A great thing about training in boxing or other MMA disciplines, is that its not always necessary to have a gym full of equipment to get a proper workout in. There are various exercises you can take advantage of in the comfort of your living room. In this article, we will look at some exercises that focus on different areas of your body that help you get a boxing exercise at home with no equipment.
Boxing is a great exercise that you can complete a decent workout with or without equipment. Boxing is a sport that focus’ on agility, strength and endurance. There are numerous ways that you can deploy a workout routine that requires no equipment, in fact to improve in boxing, many workouts are focused on different areas of your body that do not require typical boxing movements, that help in your overall boxing technique.
Shadowboxing
The first and maybe most obvious form of a boxing exercise with no equipment would be shadowboxing.
Shadowboxing is typically done infront of a mirror, but the mirror is not a necessity. The mirror helps you better visualize your target and gives a feel of a real fight. It is also effective if you want to work on your form and address any problem areas you were not already aware of.
Why Shadow Box
Shadowboxing, either in front of a mirror or imagining an opponent in the open space in front of you. Is great way to get a work out in at your convenience. The intensity is entirely up to you, and being a full body workout, you can get some cardio and muscle toning in one shot.
This would be the time to really focus on how your body moves and feels when doing so. Make adjustments if you’re not moving fast enough, or if the flow is a bit awkward.
From a training stand point, this is where you train your body to recognize what you want to do while boxing or whichever MMA discipline you chose.
The repetitive motion familiarizes your body with your movements making them gradually feel more natural and intentional.
ShadowBoxing Exercise
Before you begin shadowboxing, you will need to make sure to clear up some space in the room you will be exercising in. Have enough space where you can comfortably take 2 steps in any direction, preferably about 5 x 5 feet as a minimum. The space you need will depend on the amount of movement you plan on doing.
If you’re a beginner at this, I would suggest to start with your foot work first. Begin in a boxing stance with your body slightly turned from the target, with your feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent.
From here, practice moving your lead foot up a step, followed by the rear foot without crossing the two. Take a few minutes and practice moving forwards, backwards and side to side. When you start feeling comfortable with this, incorporate a slight bounce to your stance. And when moving, instead of simply stepping in a direction, put a little bounce with it, kind of like a very mini hop.
You can now add some head movement along with some jabs and some hooks. Remember to imagine an opponent in front of you and play out a boxing match between you and them as if it were real life.
I’ve linked a video below where they will guide you through the routine completely.
Core Workouts
Most, if not all boxing type workouts have an emphasis on working out your core or abs. Strengthening your mid section gives more power to your punches, the ability to move quicker as well as absorbing hits from your opponent.
The good news is that most of these workouts require zero equipment. A yoga mat would be all you need along with some space on the floor.
You could probably get away with doing sit ups everyday, but if you’re anything like me, that gets boring really fast. You also would not be taking advantage of various parts of the mid section that you should be strengthening and giving a proper work out to.
Core Workout Exercises
When focusing on working out your core, there are a few areas to look at. For starters, you should participate in exercises that work on your upper and lower abs, as well as your obliques. Boxing goes very well with these exercise as you are able to incorporate elements to many core workouts.
A complete 12 minute core workout is linked below that you can follow along.
Boxing Footwork
Considered one of the most important skill to have as a boxer. Working on footwork, which involves steps and pivots that transition into punches, is something that will require no equipment to train with. Equipment would enter the picture if you were looking to strengthening your leg muscles specifically.
Consistently working on your foot work will overall improve every aspect of your boxing skills. The reason being for this is that how your feet move and are positioned, directly correlates to how fast you are, and your ability to bob and weave as well as rotate your body when punching.
As you get better and more comfortable with your foot movement, you will start to feel your boxing form feel more natural.
Boxing Footwork Exercises
When working on your footwork, there is not really any equipment that would help your movement. More so only for strength.
You can try using an agility ladder that could be laid on the floor or painters tape to mark out your footwork area.
Of course this is not totally necessary, however having visual sections that you can use will help train your body on how the feeling will be when done properly. Letting the muscle memory kick in and be more natural.
This video linked her from Precision Striking gives you a simple exercise you can complete at home.
Conclusion
Boxing and the related exercises is so effective because you can do it pretty much any where with and without equipment. A complete boxing workout hits many areas of your body and is considered a full body work out.
Whether your just starting to build your home gym or need to get a quick workout in but have no gym equipment close by. Boxing exercises is a great way to keep fit while having fun.
