Mike Tyson's training: full physical and mental programme

Mike Tyson in his prime was a workhorse. He trained 12 hours a day, 6 days a week — 8 to 10 hours of physical and technical preparation, followed by 2 hours of mental work every day. He spent 50 to 60 hours a week training. That is more than most people spend in an office.

Mike changed his training often, but a typical day looked like this:

• Wake up at 4 a.m.
• Run 5 to 8 km (3-5 miles)
• Breakfast
• 10 to 12 rounds of sparring
• Strength work: sets of press-ups, dips, squats, sit-ups, shoulder and neck work
• Lunch
• 6-round sparring sessions
• Work on the heavy bag, speed bags, skipping ropes, focus mitts and speed ball
• Strength work
• Shadow boxing session focused on one technical theme
• Strength work
• Dinner
• Exercise bike
• Studying fight and training footage

Cumulative daily repetitions for strength work came to roughly 2,000 sit-ups, 500 press-ups, 500 dips, 500 shrugs and about 30 minutes of neck work — the famous wrestling bridge.

Let us go into the detail of his physical, technical and mental preparation.

Mike Tyson: the training routine decoded

His coaching team was made up of Cus D'Amato, his head trainer, assisted by Kevin Rooney and Teddy Atlas. The emphasis was always on perfecting every punch and every movement, with close attention paid to defensive movement and fight simulation.

1. Mike Tyson and shadow boxing — the priority exercise according to Cus D'Amato

Cus D'Amato believed shadow boxing was the single most important exercise for a fighter. He held that this is where a boxer builds his habits — which is why concentration during it matters so much.

Cus had Mike throw only one type of punch per shadow session, to make sure he perfected it completely. Every punch had to be precise and thrown at full speed and power.

Another drill that made the Tyson camp's reputation was moving the head two or three times after every punch or combination. Cus's philosophy was that you are a good fighter when “you can hit, and not be hit”.

2. Mike Tyson on the heavy bag — form, combinations and power

For most fighters, the heavy bag is usually just conditioning work. In Mike Tyson's camp it was not. When Mike worked the bag he had three main objectives:

1. Form — perfecting the alignment and mechanics of every punch
2. Combinations — numerically coded body and head sequences
3. Power — hitting as hard and as fast as possible, never holding back

Cus gave Tyson feedback after every punch or combination thrown, to bring him as close to perfection as possible.

1. Left hook to the body, left uppercut to the head
2. Jab to the body, right hand to the head
3. Left hook to the body, right hook to the head
4. Left and right hook to the body, left and right hook to the head
5. Left hook to the right

Mike said power comes from working on the snap of every punch on the bag. Some bags were said to weigh up to 140 kg (310 lb). At 16, Mike could hit bags that grown men could not move.

3. Mike Tyson's sparring — real fights, not simulations

When it came to sparring, there was not really any in Cus D'Amato's gym — there were only fights. When Mike trained, it was a fight.

Cus did not believe in taking it easy. He brought in experienced professional heavyweights. Many of them did not want to stay, because the sessions were too rough.

Cus also disliked headgear, because he thought it gave a false sense of security.

4. Mike Tyson's defence — why Iron Mike was so hard to hit

Although he was the aggressor in the ring, Mike Tyson was in fact a defensive fighter. He was rarely hit cleanly and was a master at avoiding punches.

Mike Tyson and the focus mitts with Kevin Rooney

Kevin Rooney was the man chiefly responsible for working Mike on the focus mitts. One of their main objectives was slipping and countering.

Mike Tyson and the speed bag

The speed bag was made famous by Mike Tyson. It is one of the best tools for slipping punches better and timing them well.

Mike Tyson's remarkable head movement

Whether he was working the heavy bag, the mitts with Rooney, sparring or shadow boxing, Tyson moved his head. Mike was constantly mobile through the head and the upper body.

5. Mike Tyson's strength routine — no dumbbells, no weights

Mike did not lift weights early in his career. He said weights had about as much to do with boxing as cheesecake did.

Mike Tyson's neck training — a 52 cm (20 in) neck

Mike Tyson's neck was called the ninth wonder of the world — 52 cm (20 in) around. Two exercises: the wrestling bridge, 10 minutes a day, and shrugs, 500 reps.

6. Mike Tyson's cardio conditioning — 5 km at 4 a.m., every day

He woke at 4 a.m. every day and ran 5 to 8 km (3-5 miles), then walked 15 km (9 miles) afterwards.

7. Mike Tyson's mental preparation — 90% of the fight, according to Iron Mike

Fights were 90% mental. To build his boxing IQ, Mike watched a great deal of tape. Every evening he went up to the attic and watched footage of legendary boxers.

Mike Tyson's deliberate practice: Tyson had constant feedback from Cus D'Amato, Kevin Rooney and Teddy Atlas, around the clock, all year.

Affirmations: Cus had him repeat every day: “Day by day, I am getting better and better. The best boxer, nobody in the world can beat me.”

Hypnosis: in the book Iron Ambition, Cus took Mike to a hypnotist and told him: “You are a fighting machine. You are the greatest fighter God ever created.”

8. Mike Tyson's iron discipline — Iron Mike's real secret

Both Cus and Mike spoke about the importance of discipline. It all comes down to the work put in.

9. Train like Mike Tyson — take action

His style was created through daily repetition. The Mike Tyson machine was the result of gruelling discipline and work ethic.

Frequently asked questions about Mike Tyson's training

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