Will Boxing Get You in Shape?
This is a common question for those interested in boxing training. Will boxing get me in shape and will boxing make me lose weight. With all the craze over fitness classes, circuits and other forms of exercise based around boxercise, this is a question which has to be asked.
Boxing is one of the best forms of exercise you can do, the benefits it has are endless, not just from a physical standpoint, but from a mental aspect too. Boxing can help you get lean, it can help you lose unwanted weight but just as much it can help you become mentally stronger too, making you more confident and giving you the peace of mind that you can look after yourself if you are ever faced with a bad situation.
Some of the best and fittest athletes in the world are boxers. Boxers have to fight within a weight class so very often they need to weigh within a limit, the exception being the heavyweight boxers but even there we have seen some great physiques such as current heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. For others who have to make weight to fit into their weight class, they have to control their eating and ensure they are doing enough work to become fit enough to fight for up to 12 rounds. This takes an extreme amount of dedication and training such as running, sprinting and sparring and these guys are exceptional athletes.
Boxing burns more calories than any other sport. Supplement brand Forza did a survey last year which showed of all sports, Boxing burned the most calories per hour with an amazing 800! So if you are looking for a fun and versatile way to get into shape, there is little better than boxing. With boxing you can participate in boxing drills, punching combinations or if you feel ready for it, engage in sparring. All of these methods or any one of them help you to burn a tremendous amount of calories and get you into shape.
As someone who has trained many people in boxing, I have seen time and time again the positive effects it has on someones weight and overall shape. Boxing is a full body exercise, everyone thinks it is just about the punching but so much of the sport actually involves the legs, you are constantly moving, always working which means a natural side effect is the whole body is working which results in a high number of calories being burned.
Many people take the decision to get into the ring, whether that is amateur or white collar and find they end up finding their natural fighting weight which always results in weight loss because when you start to box, you need to add in other forms of exercise to help you get into fighting shape. Make no mistake, fighting is hard and requires a huge amount of energy which means you have to add in more cardio work such as jogging and sprinting. You can’t take shortcuts with your boxing fitness, it requires hard work because it not like other sports, you can’t stand in the field waiting for a catch to come your way or stand around waiting for the ball, there are no breaks. If you are serious about getting in shape, very little will serve you better than boxing.
If you are looking for an example boxing routine, here’s a taster of what I use in some of my boxing classes.
2 punches
run 20m
1 push up
4 punches
run 20m
1 push up
6 punches
run 20m
1 push up
Continue doing this until you reach 20 punches and then swap with your partner(who should have been holding the pads for you whilst you were punching). Once you get really fit, you can even go up to 20 and then back down to 2 again.
20 straight punches
5 sit ups
20 uppercuts
plank(20-30 seconds)
20 hooks
5 push ups
This continues for 2-3 minutes so you are matching the length of a boxing round.
2 punches
1 squat
4 punches
2 squats
6 punches
3 squats
And again work up 20 punches and 10 squats, so punches go up in 2’s and squats go up in one’s. You can even change the squats and replace them with push ups.
3 plyo push ups
1 broad jump
Continue this for 30-40m. A plyo push up involves going down slowly and exploding up quickly. This helps build explosive power in your punches. The same applies for the broad jump, also known as the standing long jump.
This is just a small taster of how boxing can you get in shape. If you’re on the fence about boxing training, just give it a go and see how you find it, I’m sure you will love it! Want to learn the secret routines you can use to take your boxing and fitness to the next level? Check out my book Strength and Conditioning for Boxing. This book will help you get into shape, punch harder and punch faster!