Punching power is, of course, incredibly important in combat sports. If you’ve got more punching power than your opponent, it can be the difference maker in your fight. 

 

The thing with punching power, however, is that it needs to be harnessed in the right way for it to be effective.

 

Which leads me to a question I get asked a lot: Will lifting heavy weights give me a more punch power? 

 

Let’s find out …

 

LIFTING WEIGHTS WILL GIVE YOU STRONGER MUSCLES

 

One of the reasons we lift weights is to get stronger. 

 

Sure enough, lifting weights will give you stronger muscles. It often doesn’t even matter whether you go for the lightest weights available or the heaviest ones, you will get stronger if you lift weights consistently. This is a fact, although of course you will get even stronger if you lift heavier weights and increase muscle power.

 

However …

 

LIFTING WEIGHTS WON’T NECESSARILY INCREASE YOUR PUNCHING POWER 

 

You’d be forgiven for assuming that, because lifting weights makes your muscles stronger, it will, in turn, increase your punching power. 

 

But it’s not that simple.

 

When you lift weights, you push. 

 

When you punch, you need to snap. 

 

This is a key difference that a lot of new fighters don’t grasp at first. Instead of relaxing their muscles and punching in a snapping motion in the same way that a tennis player strikes a ball in a snapping motion, they push. 

 

However, the key to increasing punching power is not to lift heavier and heavier weights. Yes, lifting heavier weights will give you stronger muscles. But this will not translate into an increased powerful punch unless you’ve already nailed the proper technique.

 

Indeed, it’s totally possible to see a much smaller guy punching harder than a far bigger guy because he is punching with a snapping motion. Ergo, he is exerting as much force as he can in the shortest possible time. 

 

Moreover, it’s not really your muscles that are behind the power of your punch. They can help to direct your punches, but the power comes from the proper technique from boxing training and your entire body weight.

 

WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR PUNCH POWER 

 

By all means, keep weight training to strengthen build muscle power. But here are some better ways to increase your punching power:

 

• Work on your legs - Because a huge percentage of your punching power comes from your legs, it’s important that you strengthen your leg muscles.

 

• Work on your fists - Without durable fists, you might not punch as hard as you can. Work on strengthening your fists by punching sandbags and through water.

 

• Nail your upper body rotation - When you rotate your shoulders and torso, you’ll find that your punching power increases. Nailing this technique means you won’t rely on “arm punches” that don’t really get you anywhere, and will help to unleash that devastating punch you've been dreaming about.

 

• Strike through your targets - Ever punched at a target at your boxing training? Many new fighters do. But the key is to hit through a target. Essentially, you need to commit 100% to a punch, otherwise you won’t land the big hit you’re looking for. 

 

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WRAPPING UP 

 

Lifting weights alone won’t increase your punching power, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t focus on lifting heavier and heavier weights. However, if you want to improve your punching power, it’s more important that you get your technique right and work on other types of strength training, especially leg work. 

 

Once you’ve nailed your technique, not only will your punching power increase, but you will also turn into a formidable fighter.