Boxing Workouts to Lose Weight

For anyone who is interested in not just losing weight, but also becoming strong, lean and toned, boxing training is the answer. Boxing workouts are intense, so you burn calories at a high rate and work on all the muscles of your body. This will leave you with a toned body and stronger, more defined arms and legs. Boxing related movements require you to develop balance and coordination. Thus you will find that your coordination will improve and your body will become more stable and you will be able to maintain good form.

Boxing workouts to lose weight are effective as they can make you burn anywhere between 350 and 500 calories in just one hour. This is because the exercises that constitute boxing training i.e, pad and bag work, skipping and ground work are all aerobic exercises. The workouts involve repetitive motions in punching and movement which are supported by the "core" muscles of the body. This develops local muscular endurance, cardiovascular efficiency and imparts strength training. This kind of activity is also said to help relieve stress and improve mental acuity. If you need to know how to lose weight through boxing workouts, the answer lies below.

Boxing Workouts for Weight Loss

Plyometric Circuit Training
Essential to a good boxing workout are plyometric circuits. Plyometric circuit training is designed to meet the demands an actual fight places on a boxer. A boxer needs his strength and explosive power during each two to three minute round. Plyometric circuit training consists of the following eight circuits which take two minutes per circuit (the duration of a round in amateur boxing) to complete. The pattern to follow is to rest for a minute between each circuit, and perform the sets of circuits to recreate the conditions of a fight. Each exercise must not be done for more than 15 seconds, as it should be done at a very high intensity.

Here is what you need to do: begin with vertical jumps, then chin-ups, followed by seated medicine ball throws with a partner. Next come straight one-two (jab-cross) punches with dumbbells. After that use a swiss ball while alternating abdominal crunches with incline press-ups. Do side jumps with a 20-30cm high rope. Follow it up with flurries of punching combinations while holding 1-2kg dumb-bells, and lastly, close the circuits with 3-5kg medicine ball sit-ups and throws.

Cardio Training
The cardio portion of a boxing workout should be in the form of interval training. A good idea would be an 800 meter interval, which is similar to a three-minute round of professional boxing. The following cardio workout is designed keeping four two-minute rounds of amateur bouts in mind. Start with a 1,200-1,600m warm up combination of jogging, hopping and short sprints. Then move on to three 600m intervals at medium intensity, ensuring you break for a minute or two between runs. Follow it up with three 200m intervals at high intensity, interspersed with 30 second rests, and jog back to the start point after each run. End with an 800m slow jog to warm down. For best results, perform two interval training sessions per week. Read more on cardiovascular exercises.

Motor Programming
An essential part of boxing workouts is to condition the body to boxing specific actions, and make them reflexive. Even a runner with loads of stamina will be exhausted after just a couple of rounds. For this reason, the skills of throwing a punch with proper posture and leverage need to be developed. Your trainer will draw out a workout that will include boxing sessions. This may include one-on-one practicing jabs, punches and upper cuts in the ring. Read more on boxing workouts for beginners.

If you've tried other workouts but not seen results, it may be time to try boxing workouts to lose weight. The best part of this kind of workout is that it can get you hooked on exercise, as it is like learning a skill. You may even find yourself incorporating combination punches in the mirror!