Boxing Workouts

Is Boxing A Good Way To Get In Shape?

Yes, boxing is a great way to get in shape because with boxing techniques you can tone your whole body while learning a new skill. Boxing is more relevant today than ever because it's a sport, a workout, and a lifestyle. You can train at home by yourself or with a partner.

In this post, we will go over 6 boxing drills taught by FightCamp trainers. Not only can you learn to train like a fighter, you can look like one too.

Boxer's Stance 

Decide which hand you will use as your dominant hand. That will determine which stance you will be using.

• Orthodox Stance

Your left leg and arm are in front, and the right hand is dominant.

• Southpaw Stance

Your right leg and arm are the lead, and the left hand is dominant.

It’s recommended to practice your stance on a straight line to get used to where your foot positioning is.

First, take the toe on your lead foot and place it on a line. Then take the heel of your back foot and place it on the other side of the line, so both feet are parallel. The lead shoulder should be pointing towards the front, and the rear shoulder pointing towards the back of the room. Your knees should be slightly bent, and both of your hands are up guarding your face.

Boxing Drills For Beginners (Video Link)

1. Jab-Cross-Jab to the Body

• Extend your front arm in a jab
• Follow with your back arm in a cross
• Bend your knees and drop down for the jab to the body--don’t punch down with straight legs
• Bring your hands back to your face

2. Cross-Lead Hook-Cross-Step Back-Cross

• Start with a cross punch (rear punch)
• Follow up with a lead hook
• Come back with a cross
• Step back, bring your hands back to guard your face, and finish with a cross

Rotate your hips during your punches. It’s important in this boxing drill not to step so far back that you can’t reach your target. Make sure both feet are on the ground when you counter with your cross.

Boxing Drills Heavy Bag (Video Link)

3. Jab Pyramid

In this home boxing drill, you will go through a three-minute round of jab pyramid.

• Throw one jab punch
• Reset
• Throw two jabs
• Reset

Keep increasing your jabs after each reset until you reach ten. Then work your way back down the pyramid until you reach one. This equals one rotation.

The goal for the round is to get through the pyramid rotations twice before the round is over.

Shadow Boxing Drills

4. Slip Lead-Slip Rear-Roll Lead-Roll Rear-Step Back-Step Forward

• Do a slip to your lead side
• Then do a slip to your rear side
• Follow up with a roll to your lead side
• Then do a roll to your rear side

Repeat for 3 minutes.

5. Jab-Cross-Hook

• Fully extend your arm out into a jab, rotating your punching hand
• Bring your arm back
• Extend your other arm with your cross, rotating your hand out
• Follow up with a hook; turn your hip towards the direction you’re punching

Repeat for 3 minutes.

6. Jab-Cross-Hook-Slip Lead-Slip Back-Roll Lead-Roll Back

This drill is a combination of the first two drills.

• Fully extend your arm out into a jab, rotating your punching hand
• Bring your arm back
• Extend your other arm with your cross, rotating your hand out
• Follow up with a hook; turn your hip towards the direction you’re punching
• Continue with a slip to your lead side
• Then a slip to your rear side
• Follow up with a roll to your lead side
• Then do a roll to your rear side

Repeat for 3 minutes.

There you have it! These are six boxing drills you can do for an at-home boxing workout for beginners. Learn more drills and improve your skills by checking out more video tutorials from FightCamp trainers that will whip you into shape and help you unleash your inner fighter.

How Do I Get In Shape For Boxing Fast?

If you want to get in shape for boxing fast, you will need to adopt a training regimen and a boxer’s diet. Boxers eat 5 to 6 small meals a day to fuel and nourish their bodies. It’s important to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. A boxer has a clean eating plan that consists of:

• Lean Protein - Chicken, Tuna, Seafood, Eggs, Egg whites, Greek Yogurt
• Low Glycemic Carbohydrates – Sweet potatoes, Beans, Oats, Brown rice
• Vegetables – Leafy greens. Beets, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts
• Fruits – Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Grapefruit, Bananas
• Healthy Fats – Nuts, Seeds, Avocado, Nut Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil

When you combine boxing training and a healthy boxer’s diet then you will be able to get the body of a boxer.

Warm Up Like a Champ

Three-time welterweight champ Antonio "the Tijuana Tornado" Margarito suggests implementing a series of stretches to prime the muscles before hitting the ring.

Complete each motion 12 to 15 times for enhanced mobility before you hit the bags.

Upper Body

Arm circles: Draw large circles with your arms, first in a forward motion, then backward.

Crossovers: Swing both arms out to your sides and then cross them in front of your chest.

Core

Shoulder slumps: Tuck your chin toward your chest, drop your shoulders, and bring your chest slightly forward. Next, pull your shoulders back, raise your chin, and lift your chest while arching your back slightly.

