Leeds boxer Josh Warrington is one of the most professional boxers in the game.
He’s extremely level-headed and knows how to get the work done when he’s in training camp preparing for a big fight.
Unfortunately, he’s recently coming off a disappointing technical draw in his rematch to Mauricio Lara, the featherweight was visibly upset his opportunity to make amends from his shock lockdown defeat to the Mexican was taken away, particularly after he’d trained so hard.
Little has been published on exactly what that training routine looks like and how Josh Warrington prepares for his fights.
But here, Built For Athletes takes a look at what is known about how The Leeds Warrior gets in shape in the 12 weeks prior to stepping in the ring.
Training Camp Of Three Parts
Josh Warrington likes to stay at home in Yorkshire for his camps, training out of Dicky’s Gym in Batley, which is fairly unusual for a professional boxer.
But he says being able to switch off in the evening by sitting down with his wife and kids helps him stay mentally sharp.
The focus of his camp is divided into three stages. For the first stage, he’ll focus on getting as fit as possible, before moving on to technical work in the latter stages.
“I always get my level of fitness to the highest standard,” Warrington previously told the Metro , “and once I’ve reached that it’s about maintaining it. Then we go onto the technical side and really sharpening up the game plans. The first stage of camp is mostly fitness based and putting the body through it. The second stage is a mixture of that, and technique. This stage, the third stage, is more or less sparring and technical-based, while keeping an eye on the fitness.”
A typical week of training towards the end of a camp looks like this:
Monday: Run + Technical session
Tuesday: 12 rounds sparring in evening
Wednesday: Recovery session [light warm-ups, stretching & rotation] + Technique session
Thursday: Strength and conditioning + Circuit training
Friday: Interval training + Technique session
Saturday: Sparring
Sunday: Rest
No Time Off
Josh Warrington won’t schedule in easier weeks to his programme like some fighters do.
He’ll often take a day off on a Sunday and will schedule in the occasional recovery day if he feels his body needs it, but generally, he’ll try to get the most out of each week that he possibly can.
Staying flexible is the key so that he doesn’t overdo it, but there’s a relentless approach in his schedule.
“Every week is a hard week,” Warrington said, “there’s no harder or easier week. Sharpening up the tools is the most important thing [towards the end of camp]. We’ve got to get everything right and build on what we’ve done in the last few weeks. I want to get it right in sparring and get that little bit of sharpness.”
Quality Nutrition
To enable him to keep up such a high intensity for the full 12 weeks of his training camp, Josh Warrington will eat nutritious, whole-food ingredients.
His key is to enjoy his food and add variety to what he eats, all of which is prepared by his wife Natasha.
“It’s a real family camp with me, my missus is my nutritionist,” the Leeds fighter said. “She makes all my meals and tracks my weight. She calls me a fatty and tells me what I can and can’t eat. She comes from a chef background. Normally boxers struggle with their diet because they’re eating bland, minimalist meals all weighed out, whereas I have my diet suited to my training schedule and she can really spice it up. I don’t even feel I’m in camp when I’m eating because I eat so good.”
He’s extremely level-headed and knows how to get the work done when he’s in training camp preparing for a big fight.
Unfortunately, he’s recently coming off a disappointing technical draw in his rematch to Mauricio Lara, the featherweight was visibly upset his opportunity to make amends from his shock lockdown defeat to the Mexican was taken away, particularly after he’d trained so hard.
Little has been published on exactly what that training routine looks like and how Josh Warrington prepares for his fights.
But here, Built For Athletes takes a look at what is known about how The Leeds Warrior gets in shape in the 12 weeks prior to stepping in the ring.
Training Camp Of Three Parts
Josh Warrington likes to stay at home in Yorkshire for his camps, training out of Dicky’s Gym in Batley, which is fairly unusual for a professional boxer.
But he says being able to switch off in the evening by sitting down with his wife and kids helps him stay mentally sharp.
The focus of his camp is divided into three stages. For the first stage, he’ll focus on getting as fit as possible, before moving on to technical work in the latter stages.
“I always get my level of fitness to the highest standard,” Warrington previously told the Metro , “and once I’ve reached that it’s about maintaining it. Then we go onto the technical side and really sharpening up the game plans. The first stage of camp is mostly fitness based and putting the body through it. The second stage is a mixture of that, and technique. This stage, the third stage, is more or less sparring and technical-based, while keeping an eye on the fitness.”
A typical week of training towards the end of a camp looks like this:
Monday: Run + Technical session
Tuesday: 12 rounds sparring in evening
Wednesday: Recovery session [light warm-ups, stretching & rotation] + Technique session
Thursday: Strength and conditioning + Circuit training
Friday: Interval training + Technique session
Saturday: Sparring
Sunday: Rest
No Time Off
Josh Warrington won’t schedule in easier weeks to his programme like some fighters do.
He’ll often take a day off on a Sunday and will schedule in the occasional recovery day if he feels his body needs it, but generally, he’ll try to get the most out of each week that he possibly can.
Staying flexible is the key so that he doesn’t overdo it, but there’s a relentless approach in his schedule.
“Every week is a hard week,” Warrington said, “there’s no harder or easier week. Sharpening up the tools is the most important thing [towards the end of camp]. We’ve got to get everything right and build on what we’ve done in the last few weeks. I want to get it right in sparring and get that little bit of sharpness.”
Quality Nutrition
To enable him to keep up such a high intensity for the full 12 weeks of his training camp, Josh Warrington will eat nutritious, whole-food ingredients.
His key is to enjoy his food and add variety to what he eats, all of which is prepared by his wife Natasha.
“It’s a real family camp with me, my missus is my nutritionist,” the Leeds fighter said. “She makes all my meals and tracks my weight. She calls me a fatty and tells me what I can and can’t eat. She comes from a chef background. Normally boxers struggle with their diet because they’re eating bland, minimalist meals all weighed out, whereas I have my diet suited to my training schedule and she can really spice it up. I don’t even feel I’m in camp when I’m eating because I eat so good.”
