🥊🚣♂ What Alexander Usik’s crazy training regime looks like:
The Ukrainian heavyweight has always trained a lot and hard, but with the transition to heavyweight his training became even more grueling. I have collected the most interesting facts from his training camp for the fights against Joshua and Chisora.
🏊♂ 1. Swimming
Usik is a huge fan of training on and underwater. Even when preparing for the Olympic Games, his coach Anatoly Lomachenko forced Alexander to swim 10 kilometers. The same load was on Vasily Lomachenko. Thanks to such training, Usik turned into a cardio monster. Dereck Chisora told how he was shocked when he found out that Alexander spends 5 hours at a time in the pool.
💧 2. Holding your breath underwater
A favorite exercise for developing lung capacity for Anatoly Lomachenko’s students. The antennae can hold its breath underwater for 4 minutes. He also periodically does shadow boxing underwater, which also requires good lung preparation and mental readiness.
🚣♂ 3. Rowing
When Usik was preparing for fights in the Olympic village near Kiev, he went out to the local lake early in the morning to row. Quite motivating footage for fans and terrifying for rivals, when at 4-5 in the morning in the dark, in the rain, Alexander rows a kayak to become stronger and more resilient.
🏃♂ 4. Sand sprints
Anatoly Lomachenko is no longer Usik’s coach, but it was he who instilled in him and his son alternative tools to cross-country running for developing endurance. Long-distance trail running puts serious strain on your knees. And his legs are Usik’s main advantage in the ring. That’s why Alexander prefers to run sprints on the beach. Sand also helps develop explosive leg strength in order to launch a combination sharply and have time to move to the side.
🏊♂ 5. Swimming in an icy lake
Usik does not use cryochambers or ice baths on a regular basis. Instead, he dives into the cold lake. Quite an old-fashioned way, but for a Ukrainian it works perfectly. Alexander’s training is aimed, first of all, at overcoming himself.
🔨 6. Working with a sledgehammer
The most popular and classic exercise for developing impact force is using a sledgehammer on tires. When moving to a new category, Usyk has to develop his strike. Of course, he still punches weaker than Wilder, Fury, Joshua and other giants, but there is definitely progress.
🥎 7. Juggling
The entire Ukrainian Olympic team of 2008-2012 juggled balls. This exercise from Anatoly Lomachenko has become one of the key exercises for boxers. First, it develops goal focus. Secondly, it relaxes the mind. Thirdly, it increases coordination and speed of strikes.
🕺 8. Dancing
Usik dances a lot. Before boxing, he even went to the dance section. Alexander makes it look like he’s just fooling around after training, but in fact it’s a targeted exercise to develop his footwork.
Boxing Daily News
