Today I was on my elliptical machine churning out a few miles before going to work and I happened upon an article on Manny Pacquiao in the Wall Street Journal. What caught my attention was the article’s focus – which is on Pacquiao’s conditioning methods. Pacuiao’s has won world titles in eight weight classes – from 112 to 154 lbs. This is incredible to say the least. His record going into this weekend’s fight is 52-3-2 with 38 knockouts. He is favored to win against Sugar Shane Mosley who is 46-6-1 with 39 knockouts. Of course anything can happen.
So what is so special about Pacquiao’s conditioning methods? His abdominal work. The guy is grinding out 2000 reps daily of core work that is, well, inspiring. My routine of 100 reps daily has just been ratcheted up. He’s also incorporating a lot of running including hill, interval and obstacle work. With an ability to take his heart rate north of 200 bpm and hold it there for a “long period”, I can see how he simply wears down his competition.
Any lessons here for us ultra runners? If you want to maintain good running form for the long run while minimizing injuries in multiple areas, core work is critical. How many sit ups or crunches have you done today?
Image: xedos4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image: xedos4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net