The ‘athletic cheat code’ Anthony Cacace is using to develop explosive power ahead of Leigh Wood fight

A lot can change in a year. In May 2024, Belfast’s Anthony Cacace faced Joe Cordina in a bout bookies had all but awarded to the Welshman. Less than eight rounds later, Cordina was down and Cacace was having his arm raised as the new IBF super-featherweight world champion.

Now, 12 months down the line, Cacace has voluntarily vacated this title to broaden his boxing horizons, and comes in as favourite for his next fight – a clash with Leigh Wood on Saturday, 10 May.

Strength and conditioning coach Mason Mclintock has been working with Cacace over the last six weeks to make sure he’s fight-ready, with the pair both training at Holy Trinity Boxing Club in Belfast.

“Anthony is already an elite-level athlete with exceptional endurance and powerful punching ability,” Mclintock says. “While every athlete has areas for improvement, it was difficult to identify any major weaknesses in his performance. Since he was already covering conditioning outside of our sessions, my goal was to maximise his power output and ensure he could deliver that explosiveness repeatedly and efficiently in a fight.”

A key part of this was incorporating plyometrics: a power-developing training technique which Mclintock describes as a ‘cheat code’ for athleticism.

What are plyometrics?

The term ‘plyometrics’ can be applied to any exercise that involves the rapid stretching then contracting of a muscle to generate force – think jumping, bounding and throwing.

“I believe plyometrics are an athletic cheat code because they improve the qualities that separate an average athlete from an elite athlete; explosiveness, speed and reactivity,” Mclintock explains. “They train the stretch-shortening cycle [where a muscle is stretched then quickly shortened], improving an athlete’s ability to absorb and reuse energy quickly, meaning they can perform explosive athletic movements with less effort.”

It is for this reason that plyometrics are a favourite among boxers and their coaches.

How to use plyometrics

The video above shows how Cacace has been using plyometrics, alongside other speed and power drills, in his training.

“A lot of people mainly focus on just getting strong through weights,” Mclintock says. “This is certainly important, but that strength is rendered useless as a boxer if you cannot generate it quickly. Your punches may be strong, but they will be slow and very easy to defend.”

This is why many of the exercises in Cacace’s session, such as the lateral hops, medicine ball slams, medicine ball punch throws, drop jumps and lying medicine ball chest throws, focus on his rate of force development rather than lifting the heaviest load possible.

“These types of exercises bridge the gap between raw strength and the ability to apply force quickly,” explains Mclintock. “They help improve punching power as you’re teaching the body to generate force at a much faster rate.”

Variations which involve rotational movements, like side (or rainbow) medicine ball slams, hold bonus benefits too.

“These power-based drills engage the core and make it stronger, improving torque and rotational power which is vital when punching.”

Other elements of Anthony Cacace’s training

In the weeks leading up to the Leigh Wood fight, Cacace aimed to maintain training intensity while staying at a suitable weight and avoiding injury.

“[He did a] good few rounds of light sparring with elite opponents to maintain fight sharpness, as well as making any final adjustments or corrections that needed to be made,” says Mclintock. “He also used road running to stay conditioned, and for weight management.”

Alongside boxing-specific work and time in the ring, Cacace also built general physical skills such as aerobic capacity and strength. To develop strength, Mclintock prefers calisthenics exercises, and dips and pull-ups in particular.

“I personally believe these are some of the best upper-body movements for building strength and endurance,” he says. “I like to do these with weight and keep the reps low to hit all the main upper body muscles and build insane levels of strength.

“Getting strong in these two exercises,” he adds, “not only helps you produce more force but also plays a crucial role in strengthening your joints and tendons, making you more injury-resistant.”

Both exercises work the shoulder girdle through a wide range of motion, promoting resilience in the joint.

“This is key for withstanding the intense demands of boxing and preventing overuse injuries,” Mclintock says. “A strong foundation in this area can significantly enhance both performance and longevity in the sport.”

Footwork and coordination drills, including skaters to a platform and alternating single-leg landing box jumps, were also used to prime Cacace ahead of his next fight.

Mclintock says these, twinned with the plyometric work, can help improve neuromuscular efficiency, helping the boxer react faster to avoid any punches or be able to throw a shot when they see the opportunity.

The final piece of the puzzle

Cacace and Mclintock’s strength and conditioning sessions usually finished with an anaerobic-focussed finisher – a series of short, sharp efforts to test power and send the heart rate skywards at the end of a workout:

Every minute for 10 minutes, complete:

-        Medicine ball slam x10

-        Maximal sprint on a rowing machine x10 seconds

The term aerobic simply means ‘with oxygen’. Therefore, aerobic exercise is any activity where your heart rate is raised, but the intensity is low enough that you can use oxygen to produce sufficient energy to support the working muscles. For example, a steady state run.

Anaerobic, on the other hand, translate roughly as ‘without oxygen’. Anaerobic exercise involves intense activities where oxygen demand outstrips supply, so the body must generate energy without it.

“Boxers often focus heavily on the aerobic aspects of their training – such as long runs, skipping or the sport-specific training itself – but very few dedicate enough attention to their anaerobic systems,” Mcintlock says.

Yet anaerobic fitness is crucial in boxing, fuelling short, explosive efforts as well as allowing athletes to maintain power in the latter rounds of a fight.

“By training this system, you’re improving your explosiveness, stamina and ability to recover quickly between those intense bursts of activity,” Mclintock adds. “This is very important for giving you that knockout power when the opportunity presents itself.”

Strength and conditioning coach Mason Mclintock’s three non-negotiable exercises for boxers

“Improving rotational core strength as a boxer is an absolute non-negotiable, as this is where a huge amount of your punching power originates. [This exercise] helps develop the ability to transfer force from the lower body through the core and into the hands, mimicking the exact movement pattern used when throwing a punch.”

“This is a great way to build lower-body strength and full-body power, especially through the hips and posterior chain. A strong base is essential for everything in boxing, from holding your ground and generating power to absorbing force.”

“The drop jump is key for developing explosive strength and rapid force production, which directly enhances punching power. It trains the body to absorb force quickly then rebound with maximum speed and efficiency. By improving how quickly the lower body can load and explode, drop jumps help boxers generate more force from the ground up and transfer that power efficiently through the kinetic chain into the punch.”