Boxing is a combat sport that has been performed since before the founding of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece. It’s been used to prepare people for striking competitions as well as general physical training. Everyone understands that boxing training is extremely beneficial to one’s entire physical fitness. However, there are several advantages to boxing training that go beyond the physical, such as improved mental health and general well-being.
As a type of exercise, it has recently grown in popularity. People who box for fitness typically use a punching bag to minimize direct contact, which can cause concussions and other injuries. Boxing for fitness, on the other hand, retains the benefits of the sport.
Movement and footwork drills to avoid blows, as well as striking drills on heavy bags, speed bags, and focus mitts, are all part of a typical boxing workout. Boxing may also be done virtually with the use of movement sensors and gaming systems.
People start boxing for a number of reasons, including improving their general fitness, pursuing a career in fighting, or learning self-defence. And, whatever your reason for picking up a pair of gloves, there are some benefits of boxing training that everyone can enjoy, from serious gym members to casual fitness aficionados. If you’re considering taking up boxing or are currently a boxer and want to learn more about how it affects your body and mind, keep reading to learn more about the advantages of boxing training.
- Strengthening Your Whole Body
Of course, it’s obvious that professional boxers at the top of their game are quite powerful; you’d have to be to hit a KO. But have you considered how much strength you utilise in your workouts?Whether you’re sparring, pounding a punching bag, running circuits, or practising your footwork, you’re tapping into your body’s stores of strength. When you consider that the average punching bag weighs roughly 25kg and that you may be striking it hundreds of times throughout a training session, you can realise how much strength is required for boxing training.And the amazing thing about boxing training is that you grow stronger at the same time as you expend strength to finish each exercise. Almost every boxing training practise will increase your overall strength, from your arms and core to your glutes and legs.
- Improved cardio vascular health
During a training session or a boxing match, boxers must be able to engage in many bursts of high-intensity action. The sport is a type of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that can force your body to repeat intense bursts of exertion.A lower risk of heart disease has been linked to high intensity interval exercise.Boxing can also help you enhance your cardiovascular fitness. In fact, boxer ranks were shown to be strongly connected with heart health indicators in one research.So, whatever activities you perform while exercising, as long as they keep your heart rate up, you’ll be improving your cardiovascular health and, as a result, will have a healthier heart.
- Increased muscle mass
Boxing not only improves your general body strength, but it also increases your muscle mass.
Increased aerobic exercise combined with strength training helps to burn fat and develop muscle. This implies that over time, you’ll see a gain in muscle mass and definition as a result of your boxing training.
Boxing is a great activity for training practically every muscle in your body, so if you practise frequently and eat a healthy balanced diet, you’ll be able to lose weight and gain muscle.
- Reduce stress
Allowing your tension to be released in a healthy way, such as punching a bag or using a concentration mitt, has a wonderfully cathartic impact. Exercising raises endorphin levels in the body, which are pleasant substances that make us feel better. Regular moderate to vigorous exercise, such as boxing, can aid in the release of endorphins and the reduction of stress. While all activity releases endorphins, boxing is particularly effective in relieving stress. If you’re upset or tense, spending an hour in the gym letting it all out via your fists into a punching bag will help you release your sentiments and reduce any stress you’re experiencing.Although most boxing training and conditioning programmes follow an HIIT protocol, which can help reduce stress, the intensity of boxing training can fluctuate during a session. The mood of persons who do this form of training has been shown to improve in studies.
- Aids weight loss
Boxing has been demonstrated to reduce body fat and improve overall body composition better than other sports like brisk walking.
In a 60-minute workout, a 150-pound (68-kg) individual may burn 390–558 calories, or more if conditioning activities are added. The quantity of calories burnt varies depending on the effort level and whether you’re hitting a bag or sparring. Even exergaming, which involves simulated boxing using a gaming system, burns calories well. This might enable those who are less likely to engage in a live training or fitness programme raise their activity levels. Furthermore, many people may feel more at ease holding a gaming system rather than a set of boxing gloves.
