like what the title says, which muscles does someone have to build inorder to punch harder/faster?

At the risk of sounding cliche -- all of them. There isn't a muscle in your body that isn't exercised in the execution of a punch thrown with good technique.

Core, hips, pecs, bis, tris, quads, hams , even involuntaries (alright fine, the heart) -- all help in giving a powerful punch.

Keeeyah!!! Nice answer

Couldn't have answered it better.

He has a point, but i think you were asking for a particular muscle and that would be the mighty serratus anterior

Pay attention to it and watch the digits appear on your ribs and in know time youll be able to punch the hardest of bricks

matt, why the serratus anterior?

What most people think about this is that doing bench press and triceps work will increase punching power, since a punch is "a bench press movement" the truth is though, its not at all that simular. If you punch correctly the power will come from the hips, you will rotate, thats where the power comes from. I agree working the whole body will help, specially working the hips, explosive snatches, stuff like that perhaps. But also, rotation work, since that is the movement you do when you punch. A typical "fighter" rotation move is to use a cable station, take a cable in your hand, hold your hand in your guard like you would, and preform a hook punch, now, dont really move the arm, just put it out there and let the hips rotate like they would in a punch. while in a real punch you will be moving the arm more than in this exercise, not moving the arm ensures that the core is getting the work instead of the arm.

Because its heavily involved in forward punching, ask any professional boxer if you dont beleive me

He's right about the serratus anterior, it's called the "boxer's muscle" because of the ability to protract the scapula. It helps get that last little bit of reach.

Don't forget about about the latissimus dorsi, teres major, or deltoids! At the same time, you have to practice punching harder and faster, and more explosively. How you practice determines your performance.

yeah i get the serratus protracts the scap, but thats at the end of the movement, so its not really where the power comes from. Im not saying not to train it, but i think its more important to train where the power comes from.

Yes the serratus anterior is involved when punching. All muscles are more or less involved with punching. The SA might be most useful for finishing the punch and maybe the pecs/legs to initiate it...but it's really a whole package deal.

I find it funny how there's the same question posed in a thread in the BB section...I think it has to do with kids being off from school and having nothing else to do. lol

Dont forget karky that when you punch, if you were to just use your arm it would be a very weak one, but using your whole body produces a much lethal blow, that why the serratus is good. But as Chris and others said, its a whole package..

Well...that's what karky was saying in the first place. And Matt, your last post was worded like ****, lol

haha well typing isnt my best thing, ill try harder next time

the rotation movement i described trains where the power comes from, rotation in the hips.

Instead of just trying to develop a particular muscle focus on developing the muscle groups involved in punching. It's not just the strength of the muscles but the ability to synchronize them properly (getting in the rotation like Karky said) and with power that enables one to punch hard. Accuracy helps of course. lol