Get You in a Healthy Fighting Shape: 5 Boxing Exercises

Forget the movie Rocky, no matter how much you enjoyed it. Boxing has lost its old boy stigma and is becoming an up-and-coming workout for those who want to train their body and mind. It has nothing to do with getting hit in the face, and you don’t have to compete as a boxer to train as a boxer. Boxing training is a great way to whip your body into shape in a fun way that will always leave you looking forward to the next workout. The best part about boxing training is that you can do a lot of it without any equipment at all. You own body is your best workout equipment and the whole world is your gym. If you’re ready to try a high-intensity interval training boxing workouts, try these 5 boxing exercises.

Jump Rope

Get your muscles warm and twitching with this ultimate boxing workout. Grab yourself a rope and take a trip back to school. When doing a jump rope warm up, you should focus on staying light on your feet. Stay on the balls of your feet and focus on barely leaving the ground. Your arms will get a warm-up from keeping the momentum of the rope going. If you need to make this warm-up indoor/apartment friendly, just lose the rope. Jumping while simulating the arm movements is just as effective to get your muscles warm and ready for a workout.

Jump Squats

Many people assume that boxing is an upper body workout, but it actually works the entire body. To build explosive power in your lower half, learn to do an effective jump squat. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and lower yourself down into a squat. When your thighs are parallel to the ground, launch into a high jump. Land with soft legs to avoid hurting your knees. Try 3 rounds of 12 reps.

Russian Twists

Your core is essential to good boxing form. Keep it strong by working Russian twists into your workout routine. These exercises help to strengthen your core and make it possible to duck at weave while sparring. To do a Russian twist, sit on the floor and raise your feet off the ground so that you are balancing on your bum. Use a weight – a kettlebell or anything compact and weighty will do – and move it from the left side of your body to the right and back again. You don’t need to lift if very high, just high enough to clear your body. You should be twisting your upper body as you go and keeping your arms in the same position as much as possible. Try 3 rounds of 8-10 reps.

Straight Punches with Weight

Finally, a punching exercise in the boxing workout! Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a dumbbell in each hand. Grab a couple of cans of beans or a few bottles of water if you don’t have dumbbells. Start with both hands in front of your chest and throw one arm out in front of you like you would with a punch. Twist your arm as you reach the end of your punch so that your weight is parallel to the floor. Return your arm to the central position and do the same with the other arm. Repeat for 3 rounds of 20 reps.

Lateral band walks

Boxers need to be able to move with agility around the ring. This exercise helps to strengthen your leg muscles and allow you to make precise movements. Start with a resistance band around both legs just below the knee. Take 20 lateral steps to the right and then return to the left. If you want to amp up this exercise, you can drop into a squat in the middle of each step. Make it easier by moving the resistance band to just above your knee or trying a lower resistance.

Put all of the exercises above together into a 30 minute home workout to help burn calories and tone your muscles. Every exercise on this list will help you in your pursuit to become a better boxer, but remember that everyone has to start somewhere. Building a strong foundation is a great way to prevent injury and ensure you can make the most of sparring practice.