Bigger, faster, stronger.. Maybe

Oh boy!! It's a blog, finally! I am currently writing this blog on my phone with one hand as the beautiful Nin sleeps in my other arm. One thing I've learned since the arrival of this beautiful child is that it requires near super human strength to carry her around or "mommy strength" as it were... Lol..  This brings me to the body of this blog which is the question. As a fighter, should I be lifting weights? Seems like a no brainer to some but the reality is much more complicated.
    Most boxers I know spend almost no time lifting weights of any real significance. It tends to get them to tight and inhibit their ability to move, or so I've heard. The belief that the science of the sport itself along with proper conditioning as well as the usual regimen of calisthenics is enough to get the fighters in peak condition.
       However in this new age of MMA and the growth of other combat sports along with the explosion of Crossfit and sports optimization facilities a simple regimen of old school calisthenics may not be enough to keep up with the athletes of today. I mean how can you compete with someone that's doing Olympic style lifting and gymnastics as well as having training that's monitored by a certified trainer that knows everything about you including the last time you sat on the toilet?.. That doesn't even begin to even touch the surface about supplements and those "other supplements" that people are taking just to keep up with the rigors of that kind of training.
  It's a lot to go up against when you don't have access to those opportunities. For myself I can only say that I can completely understand the necessity of a balanced approach to your strength and conditioning training. When I was just doing conditioning I felt great but I often would find myself dealing with nagging injuries. When I only lifted I felt like I couldn't move and stiff as a board. I had to go a different route to get to my destination. I laid off the weights for a while and began to research what other athletes were doing. It all became clear after watching a sickening amount of videos and reading a ridiculous amount of information, most of which was nonsense. The best way to get what yourself in peak condition is to vary your training and go between explosive workouts like sprints and plyos, to swimming and long runs for cardio work, mix in some circuit training with kettle bells and sandbags etc for core.. And last but not least throw in some good old fashioned weight training. You may not be able to afford the high priced gyms and trainers but hard work doesn't cost anything but sweat. Always remember that no matter what training the guy or girl with all the resources is doing the two things they can't train is their heart and their chin. You have to do one thing. Want it more!