Kevin Lerena - Pro Boxer Trains with Wattbike

South African professional boxer, Kevin Lerena, applies Wattbike as part of his unique training toolbox

Kevin ‘Two Guns’ Lerena, has held the WBC Interim Bridgerweight Boxing champion of the world title since 2023 and has long been training at The Sniper Academy, a professional training ground and home to South Africa’s top fighters, with coach Peter Sniper Smith.

Peter himself is a former heavyweight world contender, now professional coach of multiple champions with over 40 years’ experience in boxing, teaching his fighters how to stay at the top of their game through the most effective sports technology and training modalities, including using the Wattbike.

TRAINING A CHAMPION

“When it comes to the conditioning, testing, and monitoring of my fighters’ level of fitness, having Wattbike’s in my facility to support these elements was a no brainer.” Smith explains. “With all the pieces of the puzzle required for Kevin’s preparation during Camp, there are always a demand for a Wattbike session which provides the specific high stressor stimuli required for boxing conditioning outside the specificity of the ring and at the same time monitoring performance throughout, simplifying the decision process on my athlete’s weekly training loads and having markers on their level of preparedness”.

Considering the aggressive, taxing nature of boxing and the significant metabolic and neuro-muscular stress imposed on the athlete during sparring and competition, robust conditioning plans are required to optimally prepare the fighter for the demands of boxing.

Additionally, due to the short duration of camps, with fighters taking opportunities on short notice, the metabolic conditioning methods selected must induce the desired adaptations fast, whilst making sure the risk to reward scale keeps tipping to higher performance and not acute degrading injuries.

WATTBIKE; NO HIDING FROM THE WORK

Pierre Spies, Head of Sports Science, Wattbike comments: “We introduced the Wattbike to Kevin’s training regimen during camp for many reasons including to test baseline metabolic and neuro-muscular power, to develop boxing specific aerobic and anaerobic power, leg speed and power whilst also using it as a method of off-feet conditioning to reduce ground reactive forces aligned with Kevin’s athletic needs and the coach’s strategy.”

“When it comes to boxing, it’s you and your grit in that ring, no hiding, no excuses, no safety net you and the work. With the Wattbike it’s the same magic, the work, or power, you put in displays directly, how fast, how hard, how strenuous, and how long you can apply the work-making the invisible visible”.

TESTING IN ACTION

To get a comprehensive athletic profile for Kevin, the Wattbike maximal ramp protocol was used to establish relative Vo2 Max and Maximal Minute Power. These baseline standards were then used as guidance in % maximal aerobic power and heart rate training zones.

Next, the Wattbike 30 second all-out effort test was used to assess anaerobic capacity. This test is a high demanding physiological stressor and provides the team with data on where Kevin is able to reach peak power and how aggressively that power deteriorates over the 30 second time frame which helps to determine what type of dominant power athlete the individuals is.

Then, the Wattbike 6-second peak power test to provide insightful information on Kevin’s peak power and leg speed capability, used as a data marker for guidance on neuro- muscular fatigue monitoring during the start of a training week.

Monitoring using the Wattbike data takes place over the extent of the camp, also utilising the Wattbike 3-minute test to assess any significant changes in maximal minute power and heart rate response over time.

“Tracking this performance data through the Wattbike gives the coaching team a good indication that they are moving in the correct progressive direction.” Spies adds. “And ensures the team are building a foundation for Kevin whereby ground reactive forces are reduced but metabolic power is promoted to be positively transferred to what is expected in the ring from a sufficient energy supply point of view.”

Lerena now has his attention on preparing for his next fight on the world stage at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 8th of March when he meets unbeaten heavyweight, Justus Huni.

To find out more visit www.sniperboxacademy.com