Boxing for Fitness and Weight Loss

It is a well known fact that boxers are some of the fittest athletes around. Boxing training will work every muscle in the body and will help you to tone up and lose fat.

Most boxing gyms will welcome people who want to get fit and most health centers offer boxercise sessions. I train at my local amateur boxing club and there is a good mix of ages and more women are starting to get into boxing. Many gyms will welcome people who don’t want to box competitively as it helps to pay the bills but some gyms that are overfull may want to focus on competitive boxers so its worth phoning around to find the best gym.

You will need some comfortable trainers and some coaches will want you to wear boxing hand wraps which can be bought at some sports shops. Hand wraps are a cotton bandage that is worn around the hand and wrist to protect you from injury. A trainer will show you how to wrap your may after some time want to purchase your own bag gloves as wearing the same gloves as other people can be unhygienic.

You may choose to purchase a gum shield and boxing boots if you get serious about boxing but you wont need those to start with as you wont be sparring.

Training sessions at a boxing gym will usually start of with a trainer showing you the basics of boxing and how to throw a punch correctly. You will learn footwork and correct stance and usually will be shown the jab as your first punch.

Most boxing sessions will be split into rounds of 2-3 minutes with 1 minute rest and you will usually have a combination of the following exercises.

Bag Work

Punching the bags will develop the muscles in the shoulders and is surprisingly hard on the legs and abdominals.

Shadowboxing

This is were you box an imaginary opponent and practice your punches. You will be throwing punches at the air. It is a deceptively challenging exercise if you put the effort in and will sharpen your reflexes and speed.

Pad work or partner work

This is were your coach or a partner will hold up foam pads for you to hit. They will call out a punch and you will perform the action. Pad work is fun and challenging.

Skipping

Skipping is a great exercise and can take a bit of time to master. It will build fitness as well as coordination. You should be on the balls of your feet and hop from one foot to the other but it does take time to get right. There are many challenging ways to skip such as crossing the rope, passing the rope twice under each hop that you will have fun improving for ages.

Circuit

You will usually perform a circuit of bodyweight exercises such as pushups, situps, squats, burpees, dorsal raises and tuck jumps just as an example.

As you can see boxing training is a well rounded and challenging work out. It is a difficult sport and many of the movements will feel awkward at first but stick at it as the rewards are big. The results from this type of training are very good as each exercise requires a great deal of effort and you tone your upper body as well as the legs. You will be able to train at home with this sort of routine if you’ve got somewhere for a punch bag. However you will need to learn the correct technique first from a trainer.