When Mike Tyson was only 20 years old with a 19-0 record consisting of 19 knockouts he became the worlds youngest heavyweight champion.

His training routine was simple, but tough.

Improve your strength and stamina with these 3 easy workouts

Early Morning Running

Often boxing is purely associated with only sparring and padwork but there are many other elements which are an essential part of boxing. At 4am every day Mike Tyson would go for a 3 mile run. Running is an essential part of a boxers conditioning training.

Slip Bag Training

Tyson would work the slip bag every day, his head movement and timing were off the charts. Rooney would have Tyson train the slip bag every day.

You can easily make a slip bag, most people just get a sock, fill it full of gravel or rice so that its fist sized, tie it onto a piece of rope or sturdy string and then hang it from the ceiling, a heavy bag hook, off a branch of a tree – anything high up. Swing it.

Sparring

Probably one of the most important aspects of training. The same for any form of self defence or martial art – you need to train with people. Heavy bag training, running, rope work, padwork, its all essential and important but as Bruce Lee said “Boards don’t hit back”.

Every day Tyson would do 10 rounds of sparring. 

When students ask me about training, I always say to make sure that you need to prioritise training with people before anything else. You can be strong as an ox and a Crossfit master but to develop a sense of timing, distancing and the correct mental and physical toughness to endure a fight, you need to spend time on the mats (or in this case in the ring). Also sparring on its own is a fantastic workout and a lot of fun!

Bodyweight Training

Every day Mike would do basic bodyweight conditioning training that would consist of 2,000 situps, 500 dips, 500 pushups and 500 shrugs. He would finish the day with 30 minutes on an exercise bike.