5 Areas to Focus On During Boxing Workouts

Boxing has grown exponentially beyond the ring and it is very common to find this sport being practiced in gyms across the nation. Boxing has grown in popularity as a result of its effectiveness as a workout with many people reaping massive benefits of participating in the activity.

As it targets the entire body, the benefits you are likely to enjoy from taking up boxing include improved agility and balance, coordination, and cardio-respiratory strength. It has also proven effective in allowing participants to lose a significant amount of weight as it requires constant movement. Boxing provides an intensive full-body workout and below are the 5 areas that benefit the most from workouts.

1. Chest, back and shoulders

Moderate to heavy workout on the punching bag will enhance the growth in the chest, back and shoulders. Every single punch that you throw calls for precision and strength, the very same qualities that are used in training with heavy equipment. This is the main reason why boxers tend to have very well-developed upper torsos.

2. Boosts mental performance

There are a host of benefits that your mind gets from boxing. It conditions the mind to be an excellent stress buster so instead of taking your work-related stress home with you, you can opt to take out your frustrations at the gym during a boxing workout.

In addition, boxing enhances your confidence and your sense of self-worth as you learn the skills necessary to successfully defend yourself if ever you are threatened with harm. You will also become good at managing anger issues because although boxing is a combat sport, it still takes discipline and good technique to be successful.

3. Abdomen

Boxing exerts a lot of pressure on the abdominal area during workouts and it is a guaranteed way of building muscle in this area within a relatively short period of time. The exercises allow you to burn fat faster than you would with more traditional abdominal exercises. Depending on your weight and workout style, it is not just your stomach fat that will disappear.

Movements like burpees done during the boxing workout rapidly increase the heart rate. If you to combine this with a short period of rest, you create the ideal conditions for your entire system to be on fat-burning mode and you will notice weight loss in other areas as well.

4. Improved hand-eye coordination

Though its importance is often downplayed, hand-eye coordination plays a very important role in the overall performance of your body. It is vital in improving finer motor skills and with good eye-hand coordination, you will find that your reaction time and reflexes are greatly improved. Your entire physical coordination will be vastly enhanced which is of great importance as you age and tend to slow down.

The best way to hone your hand-eye coordination is by the use of a speed bag. A speed bag is a light punching bag that is hung from a disc and bounces and turns very fast each time it is punched. Also, you could get into a sparring contest with a suitable partner to enhance your hand-eye coordination.

Using padded mitts, your partner will enhance your skills by constantly shifting their position each time you throw a punch. Your role will be to try and score as many hits as possible within the shortest period of time. The more you are able to see, react, and hit the target, the more your coordination improves.

5. Great for your heart

As you throw your punches, your body muscles contract and relax rapidly. As a result of all this intensive activity, your heart is forced to work harder to ensure that the muscles are well supplied with blood and oxygen for optimal performance. In this way, your heart gets the workout it needs for improved cardiovascular well-being. This in itself is good for your overall health as cardiovascular fitness helps you to avoid heart-related complications and hypertension.

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