Ippo Makunouchi Workout: Train Like the Hajime no Ippo Boxing Champion
Ippo Makunouchi’s 5 day Workout Plan
Become stronger and an elite fighter like the Japanese champion!
In today's segment of the Anime Training Series, we will cover the training of Ippo Makunouchi!
And by the end, I will provide a training plan that will help you achieve the aesthetic, performance and skill set of Ippo!
Ippo’s Nutrition & Diet
For sports performance, Ippo Makunouchi's regimen would require a nutrition plan. High-protein, moderate-carb, and healthy fat intake is what may help you forge Ippo’s Physique. Consider throwing in Lean meats, complex carbohydrates, fresh vegetables, and proper hydration for muscle growth, endurance, and rapid recovery.
**Nutritional Guidelines are about the same for every character with this body type and performance level**
Ippo’s Physique
In Real Superhero Training, we came up with a system for the physique analysis. We call it the attainability scale.
This system helps us discover the realistic aspects when it comes to a character's physique, and if it is truly realistic/attainable. It’s pretty straightforward, goes a little something like this:
Tier 1: Realistically achievable (Natty)
Tier 2: Giga Genetics (Natty, but maybe not as easily attainable)
Tier 3: Not natty (requires substance for maintenance)
Ippo’s Physique is placed in the Tier 1 Category.
Made up of mostly lean muscle mass and a lower BF %, Ippo’s physique is actually sculpted for his performance due to the principal of specificity.
Which basically means if you train like a boxer, you will achieve the body of a boxer.
Later, you will learn how to do this through the workout.
Here are some Tier 1 physiques we’ve covered at Action Hero Athletics: Red Hood, Toji Fushiguro,Kento Nanami, Ghost Riley, Nathan Drake, DBS Goku, Sonic the Hedgehog, TMNT, Imai Cosmo, Nightwing and Leon Kennedy.
The Physical Abilities of Ippo Makunouchi
Here’s what we know according to the Ippo Wiki:
Physical Ability
Power
More than anything else, Ippo's boxing is distinguished and built around his overwhelming destructive power, evidenced by the 100% KO rate in his victories, with all of them coming before the 9th round. Along with Sendō, Ippo is considered to possess the strongest punches in the whole featherweight division. He was described as a "hard puncher," as Ippo can blow away guards with a single punch without wearing the opponent out.[64] He also made Aoki and Kimura, two 6-round boxers from lightweight division, throw up after landing body blows while sparring more than once.[65] Ippo was born with fists that have stopping power due to them being big, hard, flat, and with a lot of surface area. Aoki and Kimura compared Ippo's fist to that of a brick or hollow block, and with his strong lower body and short height described by Fujii, he was capable of barraging hard, compact, and fast punches..[66]
Even before joining the Kamogawa gym, Ippo showed extraordinary muscular strength and punching power when he punched the sandbag for the first time, to the astonishment of everyone at the gym. Instead of settling with his already exceptional strength in order to focus on other aspects of his boxing, Ippo has doubled down on his punching power during all of his career by constantly working on methods to enhance it even further, including weight training, log hitting and wood cutting. During his second retirement, his strength grew greater through the use of body weights.[67][68]
Ippo's punching power has at various occasions proven to be great enough to break bones, embed the mark of his fists on his opponent's bodies, entirely lift them off the mat, cause them to bleed and take considerable damage from hits on their guard, and even send them flying from centre ring to the ropes or the corner with a single punch.[69][70][71][72][73] His strength has also enabled him to knock out opponents from up to 4 weight classes higher in spars and an opponent from two weight classes higher in an official bout, doing the latter with a single strike.[74][75]
Speed
Although severely lacking in terms of footwork, Ippo's dash speed is one of his most proven and trustworthy weapons, used to close the distance on bigger opponents and force an in-fight. Since it comprises a key aspect of Ippo's boxing, the sharpness and speed of his dash is constantly being refined, with it receiving a significant improvement since Ippo began to use ankle weights on a daily basis. Ippo's dash speed was described by Miyata as being world class.[76] Despite being retired, his speed increased further, being able to, while wearing weight straps, run alongside the active three weight class world champion Takamura, who went full speed.[77]
Perfectly complementing Ippo's high-volume boxing style utilising quick combinations of compact punches in succession, his hand speed is remarkable among the division. Before even becoming a boxer, during his first spar against Miyata, Ippo's hand speed was praised by his opponent, Miyata Senior, and the onlookers at the gym when he showed his jabs.[78] During his retirement, Ippo's punches were fast enough to be competent at the world level, with Ippo himself claiming to be able to emulate the hand speed of an active world ranker after removing his wrist weights.[79]
Stamina
Through consistent everyday efforts, Ippo gradually built up an enormous reserve of stamina that eventually became one of his greatest strengths as a boxer, far exceeding almost everyone’s in the division.
