Usyk's unconventional training methods for Dubois rematch that could give him the edge

Knockout power is the eye-catching attribute in the boxing world, but it’s far from the be-all and end-all for a great fighter. And given his undefeated record, collection of belts and list of conquests, Oleksandr Usyk is undoubtedly one of the greats. 

Arguably his greatest weapon is his brain. He appears to solve fights like a puzzle, figuring out his opponents early on before dominating later rounds. The fact he is technically immaculate never hurts either. 

Part of the reason the 38-year-old continues to hold these advantages over more junior opponents such as Daniel Dubois is his team’s fastidious approach to training. Nothing is random; everything is measured; all actions have rationale. 

This can be seen in two videos released by Usyk’s strength and conditioning coach Jakub Chycki over the last year. Both clips comprise a blend of strength-building staples – the likes of trap bar deadlifts, bench presses and overhead presses – alongside more obscure exercises which may raise the eyebrows of the uninitiated. 

However, when you dig into the exercises in the latter camp, their carry-over to boxing is immense. I asked plyometrics specialist and Plus Plyos founder Matt McInnes Watson to analyse the movements and explain why they are so valuable. 

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Medicine ball catch into slam

The first exercises to focus on are medicine ball catches, immediately followed by a powerful medicine ball throw, as seen above. 

Starting the exercise by receiving the ball overhead with his back rounded over a bosu ball, Usyk takes his anterior core – the muscles on the front of his midsection – through an eccentric contraction (sometimes referred to as the “lowering” portion of a lift, where the primary working muscles are lengthening). Targeting this can help improve our deceleration ability. 

“Boxing is about accelerating the arm and then decelerating it at the right time,” McInnes Watson explains. “If you don’t have the deceleration, you’re just going to bail all the way through [a punch] and you’re not going to return to your homeostasis, or whatever you want to call your normal stance.

“We know the best boxers get in and out [of each strike] really quickly, and without that anterior core decelerating ability you’re going to really struggle with this.

“Without it, you’re going to lose your postural control and lose the positions of the torso [which allow you to] continue to punch or receive punches.” 

Usyk also performs medicine ball catches and throws while standing, receiving the ball from one side then arcing it up and over his head before slamming it against the floor – a movement often referred to as a rainbow slam, which can be seen 53 seconds into the video below.

This variation of the exercise has further benefits for boxers, McInnes Watson says.

“When you’re boxing or doing striking sports, there has to be an expression of force that comes up from the ground, then is expressed either through the hand or through an implement,” he explains. 

During this exercise, Usyk has to catch the medicine ball then generate power through the ground, transfer this through his core then exert it through his arms to throw the ball – the same journey through the kinetic chain needed when throwing a punch. 

“And it’s rotational,” McInnes Watson adds. “Fighting is primarily rotational in the way that force is exerted through the hand as an athlete strikes – [the body twists as the punch is thrown, then retracted]. This will be a good exercise in terms of expressing force, and a great exercise in terms of rotational capacity.”

Exercises that develop braking forces

Muscles do not just initiate movement of the body; they resist it as well. If they did not, every punch landed in a boxing match would be a knockout blow. So, it makes sense to train this ability directly. 

Chycki prescribes several exercises to do this. Firstly, there is a safety bar split squat drop where Usyk starts standing in a split stance, then lifts his front foot off the floor and drops into the bottom position of the split squat. 

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“This is going to spike the overall forces that the body can handle,” McInnes Watson says. “He’s wanting to brace in that bottom position of the split squat, not be soft in the catch, mimicking the braking ability needed in boxing.

“Let's say that he's punching with his left foot forward, and he's using a right handed shot. That left foot is the one that's creating the braking force – if we don't have that, we would topple over. 

“We require this left foot to be forward so it can create the braking forces to deal with how we then pull that arm back after the punch.” 

Usyk also completes lateral lunges against a slant board, stepping forcefully into the lunge then powerfully propelling himself away from the board with his landing foot.

This movement trains Usyk to reutilise the energy of the lunge in a different direction, as well as training the side-to-side manoeuvrability he is going to need in the ring.

“It's going to give you much faster lateral movement away from potential shots, getting you out of dangerous positions,” says McInnes Watson. “And again, it's going to provide the ability to create a lot of force. 

“It's also going to help a lot with things like the medial hip complex – you're looking at the general tissue health of the adductors, and that's going to run all the way down into the muscles and tendons in the foot.”

Usyk vs Dubois 2 only on DAZN

Watch Usyk versus Dubois 2 live and exclusive on DAZN PPV this Saturday - July 19 - for £24.99 UK; $59.99 US; $19.99/equivalent ROW. Buy the PPV now here.