Fitness Boxing and the Fitness Boxing Workout

I've been working out with iron for a year, and it was getting boring. It is not uncommon knowledge that one of the top reasons people give up on training programs, especially weight lifting, is boredom. Everyday in the gym was a drag, and worse of all, I've got only two friends there: the gym owner and the trainer.

Until late last year, one particular gym opened near my house. I explored it (after a few months, I was lazy), and they were offering boxing training, or, fitness boxing. I've never been a big fan of boxing before, but I tried enrolling to explore an alternative.

Turned out, boxing was fun! My trainers are friendly, and so are the people who are working out. Made a lot of friends there. The workout was dynamic and exciting. They taught me a few techniques every now and then, so every exercise is not routine.

I encourage you to take up boxing classes. Start having fun while getting in shape!

Good Question. Good thing I recently visited the boxing gym and made a few mental notes on the FAQ in the locker. Fitness boxing, in its essence, is the training given to professional boxers, minus the sparring. The benefits of boxing training are overall body strength gain, improvement of reflexes, and calorie burn.

To my experience, a fitness boxing workout is consisted of three parts, just like any exercise program:

1. Warm up (Stretching, Conditioning and Technique Learning)
2. Hitting Drills
3. Cool Down

The whole workout will last around forty five minutes to one hour, sometimes one and a half hours, depending on the condition of the person being trained.

Ever heard someone say, "I'll go warm up the car"?

Turns out, our bodies, like machines, have to prepare prior work. Warming up stretches the muscles and tendons and lubricates the joints, lessening the chance of injuries. It also improves the bodies ability to tap into the fat stores, so warm up to increase the burn! (Of fat, that is.)

The warm up prior fitness boxing is stretching of the whole body, and a quick cardio for conditioning. The cardio can be skipping rope, stationary jogging or shadow boxing. This also includes the tutorial for proper punching execution.

Warm up lasts around 15-20 minutes.

This is the core of the workout. Hitting drills focus on punching with mitts, heavy bag and hanging and double-ended speedballs. This part will last around 30-40 minutes.

Mitts training as shown in in the picture, is done with the trainer. It is when he will hold up his mitts, and you punch 'em with a series of patterns of punches he taught. Sometimes, he will strike back too. The heavy bag will help you practice the strength of your punches, and the form.

The hanging speedball will increase your endurance, because you will have to keep your arms up. That's the reason it was set up that high. The double ended speedball will help you develop accuracy and reflexes. I would like to add that the double-ended ones strike back. I've been hit by these babies several times already.

Cool down exercises lets your body cool down after boxing training. (Nice definition, Einstein!)

No. Kidding aside, it lets your body go back to the normal state, or the condition before warm up. It also helps your body flush out toxins in the body that built up during the rigorous part of the program.

In fitness boxing, cool down includes stretching and in some gym, includes a massage (my favorite part). It also serves as Q and A with your trainer, so get ready to ask questions. Cool down lasts around 10-15 minutes.

Another must have is the boxing gloves. But before buying gloves, you need to know that size matters. Most of the time, men need large ones, while women need medium ones. Wear hand wraps first, then try putting on the glove. Must be snug but comfy. About weight, the heavier the glove, the more protection it will give. Most of the time, fitness boxing needs you to wear 12 to 16 oz gloves.

Here are a few things to do before hitting the boxing gym:

* Prepare the essentials: bring two small towels (you will sweat buckets), a fresh set of clothes, soap and shampoo. Oh, and an extra bottle of cold water.

* Eat a light meal an hour before your workout. This will ensure you have enough fuel for the activity you are going to engage with.

* Leave early, and be on time. So your instructor can brief you for the first time.

* Boxing training will burn more or less 400 calories an hour for a 130 lb. person.

* The force of a punch doesn't only come from the arms and chest muscles, power from a punch mostly come from the back. It also borrows energy from the force from legs, traveling through your back, to your arms.

* Bonus: After your first workout, your back muscles will hurt like hell. Prepare the Advil. :)