Boxing - David Vs Goliath

In the video below is a boxing match between David Haye and Russian giant Nikolay Valuev (Goliath). Now you might think David Haye doesn't stand a chance before the giant Valuev - and that would show your ignorance of boxing rules.

Many people like to compare boxing to martial arts like kung fu, karate, taekwondo, etc. What they are forgetting is that boxing is not a martial art. It is a competitive sport with a very specific set of rules. Or rather several sets of rules.

Broughton's rules (1743)
London Prize Ring rules (1838)
Revised London Prize Ring rules (1853)
Marquess of Queensberry rules (1867)

Spoiler Alert! In the video David Haye manages to win the bout by scoring slightly more points than Nikolay Valuev. They are both very good boxers, but Haye managed to score a mere 4 extra punches (4 extra points) to win the match. The final scoring from the judges was 114-114, 116-112, 116-112. Hence why knowledge of point scoring in boxing is important. In a street fight Nikolay Valuev probably would have won due to his size and skill, but thanks to the rules of boxing David Haye stood a chance because all he needed to do is score a couple extra points.




If you want to learn more about boxing you can get boxing lessons in Toronto from me (your friendly neighbourhood personal trainer) or I also recommend the ebook below, available on Amazon Kindle.


The Revised London Prize Fight Rules (1853)

