Lee Si-young do Boxing
Aside from her entertainment career, Lee Si-young was also an amateur boxer. Despite taking up the sport in her late 20s and fighting opponents who are much more experienced and younger, in just three years, Lee established herself in the sport by winning a number of amateur titles in the 48-kg class.
She initially took up boxing in early 2010 to prepare for her role as a female boxer in a TV drama for MBC, training with Hong Soo-hwan, a former WBA Bantamweight, and Super Bantamweight champion. The drama ended up not getting produced, but she quickly became stored in the sport. Lee Si-young said, “I kept it up as a hobby and was told that I had potential, so I trained really hard. Boxing changed who I am. I became more honest and extroverted, with more confidence in who I am.” She continued training, reducing her body fat from 9.9 kg to 4.7 kg, and began boxing competitively.
Lee Si-young’s passion for the sport caused her agency anxiety. There were worries she might hurt herself, especially if she sustains facial injuries. A staff said, “But no matter how hard we try to persuade her, she doesn’t want to quit.”
To the surprise of fans and experts alike, Lee entered and won the 7th Annual Women’s Amateur Boxing Competition in 2010, and the women’s 50-kg category at the 10th KBI National Lifestyle Athletics Boxing Championship in November of that same year.
Her momentum continued throughout 2011, winning the women’s 48-kg category at the 47th Seoul Amateur Boxing Match in February, and by the RSC (Referee Stopped Contest) at the 7th National Amateur Boxing Championships in March. Lee Seung-bae, head coach of the Korean national boxing team, said Lee Si-young “has a very accurate left punch. She is tall and has long arms, a very good body for boxing,” while coach Baek Seung-won said she has “the fire and the perfect physique” to become a professional boxer, but added, “She is a bit old (to turn pro now).” She later won the rookie of the year award for Seoul-based boxers. More wins followed in July 2012 in the 48-kg women’s category at the 42nd Seoul Boxing Prematch/Amateur Boxing Federation, and the 33rd President’s Cup Amateur Boxing Contest.
In December 2012, she tried out for the first time for the national women’s boxing team by competing in the under-48 kg light flyweight category at the National Amateur Boxing Championships, which doubled as the 2013 first national qualifying round. The 28-year-old was the oldest participant at the national championship with a 17 to 34 age limit. But Lee Si-young was defeated in the final of the 66th National Amateur Boxing Championships.
In January 2013, she became the goodwill ambassador of the 2014 Asian Games to be held in Incheon. Shortly after, she further showed her serious commitment to the sport by joining the Incheon City boxing team. After moving to Incheon from Seoul to save time for training, Lee Si-young underwent surgery for a slipped disk and suffered from a knee injury, which meant she was unable to maintain her training program.
On April 24th, 2013, Lee Si-young won the women’s 48-kg title at the 24th National Amateur Boxing Championships in a controversial 22-20 decision, making her the country’s first mainstream entertainer/celebrity, male or female, to become a national team athlete for any sport.
Lee Si-young said that her dream was to represent the country at the 2014 Asian Games, and her ultimate goal to win a medal there. Since her weight class is not included in international competitions such as the Asiad and the Olympics, she upgraded to the heavier under-51 kg class. But Lee Si-young was unable to participate in the Asian Games when she failed to enter the March 2014 final tryouts (as well as the two previous ones). Kim Won-chan, manager of the Incheon City boxing team, said, “She didn’t have enough time to build up her skills for the bout. But we will keep working on her conditioning with the aim of getting her into the 2014 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships on Jeju Island. ”
In her second bid to represent Korea at an international multi-sport event, Lee Si-young began preparing in 2015 for the first round of tryouts for the national boxing team that will compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But recurring injuries, notably a dislocated shoulder which made her switch from an orthodox stance to a southpaw stance, led her to announce her retirement from the sport in September 2015.
Lee Si-young’s Diet Tips
During a photoshoot for W Korea with the theme Nike women WOMEN’S REVOLUTION in 2017, Lee Si-young said, “Running has changed my way of life. I like to run early in the morning. If you start running like that, your day is brighter and more vibrant. If I keep running, I will improve my month, and I will improve my year.”
Lee Si-young is known to workout addicts. Her Instagram is often covered with her running tracks. In one of the episodes of Baek Jong Won’s Three Great Emperors, which aired in 2017, Lee Si-young unveiled a shocking secret from her experience maintaining her weight while training as a professional boxer.
“In order to stay in my designated weight class, I refused to take a shower,” revealed the actress. “When you take a shower, your body absorbs water and can make your weight increase.” She also revealed the perks of being on a national boxing team. “During the time I was with the team in Incheon, I got treated like a level six civil servant,” she said and mentioned that she even received a severance package after she retired from the sport.
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On July 18th, 2019, Lee Si-young shared photos of herself working out at the gym with pronounced biceps. It seems that she has been working out diligently for a specific purpose as she wrote in the caption, “It’s hard to lose muscle and gain muscle #NotEven2MonthsLeft #Fighting”
Lee Si-young also revealed her InBody test results and shocked netizens once more. With a weight of 52.4 kg at 168 cm tall, her body fat percentage was only 14.1% when the average standard is 18-28%. But even so, Lee Si Young was apparently not satisfied as she stated her goal in the caption, “Until 8% body fat…#ByeByeEating.” Many netizens were amazed by Lee Si-young’s post and supported Lee Si-young to be able to reach her target.
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On September 21st, 2019, Lee Si-young posted a picture of her meal and shared thorough diet tips. In a caption, she said,
“For protein, I eat tofu, beef, eggs, tuna, beans, and buckwheat. I always try to refuel right after my workout and when I’m running short on time I drink protein supplements instead. Those are sauteed tomatoes with olive oil in the picture. I like it better with the oil because it’s more satiating. Also, I heard it’s more nutritious that way. I paired tomatoes because I heard post-workout refueling should be accompanied by at least some carbs.
I know that seaweed looks a little random but whether or not you are on a diet you should consume some seaweed for your health. It’s packed with micronutrients, good for your bowel movements, and I heard it also fights fine dust. The one I eat is without added salt.
Also, I like ground beef because I feel it’s easier for me to digest. Portion size-wise, 150 grams per serving seems adequate for women. Over consuming protein is detrimental to your liver and excess would not be absorbed by your body anyway.
If your diet is protein-focused, consider taking liver supplements such as milk thistle. In the picture, the beef is 240 grams and I divide that between two meals. Any lean part ground up would do good. #goodnight #saynotolatenightsnacks #fighting”
Aside from exercising frequently in the gym and jogging in the morning, Lee Si-young also often posts herself hiking, in the midst of her busy life as an actress and also as a mother of two children, Lee Si-young regularly exercises to be healthier. Hopefully, the dieting and exercise tips from Lee Si-young can inspire many people.
