Boxing Workouts

British boxing is in the healthiest state that we have seen since Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn were the world’s finest middleweights. Froch vs. Groves II confirmed that anyone who doubted the revival of the sport in this country was sorely mistaken. Naturally, the result of that has been a dramatic increase in the participation numbers for boxing, as well as other combat sports.

In fact, boxing workouts themselves have increased in popularity too. I think anyone who has ever seen Rocky IV has dreamed that at some point in their life that they could workout just like a boxer does. Times have certainly changed since Rocky IV was released though and now people who have absolutely no intention to compete still utilise the physical benefits of boxing workouts.

So why choose to train like a boxer then? Well firstly it is a great way to add cardio to a workout without it feeling like a chore. I’ve spoken previously about the need for quality, high-intensity cardio training and boxing offers just that. Whether you are working the bag, skipping rope or sparring with a partner, almost every aspect of a boxer’s training will get your heartbeat going. Let’s face it, all that is far more enjoyable than just using a treadmill to meet your cardio needs.

Now obviously boxers use a lot of free weights to build strength but a lot of their training exercises do that too. So when you are hitting that bag you can be doing cardio and strength training both at the same time. And if we are honest, humans always love a two birds, one stone scenario!

Another event that did wonders for boxing in this country was the 2012 Summer Olympics. Not only did Britain’s men continue the tradition of winning but for the first time women were allowed to compete as well. And it got off to the best possible start with Nicola Adams bringing home the gold for GB. The days of combat sports being just for men is well and truly over, so now women can get just as much from them as men.

Getting involved really has never been easier. All over the country we are seeing boxing gyms emerging and even gyms without the right facilities are introducing boxercise classes to help use boxing methods in aiding fitness development.

It isn’t just boxing, lots of other combat sports are seeing similar surges in popularity. Everything from traditional martial arts like judo and karate, all the way to more modern inventions like MMA (mixed martial arts). MMA has grown especially rapidly as a result of the increased exposure of UFC on our television screens.

Boxing workouts can be done easily in the home too. You can start with just a set of gloves of pads! And if you have the space then a heavy bag can act as the most important piece of equipment in your whole training regime.

So whatever your age or gender you can get involved. If you need some variety in your workouts then boxing is perfect. Or if you need a way to keep your cardio interesting then look nowhere else.