1. That the ring shall be made on turf, and shall be four-and-twenty feet square, formed of eight stakes and ropes, the latter extending in double lines, the uppermost line being four feet from the ground, and the lower two feet from the ground. That in the center of the ring a mark be formed, to be termed a scratch; and that at two opposite corners, as may be selected, spaces be enclosed by other marks sufficiently large for the reception of the seconds and bottle-holders, to be entitled “the corners.”
2. That each man shall be attended to the ring by a second and a bottle-holder, the former provided with a sponge and the latter with a bottle of water. That the combatants, on shaking hands, shall retire until the seconds of each have tossed for choice of position, which adjusted, the winner shall choose his corner according to the state of the wind or sun, and conduct his man thereto, the loser taking the opposite corner.
3. That each man shall be provided with a handkerchief of a colour suitable to his own fancy, and that the seconds proceed to entwine these handkerchiefs at the upper end of one of the center stakes. That these handkerchiefs shall be called “the colours;” and that the winner of the battle at its conclusion shall be entitled to their possession, as the trophy of victory.
4. That two umpires shall be chosen by the seconds or backers to watch the progress of the battle, and take exception to any breach of the rules hereafter stated. That a referee shall be chosen by the umpires, unless otherwise agreed on, to whom all disputes shall be referred; and that the decision of this referee, whatever it may be, shall be final and strictly binding on all parties, whether as to the matter in dispute or the issue of the battle. That the umpires shall be provided with a watch, for the purpose of calling time; and that they mutually agree upon which this duty shall devolve, the call of that umpire only to be attended to, and no other person whatever to interfere in calling time. That the referee shall withhold all opinion till appealed to by the umpires, and that the umpires strictly abide by his decision without dispute.
5. That on the men being stripped, it shall be the duty of the seconds to examine their drawers, and if any objection arise as to insertion of improper substances therein, they shall appeal to their umpires, who, with the concurrence of the referee, shall direct what alterations shall be made.
6. That in future no spikes be used in fighting boots except those authorized by the Pugilistic Benevolent Association, which shall not exceed three-eights of an inch from the sole of the boot, and shall not be less than one-eight of an inch broad at the point; and, it shall be in the power of the referee to alter, or file in any way he pleases, spikes which shall not accord with the above dimensions, even to filing them away altogether.
7. That both men being ready, each man shall be conducted to that side of the scratch next his corner previously chosen; and the seconds on the one side and the men on the other, having shaken hands, the former shall immediately return to their corners, and there remain within the prescribed marks till the round be finished, on no pretense whatever approaching their principals during the round, under penalty of 5s. for each offense, at the option of the referee. The penalty, which will be strictly enforced, to go to the funds of the Association. The principal to be responsible for every fine inflicted on his second.
8. That at the conclusion of the round, when one or both of the men shall be down, the seconds and bottle-holders shall step forward and carry or conduct their principal to his corner, there affording him the necessary assistance, and no person whatever be permitted to interfere with this duty.
9. That at the expiration of thirty seconds (unless otherwise agreed upon) the umpire appointed shall cry “Time,” upon which each man shall rise from the knee of his bottle-holder and walk to his own side of the scratch unaided, the seconds and the bottle-holders remaining at their corner; and that either man failing so to be at the scratch within eight seconds, shall be deemed to have lost the battle.
10. That on no consideration whatever shall any person be permitted to enter the ring during the battle, nor till it shall have been concluded; and that in the event of such unfair practice, or the ropes and stakes being disturbed or removed, it shall be in the power of the referee to award the victory to that man who in his honest opinion shall have the best of the contest.
11. That the seconds and bottle-holders shall not interfere, advise, or direct the adversary of their principal, and shall refrain from all offensive and irritating expressions, in all respects conducting themselves with order and decorum, and confine themselves to the diligent and careful discharge of their duties to their principals.
12. That in picking up their men, should the seconds or bottle-holders willfully injure the antagonist of their principal, the latter shall be deemed to have forfeited the battle on the decision of the referee.
13. That it shall be “a fair stand-up fight,” and if either man shall willfully throw himself down without receiving a blow, whether blows shall have previously been exchanged or not, he shall be deemed to have lost the battle; but that this rule shall not apply to a man who in a close slips down from the grasp of his opponent to avoid punishment, or from obvious accident or weakness.
14. That butting with the head shall be deemed foul, and the party resorting to this practice shall be deemed to have lost the battle.
15. That a blow struck when a man is thrown or down, shall be deemed foul. That a man with one knee and one hand on the ground, or with both knees on the ground, shall be deemed down; and a blow given in either of those positions shall be considered foul, providing always, that when in such position, the man so down shall not himself strike or attempt to strike.
16. That a blow struck below the waistband shall be deemed foul, and that, in a close, seizing an antagonist below the waist, by the thigh, or otherwise, shall be deemed foul.
17. That all attempts to inflict injury by gouging, or tearing the flesh with the fingers or nails, and biting, shall be deemed foul.
18. That kicking, or deliberately falling on an antagonist, with the knees or otherwise when down, shall be deemed a foul.
19. That all bets shall be paid as the battle-money, after a fight, is awarded.
20. That no person, on any pretense whatever, shall be permitted to approach nearer the ring than ten feet, with the exception of the umpires and referee, and the persons appointed to take charge of the water or other refreshment for the combatants, who shall take their seats close to the corners selected by the seconds.
21. That due notice shall be given by the stakeholder of the day and place where the battle-money is to be given up, and that he be exonerated from all responsibility upon obeying the direction of the referee; and that all parties be strictly bound by these rules; and that in future all articles of agreement for a contest be entered into with a strict and willing adherence to the letter and spirit of these rules.
22. That in the event of magisterial or other interference, or in case of darkness coming on, the referee shall have the power to name the time and place for the next meeting, if possible, on the same day, or as soon after as may be.
23. That should the fight not be decided on the day, all bets, instead of being drawn, shall be put together and divided, unless the fight shall be resumed the same week, between Sunday and Sunday, in which case the bets shall stand and be decided by the event. That where the day named in the articles for a fight to come off is altered to another day in the same week, the bets shall stand. The battle-money shall remain in the hands of the stakeholder until fairly won or lost by a fight, unless a draw be mutually agreed upon.
24. That any pugilist voluntarily quitting the ring previous to the deliberate judgment of the referee being obtained, shall be deemed to have lost the fight.
25. That on an objection being made by the seconds or umpire, the men shall retire to their corners, and there remain until the decision of the appointed authorities shall be obtained; that if pronounced “foul,” the battle shall be at an end, but if “fair,” “time” shall be called by the party appointed, and the man absent from the scratch in eight seconds after shall be deemed to have lost the fight. The decision in all cases to be given promptly and irrevocably, for which purpose the umpires and the referee should be invariably close together.
26. That if in a rally at the ropes a man steps outside the ring, to avoid his antagonist or escape punishment, he shall forfeit the battle.
27. That the use of hard substances, such as stones, or sticks, or of resin, in the hand during the battle shall be deemed foul, and that on the requisition of the seconds, of either man, the accused shall open his hands for the examination of the referee.
28. That where a man shall have his antagonist across the ropes in such a position as to be helpless, and to endanger his life by strangulation or apoplexy, it shall be in the power of the referee to direct the seconds to take their man away, and thus conclude the round, and that the man or his seconds refusing to obey the direction of the referee, shall be deemed the loser.
29. That all stage fights be as nearly as possible in conformity with the foregoing rules.