Lower Body

Hip circles: With your hands on your hips, spread your feet beyond shoulder-width apart. Move your hips clockwise in a circle, then counterclockwise. Repeat with your arms extended out to your sides.

3 Basic Boxing Punches

Now, onto the punches. The three basic ones are:

1. Jab Punch

This is the lead hand punch thrown straight ahead with your nondominant hand. It’s not a power punch but instead is used to set up other punches.

“When in your boxing stance, it’s the closest hand to your opponent so you will use it the most,” says Strout.

Need an example? Boxers with a good jab include Larry Holmes, Ike Quartey, Muhammad Ali, and Gennady Golovkin. Cue up YouTube and start studying.

2. Cross Punch

The cross is thrown with the rear, dominant hand, which is farthest away from your target. It’s also thrown straight but much more powerfully, using your legs and torso to generate force.

You rarely lead with the cross unless you’re countering an opponent’s punch. Boxers with a good cross include Thomas Hearns, Sergey Kovalev, Deontay Wilder, and Manny Pacquiao.

3. Hook Punch

These can be done with either hand, but you should focus more on the hook done with the lead (nondominant) hand (hooks done with the other hand can leave you more vulnerable).

Unlike the others, this isn’t a straight punch: Its aim is to come at your target from the side, using your hips and legs for power. “The hook travels out from your shoulder and turns in toward your target halfway through the punch,” Strout explains.

“Don’t let your elbow travel out wider than your shoulder, nice and compact, and return it the same way you throw it.” Boxers with good hooks include Joe Frazier, Felix Trinidad, Oscar de la Hoya, and Mike Tyson.

Once you’ve got the individual punches, you need to put them together. Common combinations include:

• Jab-cross
• Jab-cross-hook
• Jab-jab-cross
• Jab-hook-cross
• Cross-hook-cross
• Hook-cross-hook
• Jab-cross-hook-cross
• Jab-cross-jab-cross-hook-hook

Boxing Workout 1

Warmup:

• 10 minutes jump rope
• 20 squats
• 20 pushups
• 40 crunches

Shadow Boxing:

• 3-minute round: Basic jab, cross, and hook punches
• Rest 30 seconds
• x5

Heavy Bag Workout: Basic Combinations

• 3-minute round
• Rest 30 seconds
• x5

If you’re new to this kind of intensity, do three rounds, not five, and give yourself a minute rest between them. “Pace yourself,” Strout says. “Don’t go all out in the first 20 seconds, then stop: Keep punching the bag even if you’re just touching it.”

Finisher:

• 100 pushups
• 100 squats
• 200 sit-ups
• Rest as little as possible

Boxing Workout 2

Warmup:

• 50 jumping jacks
• 50 jump lunges
• 1 minute run in place
• 10 pushups
• 10 squats
• 10 lunges
• 5 minutes shadow boxing
• Rest as little as possible
• Rest 30 seconds

Footwork Drills:

2 minutes side steps:

1. Start In your boxing stance, take 10 quick steps to the left, then 10 steps right, side to side.
2. When moving to the right, push off the left foot, and when moving left, push off the right foot.

Rest: 30 seconds

2 minutes forward and back steps:

1. In boxing stance, take 10 quick steps forward and 10 steps back, back and forth.
2. When moving forward, push off back foot, and when moving backwards, push off front foot.

Rest: 30 seconds

2 minutes box steps:

1. In boxing stance, move 6 steps forward, 6 steps right, 6 steps back, 6 steps left. ‘
2. Switch direction after four squares.
3. Focus on pushing off the correct leg.

Rest: 30 seconds

2 minutes circle drill A:

1. Put something on the floor to use as your center point.
2. In boxing stance, step using your technique to make a complete circle around the object, then reverse the circle.
3. “Always make sure you stay in your stance and your lead leg is pointing in the direction of the center,” says Strout. “This is to train you on moving away from an opponent.”

Rest: 30 seconds

2 minutes circle drill B:

1. Using the same center point, face away from it, keeping your back to it the whole time.
2. Start in your stance and complete full circles in each direction. “This trains you on stalking a moving opponent,” says Strout.

