Being a Champ: the Manny Pacquiao Workout Regimen

One of the most famous and effective boxers to come into the limelight in recent years is Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. This rugged, ferocious, and all around nice guy from the Philippines is a delight to watch inside the ring. His ledger of boxing victories is a virtually who’s who list of top caliber performers—legends like Barrera, Morales, Marquez, Dela Hoya, Mosley, Cotto, and Margarito.  However, as great a boxer Pacquiao is, he would not have been as effective if it weren’t for his excellent conditioning.

Many of his victories can be attributed to the fact that he outlasted opponents through sheer agility, devastating firepower, and excellent conditioning. Larry Merchant labels him a “Perpetual Motion Machine,” similar to boxing great Henry “Homicide Hank” Armstrong.

Some tips to remember before the workout:

1. For optimum results, increase or decrease the amount of weights and repetitions
2. Your workout should touch all of the necessary components, such as stretching, flexibility, weights, and strength training
3. Be mindful of your diet

Here is the workout regimen fit for a champion, the Manny Pacquiao Workout:

Mondays and Wednesdays

Running for ten miles

To increase one’s stamina, running is not only useful as a fat-burning exercise. It strengthens your cardio by increasing one’s exercising capacity, improving your ability to absorb the workload. Running is also good in fine-tuning your muscular endurance.

Shadow boxing for eight rounds

Shadow boxing has been a part of boxing since day one. Few people understand its importance, though – rhythm, fluidity, speed, and relaxed energy are utilized whenever one shadowboxes. It’s boxing without an opponent, and is usually done after warm-ups but before the high impact workouts like sparring or mitt-training. It is very important to work on your footwork and always visualize your opponent.

Sparring for fifteen rounds

In sparring, everything you’ve learned in boxing will be utilized: bobbing, weaving, feints, footwork, jabs, combinations, clinches – the whole shebang! Training with boxing equipment can only do so much, whereas training with a live opponent develops your skill. It goes beyond just punching and defense. This is where you learn to fight.

Speed bag for ten rounds

The speed bag training’s goal is to improve not only your hand speed but also your hand and eye coordination. It develops eye reflex accuracy because in a real fight, closing your eyes IS the gravest mistake you could possibly make. This training strengthens ones stamina in keeping your hands up.

Heavy bag for ten rounds

The heavy bag was designed so you can practice punches and kicks at full force—but this is not the only benefit. The heavy bag is also essential in training your strength and balance.

Jump Rope for seven rounds

Jump rope is one of the best known cardio-exercises available—and the cheapest too! All you need is a jump rope and voila! Aside from the obvious, weight loss and toning the leg muscles and lower body are also some of its benefits.

Ab crunches for 100 repetitions

Crunches strengthen the muscles on your belly and develop core strength, increasing your ability take hits and endure impact in the ring. Unlike sit ups, this exercise involves lifting one’s upper back. It isolates the abdominals without straining the muscles of the hips.

Two sets of knee-ups for 100 reps

Knee ups are excellent exercises in building stamina, keeping you trim and flexible especially the lower back muscles.

Two sets of diagonal crunches for 100 reps

This workout focuses a lot on the midsection. Squeeze in your obliques and on your abs as you crunch. Keep track of your speed. One variation of this exercise can be done with the help of a medicine ball for less impact on your back as you crunch.

Two sets of alternate bicycles for 100 reps

This is a great exercise to do after weighted abdominal exercises. It stresses on the upper and lower obliques. It is said that this exercise is slightly more challenging than ordinary ab crunches. Keeping your legs off the ground tends to work the lower abs more. Keeping your legs flat tends to work the middle abs.

Two sets of leg scissors for 100 reps

This exercise is perfect for toning your inner and outer thighs. This workout also increases muscle tissue and improves metabolism. Stretching and working your resistance is also the focus of this workout.

2 sets of vertical leg crunches for 100 reps

It is another crunch exercise that is perfect for working the abdominal muscles especially the rectus abdominalis and also the obliques. This workout forces you to use your abs extensively and adds intensity to your ab training.

Side crunches for 100 reps

Another exercise that works the obliques and your abdominals, it increases muscle strength and endurance of your core.

Two sets of floor wipers for 100 reps

An exercise for the abdominals and more, this workout is slightly challenging but if done properly, it improves strength and flexibility. Floor wipers exercise your core and shoulders but specifically targets the obliques and muscles of the core—rectus abdominalis. You will need some weights for this and a barbell squat rack.

Two sets of Russian twists for 100 reps

This ab workout targets mainly the obliques, your back muscles will need to strengthen and support your spine. When using a dumbbell, results will be even better.

Ladder drills for ten rounds

These are exercises used to develop and improve foot speed, agility, coordination and overall quickness. It is usually done before the training session but it can also be used as a cool down exercise.

Tuesdays and Thursdays

1. Running for 10 miles
2. 8 rounds shadow boxing
3. 15 rounds mitt training
4. 10 rounds speed bag
5. 10 rounds heavy bag
6. 7 rounds jump rope
7. 2 sets Ab crunches (100 reps)
8. 2 sets Knee ups (100 reps)
9. 2 sets Alternate bicycles (100 reps)
10. 2 sets Leg scissors (100 reps)
11. 2 sets Vertical leg crunches (100 reps)
12. 2 sets Side crunches (100 reps)
13. 2 sets Floor wipers (100 reps)
14. 2 sets Russian twists (100 reps)
15. Plyometrics

Plyometrics are exercises that encourage muscle development, speed, agility, endurance and quickness. Plyometrics make use of a lot of jumping. This type of exercise targets numerous muscles from different parts of the body.  This exercise is perfect in working fast twitch muscle fibers.

Fridays

 

1. Warm up exercises
2. 3 sets of Shadow boxing for 3 minutes
3. 8 to 20 rounds of mitts training
4. 3 sets of double end bag for 3 minutes
5. 3 sets of speed bag for 3 minutes
6. 3 sets of jump rope for 3 minutes
7. 6 sets of shadow boxing for 3 reps
8. 10 sets of different crunches for 100 reps

 

Saturday

Stamina building workouts (Running and Sparring)

Sunday

Rest day