Marquess of Queensberry Rules (1867)

1. To be a fair stand-up boxing match in a 24-foot ring, or as near that size as practicable.
2. No wrestling or hugging (clinching) allowed.
3. The rounds to be of three minutes duration, and one minute's time between rounds.
4. If either man falls through weakness or otherwise, he must get up unassisted, 10 seconds to be allowed him to do so, the other man meanwhile to return to his corner, and when the fallen man is on his legs the round is to be resumed and continued until the three minutes have expired. If one man fails to come to the scratch in the 10 seconds allowed, it shall be in the power of the referee to give his award in favour of the other man.
5. A man hanging on the ropes in a helpless state, with his toes off the ground, shall be considered down.
6. No seconds or any other person to be allowed in the ring during the rounds.
7. Should the contest be stopped by any unavoidable interference, the referee to name the time and place as soon as possible for finishing the contest; so that the match must be won and lost, unless the backers of both men agree to draw the stakes.
8. The gloves to be fair-sized boxing gloves of the best quality and new.
9. Should a glove burst, or come off, it must be replaced to the referee's satisfaction.
10. A man on one knee is considered down and if struck is entitled to the stakes.
11. That no shoes or boots with spikes or sprigs be allowed.
12. The contest in all other respects to be governed by Revised London Prize Ring Rules.

How Long does it take for Muscles to Grow?

How Long does it take for Muscles to Grow?

Honestly, quite quickly. Within 48 hours after exercising there is muscle growth from a variety of activities - not just weightlifting.

Knowing this is useful for building muscle, but also for boosting endurance too.
 
When you regularly perform resistance exercises such as body weight exercises, yoga, calisthenics or weightlifting, you gradually increase the amount of muscle tissue on your body and produce visible changes in your muscle size. These changes come from the breakdown / ripping of muscle fibers and the formation of new muscle fibers in-between the damaged tissue. How quickly you see results varies depends on how much your ripped, your metabolism, your diet / protein / nutrient intake, age, testosterone levels and other factors.

Generally speaking the changes take place within 48 hours after exercising - which is a relatively short period of time.

Rest periods in-between exercise periods are very important. Most of the muscles growth happens within the first 24 hours after exercising - and most of that growth happens while you are sleeping and your body is rejuvenating.

Understanding Muscle Growth Basics

When you lift weights or perform other types of resistance exercise, you trigger the formation of new muscle tissue by temporarily damaging your existing muscles. This process begins when resistance exercise causes minute injuries in your muscle fibers. It is therefore important to not over exercise and injure yourself. Too much weightlifting can cause more harm than good, because if you rip too many muscles at once it will take a lot longer for those muscles to heal properly - even with proper diet, a high metabolism, etc.

To heal these injuries, your body activates nearby cells called satellite cells. Once activated, some of your satellite cells bind to the damaged portions of your existing muscle tissue. Other satellite cells bind to one another and form new strands of muscle fiber.

How Fast Does It Grow

Resistance exercises trigger muscle-building changes in your muscle tissue within two to four hours after your exercise session, and the process typically lasts for as long as 24 to 48 hours. It often lasts as long as two sleep cycles. However, each resistance training session triggers new minor muscle increases, and you must keep working on two or three non-consecutive days a week to produce noticeable results. If you exercise the same muscles every day you may simply rip the already damaged tissue, thus setting you back 24 hours in terms of your body's "internal repair schedule".

