RIGONDEAUX HAS UNIQUE TRAINING METHODS
World Champion Guillermo Rigondeaux
San Francisco, CA– I spotted a YouTube.com clip of Guillermo Rigondeaux, the Cuban boxing legend who defected to box in America. Apparently, the former Olympic champion is being trained by Freddie Roach, and between the two they utilize a lot of interesting training methods.
BRUCE LEE FOUGHT IN OAKLAND STREETS
One training method that Rigondeaux uses is hitting a boxing glove hanging as a target. This training method is what living legend Leo Fong saw Bruce Lee doing the morning after the street fight that he had with Wong Jack Man in Oakland, that was a life changing event for him.
SHADES OF THE BARE KNUCKLE ERA
The Cuban shadow boxes with light dumbbells. Shadowboxing with dumbbells was a popular training method of the bare knuckle fighters, and used off and on in the modern-day era of boxing. Jack Dempsey and Joe Walcott shadow boxed with dumbbells regularly in their training, among many more boxers in recent years like Aaron Pryor. Leo has developed Chi Fung around light dumbbells, that can be used by anyone no mater what their training level.
LIFTING WEIGHTS AT AN “ANGLE”
Rigondeaux does a military press at a 45 degree angle away from the body, as opposed to lifting the bar straight up. Basic weight training exercises like the military press and bent over row have become much more common for boxing training, especially since the success of Evander Hollyfield’s weight use.
PUMPING IRON ONCE “SHUNNED” BY FIGHTERS
The military press was once considered the standard measurement gauge of strength during the 1950s, and into the early 1960s. The bench press overtook the military press, becoming the “macho” lift and the new standard measurement of strength from the mid 1960s to present. Even the NFL uses the standard measurement gauge of: bench press, 40 yard dash, and the vertical leap as a statistic to keep track of all of their existing players, and potential players getting tryouts.
“PROS” & “CONS” OF WEIGHT TRAINING
Unfortunately the bench press has brought about an influx of rotator cuff injuries, nonexistent when the military press was the most popular lift. Guillermo lifts the bar at this 45 degree angle, that was similar to a lift Bruce Lee favored. Bruce would stand with the bar at neck level, than press it out in front of him, like a “standing bench press.” Lee would do this exercise with 75 lbs, and than hold the bar for a few seconds with his arms extended. T
NOT EVEN ICONIC LIFTER BILL PEARL HAD IT!
This exercise Lee did does not even appear in Bill Pearl’s esteemed book, that has more weight training exercises than any other book written to my knowledge. Apparently Bruce invented this shoulder exercise that he did, that has similarities to the front raise. Joe Lewis mentioned when he first saw Bruce doing this exercise, he tried, thinking that it would be easy, but could not even hold the bar for one second.
RIGONDEAUX TRYING TOP SHORE UP “SHORTCOMINGS”
Lewis was an avid weight lifter, who started out as a weightlifter and wrestler before discovering karate while in the Marines. Rigondeaux seems to be getting some shoulder work here with this variation of the exercise, possibly more applicable to punching power. And if there is a knock on the Cuban fighter, it’s his lack of punching power.
Malcolm Boutwell
INCREDIBLE TRAINING OF GUILLERMO RIGONDEAUX