What Does A Boxing Workout Consist Of?

Written by Austin in Boxing Equipment GuidesLast Updated September 23, 2022

Adopting a boxing style workout is a great way to ensure you include cardio and strength training to your daily workouts. After all, boxers need to be able to potentially fight 12 rounds at an optimum level so their endurance, speed and strength needs to reflect that. So what does a boxing workout consist of?

Like most exercise routines, a boxing workout consists of warm up and cool down exercises along with the main workout. They’re typically structured as cardio workouts, boxing and strength training and finishing with core exercises. Training like a boxer is a great way to get a full body workout, with most exercises hitting different areas of your fitness needs.

Workouts like these are perfect for those that like to train from home. Workouts can be done without relying on any equipment. Aside from boxing gloves and punching bag, you should be able to meet your needs with just calisthenic exercises.

Warm Ups For Boxing

Before any type of exercise, you should include some type of warm up exercise. Giving your body a chance to prepare physically and mentally goes along way in preventing injuries, getting oxygen to your muscles and overall readiness for whatever you having coming.

Typically warm up exercises do not have to be long or extravagant. If you like to take your time, 10 -15 minutes would be enough loosen up your body and elevate your heart rate.

Lets look at some areas that your exercises need to cover.

Cardio. Elevating your heart rate is essential in all forms of warm up exercises. A higher heart rate means more blood being pumped in to your muscles and therefore allowing them to get more oxygen.

Stretches. Loosening the muscles and warming them up gives your body the chance to get prepared. Starting intense exercises with no warm up allows a higher chance of causing injury or pulling a muscle. Keep them simple in the beginning, and ease yourself into it.

Warm Up Exercise Examples

  • Arm circles
  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • Burpees
  • 10 minute jog
  • Jumping jacks
  • Body twists

It’s also a good idea to having your warm up contain some boxing elements. Having a speed bag or reflex bag are good methods in warming up your arms. They also help get you mentally prepared for some boxing and at the same time work on coordination skill.

boxing workouts

The Boxing Workout

This is the time to get your fitness on. Although you may not be training for an actual fight, you may still want to train as if you were. This is a great time to work on skills as a boxer, such as boxing combos, speed, footwork and so on. The differentOne way to structure your workouts is by breaking it up into rounds, just like a boxing match. 3 minutes of intense exercise and 1 minute rest. Make it a 12 round match filled with different workouts and you got yourself routine.

Boxing Footwork. Footwork is an important skill for any fighter. Being smooth and swift when moving around a ring is a smart way to elevate yourself from the competition. Having this mindset should be no different when it comes to personal fitness. Being light on your feet through these types of exercises helps with mobility and reflex in your everyday life.

Boxing Combos. Learning some basic punch combinations and advancing from that could really help fill out your workout routine. Not to mention they will make your boxing workout more entertaining then just throwing the same punches over and over again. As you build more punches into your arsenal and work on foot movement. Your boxing workouts elevate and become more intense.

Strength Training. Incorporating some muscle building exercises into the boxing workout brings it all to another level. Push ups or sit ups in between boxing combos, burpees for a full 3 minutes. Not only brings the full body workout into play, but can help build the explosiveness, endurance and agility you typically won’t get in a single session.

Boxing Workout Examples

  • Heavy Bag Work
  • Shadowbox
  • Footwork
  • Boxing Combinations
  • Hand Eye Coordination
  • Heavy Weights
  • Reflex Bag
boxing exercises consist of

Cooling Down After A Boxing Workout

Just like warming up your body before an exercise. It’s important to have a cool down period with light exercises to help regulate yourself again. Stopping abruptly in an exercise and then continuing with your regular day would likely cause more harm then good.

Doing some light stretches or ab workouts is a good way to allow your muscles to gradually get back to a normal state rather than going from high intensity and straight to resting. Including specific stretch exercises targeting the most effected muscles of the workout and coupling it with light ab work such as planks. Are perfect examples of how you can cool down from an exercise.

“Stretching also makes many people feel better during and after exercise and in some people decreases muscle pain and stiffness.”

Richard Stein, M.D., professor of cardiology in the Department of Medicine at New York University www.heart.org

Take a walk. Walk it off. Taking a walk around the gym or preferably outside for the fresh air, keeps you body moving and allows you to catch your breath. Finding ways to stay mobile and engaged at a less intense level is a good practice to help your body return to a more relaxed state.

Stretch. One known way to help prevent muscle stiffness or cramping is by stretching after a workout. With your muscles still being warm while stretching, helps reduce lactic acid build up. Stretching and holding for 8-10 seconds should be sufficient. Just make sure you thoroughly stretch all areas of your body after an intense full body workout.

Stationary Exercises. It is ok to do some light exercises after a workout. Just make sure they are significantly less intense than the actual workout. These are perfect times to do some planks and other assorted ab workouts. Focusing on your core is an important part for any boxer. It also allows the other parts of your body to slowly relax.

Cool Down Exercises

  • Walk
  • Side leg kicks
  • Planks
  • Full body stretches

Conclusion

If you looking for a fun, intense, full body workout. Give a boxing themed workout a go. Very few workouts allow you to learn a skill as well as you progress. It’s also a type of workout for those who get bored easily from any one exercise. Given the amount of options you have you typically wouldn’t have to do any one workout the same way.

Needing minimal equipment and the ability to essentially workout anywhere is a big bonus for those on the go or with limited amount of space.

If you’re looking for more strength training to go along with your boxing exercise. Calisthenics is my top choice to work into your schedule. Because they are bodyweight exercises, it matches better with a boxing workout rather than walking from machine to machine for weighted strength training.

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