Depending on your metabolism and workout routine, it can take anywhere from several weeks to several months for you to see significant changes in the size of your affected muscles. Especially if you trying to target one part of your body - such as the biceps - and you are overdoing that muscle group when you would be better off with an all over approach. Overdoing one muscle group will only slow down repair time, whereas an all over approach will build multiple muscle groups simultaneously. So if you are looking to build muscles faster start by using a variety of exercises.

Repetitions and Weight Amounts

Most people get sufficient muscle growth when they perform a single set that contains 8 to 12 repetitions of a given resistance exercise. It isn't really necessary to do 20, 30, 50, or 100 reps unless you are also training for endurance.

To gain the benefits of a lower number of repetitions (10), you must use enough weight or resisting force to cause temporary muscle fatigue. You lift the heaviest weight you can 10 times and when you can perform more than 15 repetitions at a given weight, you will typically want to slightly increase the weight you use to keep fatiguing your muscles and triggering the process that leads to new muscle growth. The idea is so that every time you lift weights you are challenging yourself - and ripping new muscle tissue.

To gain the benefits of a higher number of repetitions (20 or more), you want to use a lower amount of weight that you can more comfortably lift that many times. This lower number, but increased number will send different signals to the muscles being ripped, and the existing muscles, to build muscles which are higher quality and in the future will be able to withstand more ripping / pain. (Note: Women often do very well in this category as estrogen boosts muscle quality, whereas the opposite is more difficult because women are less likely to rip muscles due to the higher quality of their muscle tissue - and because their lower testosterone levels decreases how quickly they build muscle mass. This doesn't mean that women cannot be strong however, it simply means they have to work twice as hard in order to build muscle mass, and likewise men need to work their endurance harder if that is what they are looking to build.)

Regardless of whether you are training for size or endurance, you will be slightly stronger within 48 hours or less. The problem however is that slight increase is so small it is barely noticeable, which is why it is necessary to workout 3 or 4 times per week in order to see visually noticeable results.

Diet

Eating lots of nutrients and protein are very important to building muscles. It is not all protein. You also need vegetables, which includes lots of minerals and vitamins that your body needs to quickly build muscle tissue. You also need an adequate supply of carbs so your body feels energized. A variety of natural supplements exist (eg. Creatine) which boost the speed at which you grow new muscle tissue.

Conclusions

People new to resistance training typically see relatively rapid increases in muscle size due to building muscles that haven't really been challenged before, as can people who "used to exercise very often" and are getting back into things due to muscle memory.

As your body becomes accustomed to the effects of your new activity, your rate of muscle growth will taper off. While you can try to jump-start your muscle growth by increasing the number of sets you perform for a given exercise, you will usually see only modest size increases - muscle gain is a matter of patience.

Being impatient means you might simultaneously raise your risks for a workout-related injury. To enhance the effects of your workout routine and safely maximize your potential muscle size, I recommend using a combination of body weight exercises (which are safer to do), yoga, free weights and weight machines.

If you need more help consult your friendly neighbourhood personal trainer in Downtown Toronto.

Training with Hand Grips Every Day

Q

"Hello!

I want to ask if it is okay to train with hand grippers everyday [for training grip strength and forearms] ? I find that the hand gripper is not very stressful so I was wondering if i can train with it every day without injuring myself?

Thanks!

Pete"

A

Yes, I would say a person can train with hand grips every day - if you are using a lighter weight hand grip.

I would not advise overdoing it on repetitions with the heavier hand grips, just as a precaution. If you start to feel pain in the forearm muscles it is a sign to take a break for a day and let your muscles recuperate. Most grip exercise enthusiasts only do grip exercises 3 times per week, giving themselves ample time in-between to grow new muscle tissue.

Muscle growth only happens when the body has ample time to repair. If you overdo it by exercising a specific muscle every day you actually hamper growth by damaging muscle tissue which is still under construction.

To use an analogy it is like driving a bulldozer through a group of gazebos before they are even half way constructed. This isn't such a big deal if you are using light weight hand grips, but when using heavier hand grips there will be a lot more damage.

