Conditioning extraordinaire - Pedro Garcia

Today’s elite-level athletes are more in tune with their strength, conditioning, and nutrition than ever before. It is the most vital component for any athlete to achieve their maximum potential.

This is the man to call.  

Los Angeles, California-based conditioning specialist Pedro Garcia, works with some of the best fighters in boxing. While trainers and managers fill other key roles, it is all for naught if they don’t have an athlete that is fine-tuned and in peak physical condition; an absolute must to compete at the top tier of the sport. And, that is where San Fernando Valley born and raised Garcia comes in to work with his ever-growing stable of fighters.

Garcia, who often works out of Freddie Roach’s famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California, prepares fighters to enter the ring in peak physical and mental condition allowing them to perform at their very best for the entire fight. With athletes and their teams being so knowledgeable and informed, regarding diet, weight cuts, cardio, and strength training, experts like Garcia play a vital role in a fighter’s preparation and training.

Garcia certainly brings an impressive educational resume to the table, having obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science, is a certified Performance Enhancement Specialist, and is also a certified Sports Rehab Therapist.

The married father of 2 young daughters caught up with MaxBoxing and took a minute to discuss his career, clients, and the conditioning of fighters at the legendary Wild Card. As friendly and approachable a coach as you could hope to meet, let’s take a minute to get to know one of boxing’s very best strength and conditioning experts.

Bill Tibbs: Pedro, nice to chat again. It’s been a while.

Pedro Garcia: Yes, Bill, how are you doing? Good to catch up.

BT: You work with a lot of fighters. Did you have any history, specifically, in boxing yourself?

PG: I didn’t box in any specific amateur programs or as a professional, but I was in a youth boxing club and we might fight against each other or other boxing clubs. If you were on the boxing team it was free and if you weren’t you had to pay so my mom said, ‘Well, you’re going to be on the team’ (laughs).

BT: Have you worked with other athletes, or have you always primarily focused on boxers?

PG: I have worked with other athletes. I have worked with football players, basketball players, UFC fighters. But, right now, I seem to primarily be working with boxers.

BT: The role of conditioning coaches, and nutritionists, has morphed from whatever advice a coach could give to a specific role on a team. I think with the amount of information available these days, and how in tune athletes are with their specific body types, this was a necessary move for elite athletes and their team.

PG: Absolutely. There is such a science to it. To compete at the top level, the fighter must show up hydrated, proper fluids, proper nutrition, avoiding that drastic weight cut. Also, understanding the specific needs of the athlete allows for a proper assessment of their physical and nutritional needs and when this is going well the fighter can train properly, and safely, helping to avoid training injuries. I talk to some of the guys I work with, who are ex-fighters, Freddie (Roach), Marvin (Somodio), Pepe (Reilly), Ernie (Zavala) and they all talk about the old days of training and making weight. Camp was torture, training was torture because it was all about depriving yourself of food and fluids to make weight. You’d show up to the weigh-in totally drained and starving, make weight, then balloon up after. Very hard on your body. That isn’t the approach for a fighter these days. We have a much better understanding of how to approach training and making weight.

BT: When you are approached by a manager or trainer to support the fighter as a strength and conditioning coach do they lay out the specifics of what they are looking for? What are those first steps?

PG: We (trainer, manager, fighter) sit down as a team and look at our goals. What areas are strong that we can maintain and build on? What areas do we need to look to improve? I do an assessment of the fighter and we look at what we want to focus on that obviously will be specific to that fighter. Is it cardio? Is it explosiveness? How did they feel in their last fights? What were concerns for them, in both the training and the fight, that we need to address? We get a clear assessment of the fighter, what the goals are and then come up with a plan. Then, once we are up and running, I report back to the trainer each week and update our goals and gains.

BT: Do you notice a big difference in how some guys make weight compared to others?

PG: Oh, yes, for sure. Some guys, good genetics, they watch their diet in camp but nothing crazy. Get close to weight in and they do a couple runs, a couple sweats and they are on weight. Other guys, we have to target weight 3 to 4 weeks out, then monitor and set weight goals 1 to 2 weeks out and slowly bring it down. Every fighter is very different. Every body type is different. For lots, it is a struggle. For other lucky ones, it isn’t a huge sacrifice; that isn’t common though. But that is where the strength and conditioning, consistently, comes into play. If we stay on top of it throughout camp, the final weight cut doesn’t hurt the fighter. If it isn’t done properly, you can lose all the training and preparation you did by draining the fighter in the weight cut. It doesn’t matter how talented they are if they show up to the ring with nothing in the tank. 

BT: If you are hired for strength and conditioning, obviously nutrition and hydration is a huge part of that training. Are you also expected to take on the role of nutritionist also?

PG: Sometimes the fighter already has a nutritionist and I just focus on the strength and conditioning part of their camp. Other times you have to do everything. If I’m not in charge of nutrition I will be in contact all the time through camp as the fighter might need different hydration and food intake on certain days depending on the intensity of the training.

BT: What does your role look like on fight day?

PG: Fight days we have made weight, rested up, get some food in with lots of time to digest, get properly hydrated. I do the warming up in the dressing room, getting the fighter fully prepared. Sometimes I work the corner, other times depending on the rules for where we are fighting, I might not be in the corner. It’s a great feeling when you get that win. A lot of preparation and teamwork and when it all comes together it is very rewarding.

BT: What fighters are you currently working with?

PG: Right now? I’m in camp with Mark Magsayo who is getting ready to fight. I’m working with Ivan Redkach who is going with (Adrien) Broner in February in Atlanta. Elvis Rodriguez who fights in February. Callum Walsh who got moved to March I believe? Also, Umar Dzambekov, who fights later this month. He looks like he is really going to be something special by the way. Lots going on; getting busy.

BT: Pedro, thank you for taking the time to chat. Next time we hang out hopefully it won’t be in a corn field in Minnesota, (laughs). Just kidding; that was a great week. Best of luck with your upcoming fights.

PG: (Laughing). Thanks, Bill; appreciate it.