Entering a boxing gym can be an assault on the senses, whether it’s the sound of a bell ringing, the smell of accumulated sweat, or the quick rat-a-tat of the speed bag.
But if you stay a while you will find that boxing brings one of the most complete workouts available, mixing the whole body strength training and cardiovascular endurance with exercises designed to improve balance, coordination and reflexes. A boxing workout can help you strengthen your back, stabilize your shoulder muscles, and even work parts of your legs you didn’t know you had. It will challenge you mentally and physically, while fortifying your body against injury.
“Boxing workouts will keep you in shape,” said Dwight Pratchett, boxing trainer at Main Street Boxing and Muay Thai in Houston. And you don’t have to hit anything (or risk being hit) to reap boxing’s many benefits – although hitting the heavy bag certainly releases any pent-up stress.
Even without access to a gym, you can still incorporate boxing into your regular training routine, with minimal equipment required.
Why learn to box?
It’s no secret that boxing workouts can be incredibly tough. Boxing ranks regularly as one of most difficult sports, requiring a high level of agility, speed, strength, endurance and technical skill. Traditional boxing training was designed over the centuries prepare boxers for the rigors of a fight, with the aim of making them so fast and strong as they can be.
But what many don’t realize is that boxing workouts also help non-boxers improve their balance and coordination. Compared to, say, running, boxing is low impact and requires a greater range of motion of the lower body, which develops strength and mobility. This makes for a healthy routine to mix into your weekly exercise.
Boxing has been “healing” for Paul Pilibosian, 51, a Houston-based attorney. Mr Pilibosian regularly does CrossFit workouts and runs half marathons, both of which have caused pain. After starting boxing last year, “I haven’t really had any injuries,” Mr Pilibosian said. “It’s a good complement to running.”
For Rachael McGuinness, a physical therapist at Method Performance and Physical Therapy in Boston, boxing helped relieve her pelvic floor issues and lower back pain. In boxing, she says, “you have to exhale with each punch, which teaches our body to coordinate its breathing.”
How to start
A traditional boxing workout typically begins with jump rope and shadowboxing, followed by drills using the heavy bag, double-end bag, and speed bag; it ends with bodyweight exercises. Workouts are often paced in cycles, with three minutes on followed by one minute off, a pace that naturally lends itself to high-intensity interval training.
Getting started can be as simple as shadowboxing at home with bodyweight exercises. There are a number of at-home resources available, including digital courses like Title Boxing, BoxUnion, and Gloveworx. A jump rope and a mat are good initial investments which can then be combined with a heavy bag if you find you like boxing. For a more complete home setup, FightCamp provides a heavy bag, punch tracker, gloves, wraps, and online boxing lessons.
How to stand
The power of a punch is generated in the lower body and transmitted through the midsection to the arms, working the lower body, core, back and shoulder muscles, in addition to the arms. “Boxing is a sport that really starts from scratch,” said Justin Blackwell, a Los Angeles-area-based Title Boxing trainer.
But it starts with proper posture. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your main shoulder facing your opponent (or a mirror), and both knees bent. Your center of gravity should be slightly towards your back leg, almost as if you were leaning against the edge of a bar stool.
“If you’re not in that proper position, you’re going to feel off balance,” Pratchett said. If you are right-handed, your left hand will serve as your main hand, with your right leg back; for lefties, it’s the opposite.
Your fists should be positioned against your face, with your main hand touching your cheekbone on this side and your back hand touching your jaw on the other. Your chin should be tucked down, eyes facing forward. Your elbows should be tucked in against your side. This is your stable boxing base – come back to it after every punch combination.
how to hit
There are six primary punches: jab, cross, left and right hooks, and left and right uppercuts. Many gyms label these shots one through six, in that order. For each, notice how your lower body moves with your hands, using the back foot to push you forward while punching, or your front foot to push you back, while maintaining an equal distance between the front and rear feet. This is called footwork and it is one of the most important aspects of good boxing.
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The uppercut is a quick back-and-forth movement aimed at an opponent’s jaw or breastbone. Bring the fist, away from the body, and up, down the jaw, aiming it at a spot that mirrors the midsection of your body. The knee and torso should move slightly inward, toward the center of the body, with the heel lifting slightly.
Workout Example
Once you’ve mastered your punches, give this workout a try. Be sure to maintain a good posture and keep your hands up at all times. Your first boxing can be surprisingly tiring, so go at your own pace, taking care to maintain good form. Each round should last three minutes, followed by a minute of rest.
And don’t forget to put on music that pumps you up. If you have the energy, try it. boxer jump instead of a rest.
Round 1: Jumping rope.
If you don’t have one, try jumping jacks, high knees, or the boxer jump. The goal is to develop lower body agility and speed.
2nd round: Jab/cross.
Work on throwing jabs, singly or double, adding crosses after the jabs. Alternate between slow, powerful blows and fast, sharp blows.
Round 3: Jab/cross and hooks.
Use three or four punch combinations, in which a jab/cross is followed by hooks. You can use a left hook, a right hook, or both. Again, alternate fast punches, thrown with little force, and slow punches, thrown with as much power as possible.
Round 4: Jab/cross and uppercuts.
Use four-hit combinations, in which a jab/crossover is followed by left and right uppercuts, just like round three hooks. You can use a left uppercut, a right, or both.
Calisthenics optional Round
If you still have the energy for a fifth round, calisthenics is a traditional way to end a boxing workout as it provides additional strength and conditioning. Aim for three minutes of push-ups, tricep dips, or sit-ups, with a jab/cross each time you sit down.