How did Rocky Balboa keep in shape? Let’s take a look at the legendary movie boxer’s workouts

The Rocky Balboa movies, played by actor Sylvester Stallone, are true classics of boxing movies and sports dramas. The soundtrack from the films has become one of the most recognizable in the world, and Rocky’s lofty speeches have swirled across the internet and become a meme. But Balboa wouldn’t be himself if he wasn’t pulling weights and punching a punching bag on camera. Especially for you, we have analyzed the training of the great movie boxer with a professional fighter.

professional fighter of the league “Our Cause”

“It doesn’t matter how technical a boxer’s punch is. If he wins a lot, there can be no question about his punching.”

Is Rocky’s training methodology effective?

Although on the screen Rocky is always irresistible, in life everything works according to other laws. In the ring during a real fight you have almost no right to make a mistake, there is no one more take that will save the situation. That’s why many people have a reasonable question: will Rocky’s training system be effective for ordinary people?

Damil Sharafutdinov: Training for boxers is effective if you combine strength training with boxing training. Otherwise speed and functional training will deteriorate.

Basically, without speed and technique, there is nothing to do in the ring, and, except for a strong punch, you will not be able to show anything else. And you will be enough, if you are lucky, for the first few minutes of the fight. Then you will be exhausted, and the fight will be let go. In professional boxing there are at least four rounds, so a fighter needs serious and versatile training.

Sledgehammer and barreling exercises

In the excerpt there are at least two exercises that I would like to talk about separately. And if we know enough about pull-ups, barbell presses and jogging, then strength exercises with a barrel and a sledgehammer may raise questions. At first Rocky hits the tire with a hammer as hard as he can, and in the next shot he throws the barrel to the floor with all his might. How useful are such exercises in preparing for a fight?

Damil Sharafutdinov: They are definitely effective, because they develop power endurance, explosive, powerful blows. In fact, we force the muscles to imitate a power punch, i.e. the heaviest punch possible.

Now we understand how Stallone’s hero got his jab. But sparring alone is not enough to develop punching power.

Rocky’s full workout can be seen in the video below.

Why did Rocky train with meat?

Another interesting exercise in Balboa’s workout is training with meat. In the video, you can see Rocky mutilating a carcass. We talked to a professional boxer and asked why the movie character did it and what helps pump up this exercise.

Mikhail Bushkov

CMC in boxing, winner and medalist of all-Russian tournaments

I haven’t heard that boxers are now practicing working with meat. But still the movie shows the training of a professional athlete, and everyone has his own approach. Maybe someone uses it, but in the extended coverage athletes more often use bags as a more classic variant. Why work on the meat? To build up your arms. In simple words, it’s bone hardening. And while it’s probably done for the movie’s entourage, I’ll say it again – who can do what they want. Every professional has his own training system.

Can Rocky’s training be done by ordinary people?

The video shows a boxer preparing for a fight after a long break. You can see it in the way Rocky progresses day by day, overcoming himself according to all the laws in sports dramas. This episode is what sets the movie apart from real life. Because, as a rule, professional fighters go to peak form some time before the fight, and at the final stage just maintain it.

Damil Sharafutdinov: I believe that professional athletes definitely prepare at about the same rhythm when they approach fights. But, naturally, any organism requires rest, so between training sessions recovery is mandatory. Usually any preparation for a fight is divided into cycles, they are built by the coaching staff.

Let’s give an example to make it clearer. Two days of training, then a day of rest, then three days of training. Or if we take extensive work and there is enough time before the fight, it is usually three days of training and a day of rest. Then the athlete switches to the scheme “3 and 2”, closer to the fight – “2 and 2”. And already a week before the fight, only one or two training sessions will be enough to preserve muscle memory.

Does Rocky have the right punch?

Rocky wouldn’t be Rocky if he didn’t have a good punch, you say. And we couldn’t agree more, but that’s the movie. But whether such a punch would have decided the outcome of the fight in a real fight is a big question.

Damil Sharafutdinov: Rocky has a good punch. If we talk about boxing, there are different techniques. I think that if a man wins, it means that he has everything right and good, and you just have to improve your technique. If he doesn’t win, then there may be some questions.