7 Boxing Workouts At Home Without Equipment That Will Feel Just As Good As Hitting The Bag

Boxing is a hugely rewarding sport. Whether your goals are to lose weight, get in shape or take control of your stress, boxing can help. The good news is that there are so many boxing workouts you can try without a single piece of equipment. That’s right! You don’t even need a jump rope to try these highly effective workouts. 

Boxing is about more than just hitting as hard as you can. It’s about arm strength, shoulder strength, core strength and coordination. By incorporating these boxing workouts at home for beginners into your routine, you’ll soon start to see the physical benefits to your health. So, let’s get started...

1. Jump rope without the rope

If you don’t have a skipping rope to hand, or if you don’t have the ceiling height to be able to skip, don’t worry. You can get a great warmup simply by mimicking the movements of skipping. You still need coordination, and you might be surprised to discover just how quickly you work up a sweat. 

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your side. While moving your hands at the wrist as if swinging a jump rope, focus on building a slow and steady jumping rhythm. Slowly build up your speed while controlling your jumping movements. The combination of speed and controlled movement will help you warm up effectively.

2. Push-ups

Boxers need strong shoulders and arms to be able to keep their arms up throughout a fight. To build this strength, focus on developing your push-up technique. If push-ups are easy enough, then aim to do more reps. If you struggle with push-ups, you can try modified push-ups where you keep your knees on the ground. Or you can try standing push-ups against a wall. Aim to do as many as you can in 1 minute. 

3. Sit-ups

Core strength is essential for good boxing form. One of the best ways to build core strength is through a series of modified sit-ups. Start with a regular sit-up, but at the top, throw four alternating punches. For the next rep, sit-up and twist to the left, punching out with your right arm. Return to a lying down position and then go the other way, twisting to the right and punching with your left arm. For the final rep, focus on slow and controlled sit-ups, which will become even more difficult as you get tired. This will help to strengthen your core muscles while also improving coordination. Repeat for 3 rounds of 8 reps.

4. Squat jumps

In addition to fancy footwork, boxers benefit from explosive strength. You can achieve this through plyometric-style training. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and then drop down into a deep squat. Focus on keeping your knees behind your toes and making sure your thighs are parallel to the ground. From here, jump into the air and land with soft knees. Repeat for 3 rounds of 8 reps.

5. Mountain climbers

If you want to get your heart rate up and torch calories, you need to make friends with the mountain climber exercise. You start this in a plank position with your hands planted firmly on the floor just a little bit wider than your shoulders. Kick one knee up towards your chest and then return to the start position. Alternate legs and then increase your speed until you are mimicking a running motion. Continue for 1 minute followed by 30 seconds rest. Repeat this 3 times.

6. Boxer burpees

Thought you’d got away with not doing the dreaded burpee? Think again! This military fitness favourite gets a boxing update with the addition of jabs at the top of every burpee. To do a burpee, start on your feet hip-width apart and then drop to your hands while simultaneously jumping your feet back into a plank. Lower yourself down to the floor with your arms, push back up and then jump your feet forward and return to a standing position. To make it a boxer burpee, do 4 jabs at the top of every burpee. Do as many as you can in one minute followed by 30 seconds of rest. Repeat 3 times. 

7. Shadow boxing

And finally, we get to the true boxing workout section of this routine. Once you’re at the end of your workout, you’ll likely be out of breath and ready to throw in the towel. This is when you need to bring your focus and determination to the fore. A shadow boxing routine involves punching the air in front of your while maintaining good form and stance. Try this routine for the final 5 minutes of your workout.

• Speed punch for 1 minute
• 40 jab and cross combos
• 40 jab, jab cross and hook combos
• Straight punches for 1 minute
• Speed punch for 1 minute

To summarise, your workout will look like this:

• Jump rope for 5 minutes (warm-up)
• Push-ups for 1 minute
• Rest for 1 minute
• Sit-ups for 3 rounds of 8 reps with 30-second rest between reps
• Squat-jumps for 3 rounds of 8 reps with 30-second rest between reps
• Rest for 1 minute
• Mountain climbers for 3 rounds of 1 minute with 30-second rest between rounds
• Boxer burpees for 3 rounds of 1 minute with 30-second rest between rounds
• Rest for 1 minute
• Shadowboxing 

In total, this workout should last around 30 minutes and will work out every part of your body that a boxer needs to focus on.