I also have to caution you against overdoing the repetitions. 50 to 100 repetitions on three days per week is ENOUGH to promote serious muscle growth. Going over 100 by a ridiculous number and doing the exercises every day will result in muscle fatigue and cause more damage than you intended.

There are a number of companies that sell heavy duty hand grips for people who are really into "grip training". The companies include:

• IronMind Captains of Crush
• Mash Monsters
• Atomgripz
• Fat Bastard Barbell Company
• Warren Tetting

On Amazon.com the one with the highest (and the most) reviews is the "Captains of Crush Hand Gripper" which sells for roughly $26.

The "Captain" brand offers 11 different types of hand grips for people looking to challenge themselves at different levels.

However I will note that at ALL of the Captains of Crush Hand Grippers are in the moderate to heavy resistance brackets. Ranging from 60 lbs of resistance up to 365 lbs of resistance (which is just ridiculous).

If you are just getting into gripping exercises to build your forearm strength I recommend starting lower - buy something closer to 30 lbs of resistance.

Or, if you think you really up to the challenge of 60+ lbs, then I recommend trying them in a store before buying - to see if you can even squeeze it for 10 consecutive times.

After all it would be a complete waste of your money if your purchased hand grips so hard to squeeze that you can't even do more than 1 repetition of a full squeeze.

Another type of hand grip on the market I recommend trying is Grip Pro Strength Trainer hand grips...

Unlike normal hand grips, the Grip Pro are round donut shaped pieces of rubber, which is more comfortable for your hands.

They're also good for beginners. The advantage of the Grip Pro is that they are relatively inexpensive, only $10 - and they give you three different levels, 30 lbs, 40 lbs, and 50 lbs in one set. This way even beginners can challenge themselves over time.

If the person really gets into grip exercises they will no doubt eventually want to try something more heavy duty, in which case they can go buy one of the "Captains of Crush Hand Gripper" hand grips and challenge themselves more, but otherwise I recommend the Grip Pro for beginners.

A person, even a strong person, might think their grip is already strong enough to challenge themselves with heavier resistance hand grips, but unless you have forearms like Pop-Eye I don't recommend it.

The Benefits of Marching or Speed Walking

The Benefits of Marching or Speed Walking

#1. Burn more calories in less time.

#2. Activate muscles you use less often.

#3. Easy to do and build endurance.

#4. Builds speed and endurance significantly faster than walking.

#5. You can take your dog with you during your march / speed-walk.

#6. Hiking trips and hill climbs will feel a lot easier than they used to.

#7. Your endurance during other activities will be boosted.

#8. You don't need to dress up as much for a march or speed-walk. Just grab your shoes and go.
Comfortable walking shoes are best. You don't need special running shoes or hiking boots.

#9. You won't feel out of breathe - and you can carry on a conversation while walking.

#10. For extra fun try singing military marching songs.

I don't know what I've been told.
Marching in the winter isn't that cold.

July Exercise Motivation Quotes

"If you don't control your life then life will control you. Grab life by the horns and never let go."
-Charles Moffat

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."
-Bruce Lee

"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them."
-Bruce Lee

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of."
-Bruce Lee

"If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
-Bruce Lee

"A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at."
-Bruce Lee

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done."
-Bruce Lee

"Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick."
-Bruce Lee

"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."
-Bruce Lee

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."
-Jimmy Johnson
 
"Don't look where you fall, but where you slipped."
-African Proverb
 
"Practical life teaches us that people may differ and that both may be wrong: it also teaches us that people may differ and both be right. Anchor yourself fast in the latter faith, or the former will sweep your heart away."
-Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827
 
"Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time."
-Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted."
-John Lennon
 
"Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts."
-Charles Dickens
 
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."
-Robert Louis Stevenson
 
"It's better to fight for something than against something."
-Author Unknown
 

"Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise."
-Author Unknown 

"Life is like riding a bicycle - in order to keep your balance, you must keep moving."
-Albert Einstein
 
"Sandwich every bit of criticism between two thick layers of praise."
-Mary Kay Ash