Boxing - the New Fitness Regime?
By WLR Staff, by Kelly Olsen
If you think boxing is only for rough tough men then you are wrong.
Boxing is becoming one of the most popular fitness regimes. If you are looking to lose weight through cardio vascular workout and become strong, lean and toned then boxing is definitely for you – and it’s great fun!
What’s Boxing all About?
It’s not about punching away at a lonely punch bag. It's a very sociable sport and it’s very social and most classes are run so that you have a partner and tend to work in circuits. This means that you face someone and throw combination punches which they block in some way with padded gloves or a padded shield. Then you swap and you block theirs.
Both activities require effort and burn calories. Punches include ‘Hooks’ which are to the side, ‘jabs’ which are straight forward punches and upper cuts which are punches upwards.
What are the Benefits of Boxing?
Definitely weight loss. Your coordination will improve and so will the tone of your body including the bottom and thigh area as you tend to be on your toes during the activity. And don’t worry you won’t get a mass of rippling muscles, the moves are highly repetitive which equals tone not bulk.
Many people think that boxing is mostly about arms, but it is an excellent cardio vascular workout for the whole body. An extra benefit is how great and empowered you feel after a work out.
Summary
Boxing for fitness is not an easy ride; it’s pretty hard work, but worth it. Even the warm up and cool down includes squats and abdominal work and as always you can work at your own pace. Picking up the technique is relatively straightforward and instructors say that women pick up the moves quicker than most men.
So if you are looking for rapid tone and weight loss then boxing is worth taking a look at.
In gyms they are sometimes advertised as boxing circuits or boxercise. More recently there are boxing only gyms springing up with a full ring – might be worth checking out. Try a class to see…
If it's rapid tone and weight loss you're after then boxing is something you should definitely check out. It is quite a full on work-out though, and isn't for everyone. Just go along to a taster class with a partner and see what you think.
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