strength. However, this will be unachievable to most boxers and presents a high risk of injury when performing for the first time. Remember, most of these incredible routines have been practised for many years. But not to worry, we can break it down and still benefit from this training method.
Performing the press-ups on the gymnastic rings demands more stability and tension during each repetition, which increases activation of the upper-body and core muscles. However, wrist and forearm strength will be the main determinant on how successful you are at performing this exercise.
In the next two weekly articles will be discussing about how Lomachenko prepares for his Mental Exercises, Low-intensity and low-impact conditioning methods. If you are inspired by Vasyl Lomachenko and looking to start boxing or wanting to upgrade your boxing gloves, check out our cobra series boxing gloves range made of Carbon Leather for durability and IMF padding for optimised protection.