Have you ever thought about taking up boxing, or at the very least, incorporating it into your workout?
If boxing isn’t already part of your exercise routine, it’s worth looking at adding it, as boxing comes with countless health and fitness benefits that will improve your strength and fitness, as well as your overall health and wellbeing.
Improved Cardiovascular Health/Fitness
We all know that cardio is essential for protecting yourself against heart disease, and to maintain your overall health and fitness. But, did you know that cardio doesn’t have to mean pounding the pavement for hours on end?
Boxing is an excellent form of exercise that challenges your body into making physiologic changes that accommodate higher levels of exercise. As long as you keep your heart rate up during your session, there’s no reason why you can’t kick and punch your way to a healthier you!
Enhanced Total Body Strength
During a boxing session, your upper body, lower body, and core will engage as you punch and kick the bag. You can also increase the intensity of your workout and how demanding it is on your muscles by incorporating strength training moves into your boxing session. It’s not uncommon for boxers to do squats, planks, push ups and weighted medicine ball exercises in between punches and kicks.
Stress Relief
The psychological benefits of boxing are aplenty, as punching a boxing bag is a great way to release any pent up tension, frustration, and anger. You can release any feelings of concern or negativity in a safe, controlled environment, leaving you feeling calm and relaxed afterwards.
Refined Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-eye coordination is something most us don’t really put much thought into. But did you know that people with good hand-eye coordination tend to have faster reflexes and reaction times, plus better physical coordination as a whole?
Improved hand-eye coordination is particularly beneficial later in life when coordination and balance become compromised. This is because boxing can help you improve your balance, which will in turn lower your risk of falls.
Boxing improves your hand eye coordination because it trains you to see a target, react to it, and hit it, all while the target is constantly moving and changing positions.
Burn Fat, While Increasing Muscle Mass
Boxing is a form of high intensity interval training (HIIT), so it effectively burns calories while you’re training, and will continue to do so for several hours after your training session has ended.
If you’re after a toned physique, boxing is the way to go. Not only will regular boxing increase your strength and stamina, it will also condition the muscles in your arms and shoulders, as well as your abs, so your fat will start to convert to muscle. You’ll also notice that the muscle gained through boxing is often leaner than muscle built through weight lifting, as the exercise is fast and repetitive, rather than slow and intense.
If you want to incorporate boxing into your workout, but don’t have all of the essential gear, check out our comprehensive range of boxing equipment here!