Among his gymmates, his stamina was, for awhile, only second to Takamura, however, after retiring from boxing, his stamina is tied with Takamura, as shown when they both ran next to each other at their highest speed for a long distance, even with Ippo having his weight straps on.[80] Even the speedster Itagaki admitted that Ippo would pass him up every single time when it came to long-distance running. [81] After his second sparring with Mashiba, his improved toughness and recovery had surprised him and his coach when they thought he was tired, commenting that he didn't slack off his basic training.
His stamina has left a strong impression on his opponents during many of his matches. During his first title defence, Ippo caused significant surprise in the former champion Kazuki Sanada with his speed of recovery, with the latter considering it the possible secret of his strength. [82] When fighting Alfredo, the veteran world ranker was in disbelief at how Ippo was still able to keep throwing a high volume of quality punches during the last round of the match. [83]
This attribute has also meant the difference between winning and losing on more than one occasion. Ippo's superior stamina was the key determinant of his victory over the amateur world champion Volg in the Class A Tournamentfinals, while it was also dependable enough to compete in an extended punching match with the JBC first ranked Iwao Shimabukuro, renowned for his extraordinary cardiovascular endurance.[84]
Here is what we need for a Hajime no Ippo Inspired Training Program
Strength and Conditioning: Mixing both Bodyweight and other functional exercises for robust joints and ligaments that can endure powerful movements. Include Kettlebells, and other free-weights to this portion
SAQ: Speed, agility and quickness for footwork and overall full body mastery
Endurance: Boxers endurance is different from any regular form of endurance - So plyometrics are key in this one - as well as training the other energy systems
Mobility Training: In order to land shots from awkward positions, and to achieve adequate movement, mobility is crucial in this segment.
Boxing Training: This is completely optional, but more than necessary to achieve the performance of Ippo!
Now, for the moment you have all been waiting for
Here is the Ippo inspired training program!
Warm-Up:
Jump Rope: 5 minutes to get the heart rate up and warm up the muscles.
Shadow Boxing: 5 minutes of shadow boxing, focusing on technique, footwork, and combinations.
Strength Training:
Push-Ups: 3 sets of 15 reps - Builds upper body strength crucial for boxing.
Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups: 3 sets of 8-10 reps - Strengthens the back and arms.
Squats: 3 sets of 12-15 reps - Essential for lower body power.
Medicine Ball Twists: 3 sets of 20 reps (10 each side) - Works on core strength and rotational power.
Boxing Training:
Heavy Bag Work: 3 rounds of 3 minutes each.
Round 1: Focus on jab-cross combinations.
Round 2: Incorporate hooks and uppercuts.
Round 3: Intensify the pace, using varied combinations with speed and power.
Speed Bag or Double-End Bag: 3 rounds of 2 minutes each - Emphasize speed, timing, and hand-eye coordination.
Focus Mitts/Partner Work: 2 rounds of 5 minutes each - Work with a partner or coach on defensive and offensive drills, practicing specific combinations and footwork.
Cool Down:
Stretching: Spend 10-15 minutes stretching all major muscle groups, focusing on flexibility and recovery.
Check out some other epic workouts from our Anime Training List! -
Goku | Baki | Toji Fushiguro | Kento Nanami | Ohma Tokita | Ichigo Kurosaki
