The Muhammad Ali Workout

In the first minute of the first round of this 1965 fight, Muhammad Ali knocked-out Sonny Liston.

“I am the greatest!!” “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!!” These are a couple quotes from the greatest boxer of all time. Today I am going to take a closer look at the workouts and lifestyle of Muhammad Ali. I actually had the opportunity to visit with him at his home in Michigan a few years ago. My family is from the same area, which allowed for the amazing opportunity. He is currently suffering from Parkinson’s Syndrome, which is affecting his speech and loco-motor movement (walking).

During his prime, he would get up during the five o’clock hour to do some light stretching before he ran his six miles. After his run, he would get washed up and eat. His diet consisted of all natural foods such as chicken, steak, green beans and other vegetables, potatoes, fruit, 100% juices, and plenty of water. Mr. Ali hit the gym every afternoon for about three hours for training. His training consisted of the following:

Warm up
– 15 Minutes
- side to sides
- torso swivels
- jumping around on toes to limber up

Shadow Boxing
- 5 X 3 minute rounds, working on footwork and speed punching
- 30 second break

Muhammad Ali woke at 5 a.m. each day to train.

Heavy Bag
- 6 X 3 minute rounds, working on combinations and stamina
- 30 second break

Sparring
- built up sparring as camp progressed

Floor Exercises
- 15 minutes (300 in total)
- bicycle crunches
- sit-ups with medicine ball
- leg raises

Speedball
- 9 minutes
- 1 minute break

Skipping
- 20 minutes
- Never stopped moving

Shadow Boxing
- 1 minute, walking around with light shadow boxing

Muhammad Ali did not use weights in his workout and it seemed to pay off for him. Genetics are a huge part of what type of workout works for you. So what worked for Muhammad might not work for others.