Most professional boxers train at least 5 hours a day before they get ready for a fight. While getting to this level of intensity takes time and practice, there are many other workout routines that can perfectly supplement your boxing classes, especially if you’re a beginner.
Incorporating such supporting workouts make it easy for you to get in shape, increase strength, build posture, gain power and endurance to get better at this high-intensity, anaerobic sport. You can also get advice from your personal trainer regarding this, but here are 5 professionally recommended workout routines that can boost your progress in boxing classes.
Running And HIIT Strength
Boxing is a sport that demands high stamina. Running (roadwork) and HITT are common workouts that can help you increase stamina and get in great shape as well. Running as a workout routine should not be mistaken for normal jogging at a steady pace, instead you will have to sprint as hard as you can for a short amount of time or distance, take a break and repeat the same according to the number of sets you want. Here is an example of how you can follow this,
- A warm up jog of 1 mile
- A 600 meter sprint where you use 75% of your top speed. Then take 1 minute rest between each set.
- A 0.5 mile cool down jog.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts, on the other hand, perform as an excellent metabolic and cardiovascular conditioning tool that can supplement your boxing classes. Pushups, situps, lunges, crunches, jumping jacks, high knees, cable chops, squat, squat and press, overhead press, chest press and sprints are some great HITT workouts. The intensity practiced through HIIT workouts mimics the demands of boxing and trains your body to perform at its potential even when tired.
It’s best if you can incorporate running and HIIT workout routines for at least 2-3 days per week. It will develop a good body core to help you with your classes.
Mitt Work And Sparring
If you’re looking for a workout routine that can improve your skills in the ring then Mitt and Sparring workouts are the best choice. They are also more realistic to an actual fight than heavy bag boxing drills. Generally, this workout routine can supplement your boxing class by improving skills like power, speed, technique, offensive and defensive skills, fighting strategy, and footwork.
Well-choreographed mittwork can teach you how to slow down your speed to allow your feet, legs, core, and shoulders to coordinate well enough to deliver the most punch power with the minimal counterpunch exposure. When performed at its core, mittwork is a full-body workout routine that is easy on the joints. Practicing this workout routine for an hour can burn anywhere from 350-500 calories.
Sparring on the other hand allows you to understand boxing techniques related to distance, rhythm, and timing. With this workout routine you will learn how to control the distance between you and your opponent, how to break your opponent’s rhythm, and how to judge the timing of your opponent and know when exactly to strike a punch. Sparring is also a full body workout that mostly challenges your muscles and can burn upto 800 calories an hour.
Strength And Conditioning Workout
Boxing is a sport that requires speed, agility, strength , power, coordination and cardiovascular fitness. The main focus on strength and conditioning workout routines is to help you improve them rather than building muscles.
Boxers in general have to maintain a lean body without sacrificing strength, in order to be quick and light on their feet. Strengthening and conditioning exercises allows you to improve power and neuromuscular strength, which lets you make strong, efficient, and powerful punches without needing to have more muscle fibers.
This workout routine also helps you to prevent injuries at boxing classes and corrects muscle imbalances that you may develop from hours of punching heavy bags at your sessions. The calories you burn through this workout routine depends on your weight and the intensity you maintain. Pull ups and chin ups, push ups, jump rope, sprints, crunches, plans and leg lifts are some solid strengthening and conditioning workouts.
While these workout routines are generally safe for most, it’s always better to get advice from a personal trainer if you’re looking to achieve a specified fitness goal aside from learning boxing. If you face any health conditions that restrict you from doing the above-discussed routines, then it’s again best to seek professional advice before following these.
