Sprinting vs. Jogging For Boxing | Which’s Better?

Jogging, or as we all probably know it as running, has been an old school cardio training staple in boxing for ages. Most of what people think about it in regards how well does it help is wrong – simply put, fighters should run less than they think they should.

Both methods improve cardiovascular system in different ways, but a comparison can still be drawn to know what’s ultimately better – in this article i talk about that and offer my opinion on what’s actually better to do.

Sprinting benefits

More useful.

Boxing is more or less an anaerobic activity meaning that it has short bursts of intense action, like throwing punches, blocking and slipping, following up with some rest in terms of walking around the ring, sitting between rounds.

Sprinting helps prolong your stamina levels exactly in those cases as it stimulates that sort of on and off intensity. Jogging, on the other hand, is still useful as it helps your body prolong overall endurance in the ring, but sprinting is what really helps in having enough gas to continue punching.

Quicker to get done with

The correct type of running for a boxer doesn’t really take that much time, but it still doesn’t compare with how fast you can get done with a session of sprints. Personally i find running more enjoyable than sprinting, but i know more than one fighter who’d rather go through a grueling session of sprints than do more jogging.

Less taxing on your body

A session of sprints doesn’t cover as much actual distanced ran compared to jogging, so it makes sense that it is more safe for you, especially if done for a longer time.

Jogging benefits

Better for cutting weight.

You definitely can lose weight with sprints, but it’s easier to do so when jogging at a slower steady pace because you can do it for a longer time without draining your energy first. Again, running more than needed won’t directly translate in having more stamina during a fight, but that’ll definitely help shed some weight quicker.

Builds mental toughness.

Running takes longer to get done with than sprinting, and because of that i personally think it requires more mental strength to go through. Sprinting isn’t an easy task to complete either, but in my mind it doesn’t compare with how hard jogging can be.

Relaxation

I can’t tell you enough how many times jogging has helped me to calm down before competition and let me focus on what’s ahead. Sprinting is one of those things in which you have to be focused at all times to get the best results, and running is more simple in that regard.

So… what’s better?

If i was to do one thing it would definitely be sprinting, but as were all able to do both, i would suggest doing exactly that as jogging still plays an important role in the whole cardiovascular training process.

Problem is many fighters might think that running long distances is useful to do, but it’s not really. Running two or three miles couple of times a week is really all you need to do in order to get it’s full benefit, especially if you’re a beginner or competing as an amateur.

For some people it’s just a personal preference, but in my mind that’s just ignorant, as only jogging or sprinting alone doesn’t yield the best results.

Sample training routine

Jogging three days a week for 3 miles (4.8 km) should be more than enough for a fighter, especially amateur. You can do this before or after boxing training.

2 days out of the week you can do some sprinting, an example would be 300 feet (100m) sprints repeated 10 times. After each sprint take some rest to catch breath and repeat again.

What some boxers do is just slow jogging when not preparing for any fighting, and when the camp begins, they often times start to focus more on sprinting.

To make things harder, try jogging and sprinting on different terrains like hills or so to offer some additional inclines, declines.

You could also try sprinkling in some sprints during your runs to make things more varied.