BOXING-INSPIRED WORKOUT

Boxing is not an endurance sport - It’s a sport of repeated high-intensity intervals. When competing, boxers will spend 60-80% of the time with their heart rate (hr), above 90% of their heart-rate-max (hrm). When the hr is above 90% of our hrm, we are in ‘The Red Zone’. A boxing-inspired workout will naturally focus on increasing our aerobic capacity and building a tolerance to the build-up of lactate, i.e. “the burn”! 

 

MOBILITY

Regardless of what workout you’re following, starting with some mobility and movement prep is simply good practise for longevity and maintaining range of movement through the joints, like the hips and shoulders. Three-ideas:

 

1. Walkout, with toe taps.

Description: from standing, walk yourself out on your hands to a press-up position. Reach with your hand to the opposite foot and lengthen the hamstrings momentarily. Walk yourself back up to standing - This will also activate the shoulders.

2. Eagle spreads

Description: lie on your side, arms out straight (away from the body), with palms together. Peel the top arm back behind your shoulder, while bringing the top knee up to waist-height, this will loosen your lower lumbar and allow for ease of rotation. 

3. World’s greatest stretch

Description: In press-up position, bring your left foot up to your left hand. Remove your left hand from the floor and lower your left elbow towards the ground to open up your hip and inner-thigh. Then unravel your left arm as you rotate your left hand up towards the ceiling. The rotation opens up the front of the shoulders (i.e. your wingspan), yours chest and the glutes. Repeat on the right side.

 

HEART-RATE RAISER

 Format: 2mins 30 secs ON / 1min OFF - AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)

The rationale is that boxers train for a round and have one minute’s rest.

 

20 Plank Jacks

10 Drop-Squats

5 Sprawlers (I.e. burpees without chest-to-floor)

Repeat the round as many times as possible

The next phase gets the pulse rate up and gets blood moving to all parts of the body, preparing soft tissue, while getting muscles wiring and firing together. We want to end this phase with our heart rate at 90% max, but start with 70% effort and build-up to 90-95%.

SPRINTS

 

 

Format: 20 secs ON / 20 secs OFF

Repeat 6-times

 

Intensity forces adaptations and building the ability to deploy a burst of high-intensity movement is very necessary in boxing. This type of training also improves muscle buffering, or in lay terms this improves the ability to mop up acid levels when the muscle burns!

Using. Treadmill, a skillmill, an assault bike or a versa-climber, the idea is simply to sprint at minimum 90% effort for 20 secs and rest for 20 secs, repeating this x6 times in total.

 

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

50% of your punching power is from your legs, 30% from your core and trunk, with the remaining 20% from your shoulders and arms.

 

Format: 40 secs ON / 20 secs OFF

1 Round = 5-exercises

Do x2 Rounds minimum

Exercises:

1. Kettlebell swings (choose your weight)
2. Squat jumps (bodyweight)
3. Burpees (bodyweight)
4. Punches (1-2 kg dumbbells)
5. Bent-over rows (best use a barbell of 10-40 kg)

Repeat the round twice (minimum)

CORE

Your core is not just the muscular conduit between your legs and your arms, but a strong core maintains the balance of all your bodyweight above the legs and allows you to shift your bodyweight behind your punches more powerfully and efficiently. 

 

Format: 2mins 30 secs ON / 1min OFF - AMRAP

30 Russian twists (rotational core targeting the side of your waist)

20 Ankle taps (lying down, “supine”)

10 Plank switches (rotational force resistance)

Repeat with different exercises

 

5-10mins cooldown at no more than 65% effort, tapering off to 30-40% effort by the end, using a treadmill, a rower, a bicycle. 

 Activation promotes motivation. Live the story you want to tell.