Scores based on sentiment analysis of topic-related comments
Best praise vs top criticism for Venum Elite Boxing Gloves
“I started boxing when I was 31! Which was like 3ish years ago. Equipment I recommend: * Jump rope * Boxing gloves (I started with Venum elites which are solid, but Top Boxer Aliens are insane for the price) * Handwraps (the Winning ones are expensive, but really good) * Boxing gym with a coach you like (nothing wrong with trying multiple coaches until you find a good fit) * Ideal if you have a mirror to shadow box in front of Here are my tips/thoughts: * Figure out what your goals are with boxing. For my goal is to get good enough to spar comfortably, but not compete. Long-term goal is to have boxing be a fun way to stay in shape (love that I can train solo) * If you can afford it, start with some 1:1 coaching sessions. I've mostly done 1:1 coaching or solo training at the gym. I think it's really important to learn good form upfront and have a trained eye help you correct issues. * My coach used to compete in college, for me having someone that competed is appealing to me. Also worth noting that each coach will have very unique styles. I've had a few training sessions with active olympic boxers and a professional boxer as well. * Being over 30, it's very important to stretch and warmup before you start. I would skip sometimes early on, and I would pull my back muscles pretty often. I just do it every time now, even before shadow boxing. * Cardio was (and still is) the biggest struggle for me. I remember my first session I could barely make it through 3 minutes of jump rope. Jump rope is a great way to get your cardio up to speed. I recommend getting a boxing timer app on your phone doing 3 min. rounds with 30s-1m rest between rounds. Try to get up to 3 rounds. * I honestly hardly use heavy bags, I used to a lot when I started, noticed my hands and wrists would sometimes get sore. I think it just adds a lot of wear a tear. I like doing mitts with my coach, double-end bag , shadow boxing, footwork drills, cardio. Do note, I mostly do boxing for fun and to stay in shape. I've started light sparring and sparring drills in the past year. Boxing has been one of the most fun ways for me to exercise while learning an awesome sport. It's also made watching boxing 20x more fun and interesting as you realize how insane of athletes boxers are.”
“It depends on your schedule, discipline, nutrition, goals, and a ton of other factors. Personally, 3x weights in the morning, 4x a week boxing in the evening, and 1-2x a week roadwork and conditioning is ideal. I am also in college and work full time, so it's definitely possible to train concurrently and receive the ideal results. Programming in dedicated and consistent deload weeks every 4-6 weeks (or even more frequently, if adequate recovery demands it), making sure you're training with high intensity and moderating volume appropriately (the ideal training philosophy in the gym, anyways), getting enough sleep (at least 8 hours, more for some people) and adequate nutrition (not exceeding a 500 calorie deficit at any point, targeting +/- 200 calories above or below maintenance, sufficient macro/micronutrient intake and proper carb timing pre and post workout to help the CNS recover) are all essential. Focusing your exercise selection on compound exercises with a heavy posterior chain and core emphasis as well as both bilateral and unilateral exercises for lower body is also essential for boxing. The traditional method of calisthenics and road/bag work for your strength and conditioning needs can definitely produce great boxers (as we've seen) but modern sports and exercise science allows us to optimize our S/C and achieve a much higher athletic ceiling. Muscle "slowing you down", explosiveness/power being almost entirely genetic, and endless roadwork being the key to fighting ready cardio are all common myths perpetuated by traditionalists and oldheads. In reality, properly developing your overall muscular base, conditioning your body in multiple planes of movement and addressing imbalances in your physique (boxing being a very push-centric sport, in gym terms, means we need to properly train our posterior chain for optimal performance and prehabbing our body to avoid injury) are all good things that can take boxers to the next level. Build real muscle for a few years, find a reasonable natural ceiling where you feel your body has found a great balance of strength and lean mass with flexibility, mobility and conditioning and you'll be thanking yourself for not falling for the 5 million reps of calisthenics and cross country runs being the key to developing elite boxing athleticism. You can get a myriad of sports-specific and health benefits from the gym without getting fat, losing your cardio, or getting "too jacked". The funniest thing in the world to me is when guys try to tell me they don't lift because they'd "get too big". You will never, ever get "too big too fast", building muscle is a sloooow process and if you're gaining seriously noticeable mass at a quick rate, you have newbie gains you're still squeezing out and you should let your body adjust until it finds what it deems to be your natural set point in response to training. After the first year or two, it'll slow down so much you'll be begging for another half inch on your bic”
4 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026