Finisher:

• 10 minutes jump rope as cooldown

Boxing Workout 3

Warmup:

• Jog 20 minutes

Shadow Boxing:

• 3-minute round
• x5

Rest: 30 seconds

Bag Workout:

• 3-minute round on heavy bag
• x3
• 3-minute round on speed bag
• x3

Conditioning:

• For 3 minutes, do:
• 10 pushups
• 10 jump squats
• x3

Rest: 1 minute

Finisher:

• 200 situps

Boxing Workout 4

Warmup:

• 20 minutes jump rope, varying speed

Shadow Boxing/Conditioning:

• 1-minute round shadow boxing, focusing on speed
• x8

Rest: 30 seconds

20-yard sprint OR 10 burpees

• 20 seconds shadow boxing
• x10

Conditioning:

• 10 minutes jump rope

Finisher:

• 5 pushups, focusing on speed
• x10

Rest: 30 seconds

Boxing Workout 5

Warmup:

• 3 minutes fast jump rope
• x4

Rest: 30 seconds

Shadow boxing:

• 3-minute round: Work basic jab, cross, and hook punches
• 30 pushups as “rest”
• x4

Heavy Bag Workout:

• 3-minute rounds, as follows

Round 1: jabs only

Rest: 30 seconds

Round 2: double jab-cross

Rest: 30 seconds

Round 3: jab-cross-hook

Rest: 30 seconds

Round 4: any four punches

Rest: 30 seconds

Round 5: any punch combination, with 180-degree semi-circles around bag between combos

Rest: 30 seconds

Round 6: non-stop punching at 60% of full power. Focus on rotation of the body and using the legs.

Rest: 30 seconds

Then:

• 20 hard hooks, lead hand
• 20 hard crosses
• 40 quality jabs

Finisher:

• 200 situps
• 20 pullups
• 40 lunges

The Knockout Workouts

1. Fight Off the Shadows

Your coach: Gideon Akande, Men's Health Top Trainer and Golden Gloves champ

Perfect your strikes on air with some shadowboxing. That way, you'll know how to punch and string together punch combinations before you start pounding away at the bag. Men's Health top trainer Gideon Akande explains the basic punches you'll use in the ring.

Shadow Boxing

Jab: A quick punch using your forward hand (left for righties, right for southpaws)

Cross: A punch across your body from the back hand (right for righties, left for southpaws)

Hook: A sweeping strike from across the body using either hand (not demonstrated above, but used in the other workouts below)

Uppercut: A punch upward using power from your hips to strike with either hand.

Start shadowboxing by stringing together punch combos for 30 seconds to one minute. For an extra challenge, hold 2.5 lb. or 5 lb. weights for the drill. Strike for 3 to 5 rounds, resting for a minute between each one.

2. The Golden Gloves Speed and Power Circuit

You'll need more than just punches to get in fighting shape. Add a rope, slam ball, speed ladder, and box to push your conditioning up to the next level.

Perform 3 to 5 rounds, resting 2 minutes in between rounds

• Jump Rope: 60 seconds
• Overhead Ball Slam: 10 reps
• Ladder Drill: 60 seconds
• Box Jump: 10 reps
• Shadow Box: 90 seconds

3. Power Punches

Your coach: Mike Tyson

Whether you're facing Muhamed Ali in a ring or a 75-pound bag in your basement, the same rules apply: "Once you're warmed up, you should be throwing each punch at full blast,"Tyson, a former Heavyweight Champion, is all about intensity .

Grow your intensity: Clock each round at 3 minutes, resting 1 minute between rounds. With each round, you'll add one punch to your sequence.

Punches per round:

• 1. Warmup. Strike the bag at 50 percent with a variety of punches
• 2. Up your power to full strength and launch jabs
• 3. Jab, throw a cross, and repeat
• 4. Jab, cross, hook, repeat
• 5. Jab, cross, hook, uppercut, repeat
• 6. Jab, cross, hook, uppercut, body punch, repeat

4. Punch and Pull

Your coach: George Foreman III, EverybodyFights founder

Use light dumbbells and a stretch band with a handle to balance out your strikes and build punching power with this drill.

Run through six cycles of the exercises described above to simulate three rounds of heavy boxing work.

5. Under the Line

Use a slack line for this workout, or just imagine one for the purposes of the drill. You'll be shifting and squatting under the line, so a good stance is key.

Hold 2.5 lb. or 5 lb. weights and advance back and forth down the line for a minute straight, throwing crosses and left hooks. Then, rip through 30 air squats right away. Perform the whole series six times to mimic the action you might face during two 3-minute rounds in the ring.

6. Middleweight Lightning Hands

Your coach: Michael Olajide Jr.

Shadowboxing allows you to rack up high reps without the resistance of a bag to slow your punches. "You'll tone your shoulders, back, and core, which will help you throw faster punches," Olajide said.

Hit on beat Play five songs that have strong rhythms and last 3 to 4 minutes each. On every fourth beat (count out loud to keep yourself on track), unleash one of the punch combinations below, and then bring your hands back to your starting stance before the next beat. The shifting tempo of some tracks may require you to punch continuously until the song slows.

Combos for each song:

• 1. Left jab, left jab, right cross
• 2. Right cross, left jab, right uppercut
• 3. Left body punch, right body punch, left uppercut
• 4. Right uppercut, right cross, left hook
• 5. Right cross, left hook, right hook

Alexander "The Great" Enriquez