If you’ve ever watched boxers fight, you know how fast and explosive their movements are. They punch with incredible force and evade punches, often over several rounds.
That’s why their training combines endurance and resistance exercises, to ensure they have the strength and conditioning they need to win.
Whether you’re taking boxing classes to become a professional boxer or just get in shape, the fitness fundamentals remain the same. To improve strength, you should lift weights; for better conditioning, focus on cardio.
In this post, we go over some strength and conditioning routines to enhance your boxing.
Strength and Conditioning Exercises to Get You in Fighting Shape
Here are some strength and conditioning exercises you can do to become a better boxer.
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Jump Rope
Jumping rope helps build a strong, lean body. In terms of boxing, it aids in improving coordination, footwork and agility while boosting endurance like no other workout. Since jump ropes are portable, you can literally do it (almost) anywhere you feel like.
Some rope variations you can try are:
- High knees
- Single jumps
- Figure eights
- Double jumps
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Rope Pulls
If you take boxing classes, there’s a good chance your gym has a large hanging rope. This particular exercise is a real test of your arms, back, grip strength and core, which are all necessary to land stinging punches. Owing to the long contraction time, it can also be a great conditioning exercise to help build muscle endurance.
To do this exercise use both hands to pull yourself up on the rope, as high as you can go.
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Push-Ups
Push-ups can be performed without any equipment. They aid in balancing your weight from your arms, shoulders and legs, and help build strength.
Here’s how to do it:
- Start in a push-up position with your palms and toes stretched straight on the floor. Keep your shoulders parallel above your arms and your body weight is on your palms, shoulders and toes.
- Tighten your abs, glutes and thighs.
- Lower your body to the point that your chest almost touches the floor.
- Use your arms and legs to raise yourself back up to your original position.
- Repeat 10 times initially. Increase the number of repetitions as you gain strength in your arms, legs and shoulders.
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Squats
Squats are tough but necessary for building lower body strength, strengthening hips and toning thighs.
Here’s how to perform squats properly.
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend down in a sitting position while pushing your hips as far back as they can go.
- Keep your shoulders pulled back and your abs pulled in.
- With your weight entirely on your heels, slowly stand in an upright position and repeat this movement a few times.
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Barbell Deadlifts
Deadlifts develop the posterior chain of muscles vital to improving functions of the hamstrings and glutes along with strengthening your core and lower back. Performing deadlifts is especially necessary for boxers as their posterior chain isn’t strengthened through traditional boxing methods.
Although this exercise has many benefits, practitioners should be careful as the technique can be affected due to limited understanding, coaching and mobility.
To perform a conventional barbell deadlift, you need to:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart under the barbell, angled slightly outward.
- Bend over and use both hands at shoulder-width apart to grip the barbell.
- Bend your knees and then bend forward until the bar almost touches your shins.
- While maintaining a neutral spine, pick the bar off the ground while bracing your stomach and flexing your butt.
- Press your feet onto the ground until the barbell passes your knees and thrust your hips slightly forward until you are standing upright.
- Reverse the movement until the barbell is back to its starting position on the floor.
Whether you’re trying to get fit by boxing or want to become a professional, follow these tips to improve your performance. If you’re looking to improve your strength and conditioning to get in your best fighting shape, join a mixed martial arts class. Their training sessions utilize various training tools to ensure you perform better.