The daily non-negotiables that transformed Conor Benn’s health and mindset in 70 days

Daily health-promoting habits can have compounding positive impacts for both elite athletes and the rest of us, as Conor Benn and his team found out. The fighter’s performance coach Dan Lawrence tells writer Harry Bullmore how they were implemented during his Eubank Jr training camp

Conor Benn used a 70-day pre-fight training camp to fine-tune his physique and performance before his first clash with Chris Eubank Jr (PA)

In April, Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr delivered one of the fights of the year, going the full 12 rounds before the latter was declared victorious.

However, Benn had a battle on his hands simply making weight for the fight. The natural welterweight needed to pack on 13lb of muscle to be fight-ready for the middleweight clash, moving up two weight classes in the process. But, courtesy of an intense 70-day Mallorcan training camp, he achieved it.

Yet he was not the only member of his team to undergo a dramatic transformation during this period. The entire camp subscribed to a series of health-promoting “non-negotiable daily behaviours”, performance coach and Matchroom Boxing’s head of performance Dan Lawrence tells me. And the results were impressive.

“Three of our team members lost a considerable amount of weight – 7kg, 10kg and 11kg – throughout the course of the training camp because of simple daily actions,” he says. “We created an environment that set them up for success. We didn’t allow any junk in the house – that wouldn’t have been fair on Conor – and we set them up with daily non-negotiables.

“Some people had prolonged fasting windows, others were eating 2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, and the big one we did which had real gamification behind it was steps. We all did a minimum of 10,000 steps per day, we went on evening walks together as a team, and over time that delivered a significant ROI.”

Benn went beyond this, adopting further habits to improve his performance. Here is his complete list.

Conor Benn’s training camp daily non-negotiables

• Drink three litres of water per day
• No food after 8.30pm
• No phone after 9pm
• Read a book for at least 15 minutes per day
• Perform mobility work each morning
• Weigh himself every morning

“A non-negotiable is a daily standard you commit to without compromise – it’s the difference between ‘I’ll try’ and ‘I will’,” says Lawrence.

They lock in consistency, removing the mental negotiation that can kill momentum, and build identity. When you repeatedly do what you said you would do, you start seeing yourself as a high performer.

“Non-negotiables also harden resilience. Following through, even when it’s inconvenient, trains discipline, which carries over to every other area of life.”

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This is not just an exercise in discipline, however. Lawrence points to legendary cycling coach Sir Dave Brailsford’s principle of marginal gains, highlighting that a one per cent improvement each day will deliver an improvement equivalent to 37 times your starting point over the course of a year.

“Daily non-negotiables compound into results,” he says. “Small consistent actions executed daily lead to major shifts over time.”

For this reason, non-negotiables are sure to be part of Benn’s training as he prepares for a rematch with Eubank Jr on November 15.

Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn are set to meet for a second time on November 15 (PA)

Conor Benn’s weekly training schedule for his first fight with Eubank Jr

• Monday: A 30-minute weighted vest run in the morning, followed by sparring in the evening.
• Tuesday: A hill sprint session using Mallorca’s steep Santa Ponsa steps in the morning, followed by technical boxing drills in the evening.
• Wednesday: Sparring in the morning, followed by a strength and conditioning session in the afternoon.
• Thursday: A track session in the morning, followed by technical boxing in the evening.
• Friday: A recovery run or full recovery morning, depending on recovery data collected from the athlete, followed by sparring in the evening.
• Saturday: A steady state run in the morning, completed as a team, followed by strength and conditioning in the afternoon.
• Sunday: Full recovery day.

Everything in Benn’s routine was measured. A neuromuscular readiness test, via three max-height countermovement jumps, was used to assess his readiness to train each day; a DEXA scan assessed bone density, tissue and muscle mass; strength diagnostics looked at limb-to-limb asymmetry and force production; a VO2 max test reviewed his heart and lung efficiency; Lawrence even had Benn’s Whoop band data feed through to his phone to ensure he was sleeping and recovering optimally.

Through these processes, Lawrence and Benn’s wider training team were able to inform their approach to ensure he was developing the attributes needed to be successful in the ring – everything from strength to speed to weight.

“John Ryder, one of my old athletes, had a really good saying: ‘Old school values, modern methods.’,” Lawrence says. “Our values are old school – they have to be, it’s boxing; it’s two people going at it against each other.

“But I bring a science-driven, research-backed approach which uses data to ensure the athlete doesn’t just train aimlessly hard. He merges his incredibly hard work – no one works harder than Conor – with smart work to enable us to reach our goals.”

The team will be hoping this forensic and fastidious approach delivers a positive result for November. Wider boxing fans will also have their fingers crossed for a fight that’s a fraction as entertaining as the first.

Chris Eubank (left) and Conor Benn will renew their rivalry later this year (Action Images/Reuters)

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