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The little-known training technique Wardley favours for building strength and power ahead of Parker fight
Power is the intersection of strength and speed. Heavyweight boxers are among the best in the world at generating force, fast – just ask anyone who has had the misfortune of being hit by one.
It is no surprise then that much of Mirafit athlete Fabio Wardley’s training is geared around developing power. When DAZN went behind the scenes of his training for Joseph Parker, much of his focus in the gym was around explosive movements.
He performs plyometric exercises of various intensities, speed ladder drills, max height vertical jumps and sub-maximal partial trap bar deadlifts using a GymAware device to ensure he is moving the bar faster than the week before. For context, sub-maximal for Wardley still means pulling 190kg at a significant rate of knots.
“Fabio is hitting unbelievable numbers [in the gym], not just for heavyweights, but pound for pound – his air bike scores, his jump height, everything like that,” says strength and conditioning coach Danny Wilson. “[...] Now we’re just able to keep progressing, and we are going to see the best Fabio Wardley on 25 October.”
There is also another lesser-known training technique Wardley and his team use to build largely unparalleled strength and power. He reveals what this is below.
The training technique Fabio Wardley uses to build strength and power
A boxer’s power starts from the ground up, and strong legs are integral for transferring force through the floor, core and upper body before expressing it in a knockout blow.
“Strong and explosive legs are essential in the ring, helping me maintain strong balance and footwork throughout a fight,” says Wardley. “I tend to prioritise explosive movements that can enhance power and strength, translating directly into the ring.
“On leg days, one of my go-to movements is banded weighted squats – a challenging but rewarding exercise that forces me to stay explosive all the way through the movement, because the resistance increases as I drive upward.”
This is a technique called accommodating resistance, popularised by legendary strength coach Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell. Resistance bands are anchored to the ground then looped around a weighted barbell.
At the bottom of the squat, usually the weakest portion of the lift, there is less tension on the bands so you are not having to overcome as much load. During the upper, stronger part of the squat, the bands lengthen to increase the force requirements from the working muscles.
“When accommodating resistance is used, resistance increases as athletes achieve advantageous joint angles, making the lift easier,” a Westside Barbell article reads.
In other words, you face more resistance during stronger portions of a lift, and vice versa.
“This also teaches athletes to accelerate and produce force throughout the range of motion, considering a typical barbell exercise requires an initial spike in force production, with force output lessening as joint extension is achieved,” the article continues.
Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
What other exercises does Fabio Wardley rely on in training?
“When I’m preparing for an upcoming fight, there are three fitness essentials that play a massive role in my preparations: the landmine, a squat rack, and an air bike,” Wardley says.
The squat rack is essential for the protocol above, while he says the explosive landmine press is a favourite exercise for developing boxing-specific punching power.
“I love the air bike for my conditioning work,” he adds. A healthy heart and lungs are an essential part of a boxer’s armoury if they are to go the full 12 rounds, and the air bike is a brilliant tool for training all energy pathways through sprints, long slogs and interval sessions.
But what takes precedence in his training, strength, conditioning or technique?
“It’s not really about focusing on one more than another; it’s about finding the right combination at different stages of the training camp,” Wardley says. “For example, at the beginning of camp, there is much more focus on strength and conditioning, while technique and explosive training are prioritised as fight night gets closer.
“My training camp is designed to give me all the tools I need to be successful on fight night, with the camp mapped out to ensure I peak on the week of my fight. As a result, I always feel ready as I trust in my training camp and can see visible progress in strength, movement and explosiveness.”
Watch Parker vs. Wardley live on DAZN
Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley fight on Saturday, October 25, to become the WBO mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk. Watch the fight and undercard live and exclusive on DAZN PPV.
