Is boxing good for weight loss? This question might be the most frequent one we get from our readers. Although many believe that there is no perfect weight loss exercise routine, researchers at the University of Western Sydney who spent 16 weeks determining the best workout routine might disagree with that.
They placed 12 overweight volunteers into two test groups; one walked briskly for 50 minutes daily while the other did boxing-related exercises, including hitting a heavy bag. Four months later, the boxers emerged leaner with an average of 13% reduction in body fat.
Taking up boxing is a great and speedy way to shed body fat. If you find yourself hard-pressed for time with your fitness routine, then boxing might be the solution. However, you need to “box cleverly”. We will explain why and how boxing can help you on your weight loss journey.
Why Is Boxing Good for Weight Loss?
There are three ways in which boxing contributes to trimming weight. First, it is a fast way to burn some calories. Secondly, it helps in reducing belly fat. Thirdly, it is a full-body exercise. And on top of that, it is an extremely fun way to work out. We will explain these points in detail below.
Boxing Burns Calories Fast
Boxing is a serious calorie burner sport that gets rid of more calories than any other cardiovascular exercise. Research shows that the average boxing workout burns around 1000 calories. This number is far higher than other forms of exercise over the same time period – for example, walking, which gets rid of 243 kcal, running (544kcal), and jogging (398kcal). If your goal is to reduce your weight as fast as possible then boxing is the perfect exercise for you.
Boxing Reduces Belly Fat
Being overweight or not, getting rid of belly fat is pretty tricky for most people. That is because fat around the waistline is difficult (but not impossible) to completely remove purely with diet.
We have found that the best way of blasting belly fat is combining regular exercise with a healthy diet and a relevant supplement regime. Boxing is among the best exercise regimes to use as the first part of that trilogy. The high-intensity nature of the sport makes it highly effective in ridding the visceral fat in the body, which commonly develops along the waist.
Having excess fat along the waistline is not only a matter of appearance. Belly fat is associated with toxins that adversely alter how the body works, making it more prone to specific ailments. It increases the likelihood of heart diseases, diabetes, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, and esophageal cancer. Boxing is a great way to mitigate exposure to such medical ailments.
Boxing Is a Full Body Exercise
Boxing is not only good for the waistline. It actually works the entire body. This sport activates all your muscle groups by the intensity of your workout, helping you shed excess fat in all parts of your body. Full-body exercises like jumping rope, speed bag punching, shadow boxing, and resistance training are integrated into most boxing workouts.
Boxing is a fast-track route to getting clearly defined chest and arms and impressive-looking abs. Besides being the gateway to an aesthetic body, boxing makes you a better athlete. Many professional athletes in various disciplines cross-train in boxing because of the holistic nature of boxing workouts.
Boxing Is Fun
Boxing, by its nature, is a dynamic workout that keeps you from a monotonous routine. It allows you to switch up your exercise routine within various training moves. The absence of variation is one of the primary reasons many people cannot keep up with exercise routines. The truth is, hopping on a treadmill daily and going for a brisk walk every other day can become boring after a while. With a comprehensive boxing workout, you can add some fun and diversity to your routine. Thus, increase your commitment to exercising and get better results.
Since boxing is an exciting way to work out, the feeling of “doing a chore” is eliminated. This sport also strengthens the mind as well as the body. Through boxing, you can understand the mysteries of self-defense, as well as the subtleties and movements of “The Sweet Science.”
Let’s get started.
What Is the Best Boxing Weight Loss Workout?
As we mentioned before, boxing can do three things for you on your journey to the perfect look. It serves as cardio, helps you build muscle, and accelerates your weight loss process. In addition to those, it also has immense cardiovascular effects on your body.
However, the results you can derive from a boxing routine depend on how you structure it. You should create a workout that will match your lifestyle, body, and abilities. A boxing routine with fast-paced cardio moves might be the best solution if you have a hectic schedule and limited time for exercising.
Although a perfect boxing workout might look different for everybody, there are some basic steps you need in your routine.
The Prep Work
Prep work routines generally include fat-scorching ab exercises, defensive movements, shadow boxing, cardio boxing, stance, and focus mitt work. You can do this at home alone or with a partner if it is impossible to visit the gym. To commence these boxing exercises, you will need boxing wraps, 14oz to 16oz boxing gloves, a jump rope, a set of boxing focus mitts, and one or two sets of dumbbells.
The Warm-Up
Before commencing any boxing exercise, warming up is essential. It activates your muscles, guaranteeing the proper blood flow and dynamism in movement. Warm-ups decrease the possibility of injuries during the workout. Therefore you should never skip them. For a great warm-up routine, you can start with jumping lightly on the balls of your feet. And then you can continue with high knees, jumping jacks, and squat with a punch.
You may also integrate cross jacks, jumping split squats, hook punches, and mountain climbers into your routine. Jump rope is also an excellent way to warm up the body and quickly burn some fat.
The Workout
After warming up your body, you can start your main boxing workout. It’s better to start your training with shadow boxing. This routine helps to adopt the proper posture, improve movements and techniques. You can work on the jab, cross, hook, uppercut, and slips and dips.
Other aspects of a boxing workout routine, such as focus mitt work, rely on having a boxing partner. It is fun and motivating to train with a partner. However, it is not a necessity. The other routines outlined above are solo and do not require a partner to implement.
Conclusion
If you were skeptical whether boxing is good for weight loss, or looking for the best workout routine for getting in shape you know the answer. Boxing is excellent training with many health benefits besides a faster weight-loss journey. To get the best results you should also develop and maintain healthy eating habits as well. Try and see what kind of a routine works best for your body. However, we strongly advise that if you wish to adopt a boxing workout routine or any exercise program you should first consult a physician. And, always be aware of how your body feels and reacts during your workouts.
