A good training regime should be rigorous in order to mimic the intensity of the ring. In addition, a range of specific skills are needed to hold your own, and a variety of exercise programs to match these skills will increase endurance, strength and agility.
Whether you are ready for a more complex training program, or you’ve finished your amateur apprenticeship and are looking to turn turning professional, adding diversity to your regime could give you the edge.
Cardio Workout For Endurance
Sparring is key to becoming a good boxer, and it may at first appear that the arms should be the focus of a boxing workout. Certainly, the upper body is used for technical aspects, including landing punches, but the lower body provides balance and power. An elliptical machine provides a good cardio workout to develop your entire body in one session.
You can find out more info about the best cardio equipment and elliptical machines on review sites and through recommendations. Ellipticals are particularly effective as they prepare the body to not only to throw a punch, but also to keep moving for longer with speed and agility around your opponent. As a low impact workout, it won’t aggravate any minor injuries caused by stress on joints, and, as a weight resistance exercise too, will help to build bone density.
Jump Rope For Agility
Jumping rope is a classic warm-up exercise for boxing that provides a great cardio workout for your heart. There are, however, many other benefits to skipping that will provide you with greater agility, improved coordination and precise footwork.
Jump rope also helps boxers develop explosive power in the legs, enabling you to move faster and respond quickly to unpredictable challenges in the ring.
Weights To Increase Strength
There is some dispute over the benefits of weight lifting, with some boxers seeing it only as a way to build heavy muscle rather than increase strength. Muscle requires more oxygen and blood-flow than fat, and too much muscle gain could push you into a different weight class.
However, if undertaken as a complementary exercise just two or three times a week, it can also improve muscular endurance and power. Instead of simply gaining muscle, compound movements like squats and dead lifts work more of the body in one movement. Other simple body weight exercises such as lunges and squats are also good for developing strength.
Boxing is a whole body sport, requiring strength, endurance and agility. By including specific exercises in your training program, it is possible to improve each of these areas individually. At the same time, whole body cardio workouts that use a range of muscles can help prepare more fully for every aspect of a challenging round in the ring.
