You think: Only muscle men go to the boxing studio and tough guys get their noses bloody? We'll tell you now: you're wrong! Even better, this article will make you want to start boxing.
What you will learn in this post:
- What boxing is really about
- What makes boxing so effective as a sport
- How to start boxing as a beginner
- How to set up a successful boxing training at home
Fighting guys? No way!: That's what boxing is really about!
In a competition, of course, it's all about you landing a successful hit and reaping the win. But to prevent the opponent from scoring as well, you must dodge them, hold your cover and attack at the right moment. This requires speed, responsiveness, concentration and self-discipline. You have to be careful not to get caught by the enemy. You have to be agile and fast to avoid the punches. You have to focus on which shots you want to throw out. You must be persistent and disciplined enough to maintain your poise and not lose sight of your goal.
And even if you "only" train on the punching bag or punching ball without a real opponent, you must not forget these important aspects. Even a punching bag can hit back and throw you off balance!
How effective is boxing really?
As you may now be thinking: When boxing, you do not only train your arms and upper body. Because you're not just punching or just holding your fists up for cover. You constantly move your feet and legs to vary the distance to the opponent. You have to duck to avoid the punches. This will work your abdominal muscles and the deep muscles in your back. Hardly any other sport is as effective as boxing.
You claim:
- Arm, shoulder and chest muscles the most
- Abdominal and back muscles often
- Leg and calf muscles slightly
How effective is boxing on a punching bag?
The punching bag will also challenge you during training and can be used for an effective full-body workout. Its pendulum behavior also forces you to use your legs to go the distance and land hits with your punches. Depending on which punching bag you use, you can focus more on different aspects of the training. For example, you train super upper cuts with the punching ball and, above all, your speed with the punching ball. Pay attention to a balanced boxing training on different punching bags or possibly with a partner.
How many calories do I burn boxing?
When boxing, the arms and torso are particularly stressed, but the legs are also trained. Boxing is therefore a real full-body workout in which you burn a lot of calories depending on the intensity. Boxing, if you do it with a high level of commitment (and we're assuming you do) is a form of interval training. Intensive phases alternate with short breaks - similar to boxing competitions. A round in the ring lasts three minutes, followed by a short break. Some athletes burn between 500 and 800 calories an hour while boxing.
This makes boxing as effective as running (between 600 and 900 calories per hour), swimming (around 700 calories per hour) or spinning / cycling (500 to 800 calories per hour).
By the way: You can already count calories while warming up. Jumping rope consumes 600 to 900 calories per hour.
Can you lose weight with a punching bag?
Due to the high calorie consumption, training on the punching bag is ideal for getting rid of excess pounds. How much and how quickly you can lose weight with a punching bag depends on you, your training and your diet.
Can you build muscle with boxing?
With every punch you train your body - primarily the arm and shoulder muscles; Triceps and biceps - but also the abdomen and back are used, so that you quickly build muscle in this area. So when you box, not only do you lose body fat, but you also build muscle.
Boxing against burnout?
In fact, boxing is not only an effective sport for your body, but also an excellent workout to reduce stress and aggression. You can just let all your frustration out on the punching bag! Boxing is actually used as a therapeutic remedy for depression or burnout. While you're physically strenuous and mentally focused, you don't get a chance to think about other things. You have to stay focused to avoid getting blown away. Boxing is a real stress killer!
How fast can you learn boxing?
How fast you progress in boxing depends primarily on how committed you are to training. In order to quickly internalize the basic techniques and to continuously work on your boxing skills, you should train regularly. You will need some time to internalize the different processes and master the basic stroke techniques blindly. Then you can gradually improve other skills - such as speed or different punch combinations.
What should I watch out for as a beginner in boxing?
The good thing about boxing: You can start at any time! Because for your first boxing attempts you don't need boxing gloves, a punching bag or a training partner. In order for beginners to get a feeling for the processes involved in boxing, it is advisable to start with what is known as shadow boxing. You actually just box against your shadow - i.e. into the empty air in front of you. It is best to stand in front of a mirror so that you cannot directly check your posture. But first find out in which boxing position you are boxing. Since you are not boxing against an opponent or a punching bag in shadow boxing, you do not need any boxing equipment.
For example, if you want to improve your condition, you can use a skipping rope. It's pretty effective, and you can get started without a lot of accessories, too. You can also ideally prepare for boxing with a medicine ball and dumbbells.
Please note: As soon as you train on a punching bag or want to practice with a training partner, you should never compete without boxing gloves and boxing bandages . Your fingers and wrists will need some time to adjust to the new strain and can be very painful for the first few weeks. But even beyond that, it is an absolute must for every boxer - no matter what level - to wear well-fitting boxing gloves and boxing bandages. They protect you from serious injury. Incidentally, this also applies to training on the punching bag and not just sparring or competition.
Training plan for boxing beginners [excerpt]
You may be wondering what you, as a beginner, can do with the punching bag - or without it - to start training. Start with a 20 to 30 minute workout. You can then gradually improve. Here you will find a small excerpt from our training plan for boxing beginners with suggestions for various boxing exercises:
- 5-minute warm-up program with stretching exercises and jumping rope, for example.
- At the beginning, repeat the various striking techniques and pay attention to a clean execution. You must master these techniques blindly to perform them skillfully. Just do 3 sets of 30 reps for each punching technique.
- Once you've mastered the basic punching techniques like jab, cross, and hook, you can try some easy punching bag exercises. Try different box combinations. It's not about hitting particularly hard or fast, but executing the individual punches correctly and hitting them cleanly. Be sure to pay attention to the rest of your body - hips and legs; they also have to work together. Concentrate on one punch combo in the beginning.
Boxing training at home: 3 ultimate tips for beginners
- Always warm up! Boxing is an incredibly demanding sport for your body. The movements are fast and explosive - very different from the flowing processes of cycling or swimming. To reduce the risk of injury and the strain on your tendons and muscles, you should warm up for a few minutes before each boxing session. Many boxers rely on the classic that you, as a true boxing fan, will surely know from the Rocky films: jumping rope. But running in place / walking up stairs also works well as a warm-up program.
- Wear proper boxing shoes! If you get your feet caught or trip over your shoes, the battle is lost. Boxing shoes should be light and as flat as possible so that you can "dance" across the floor. At the same time, you should offer your ankle good stability so that the risk of injury is also reduced here.
- Never give up protection! As soon as shadow boxing gets too boring for you and you want to train on a punching bag, first get suitable boxing gloves for starters and boxing bandages. Although the punching bag isn't as hard as a human, your fingers and wrists will feel it badly if you're training without boxing gloves.
How long should you train on the punching bag?
As a beginner, you should only train on the punching bag for 15 minutes at first. And don't worry, it won't be too short. You will quickly notice how demanding punching bag training is if you actually do it properly. Don't forget to take short breaks between training sessions. Gradually you can then increase the time on the punching bag.
Customers ask, we answer!
How effective is punching bag training?
During intensive training on the punching bag, boxers burn up to 800 calories per hour. But even a light cardio workout lets the pounds tumble. Above all, boxing is so effective because it uses a large part of the muscles in the body and is therefore an ideal full-body workout.
Who can start boxing?
Everyone. There are no gender or age limits. Of course you should be physically able to get through the demanding training. If in doubt, have your doctor check you out. At the starting age, however, you should make sure that children are not too young. From about 6 to 8 years of age, playful boxing training is okay.
How do you start boxing?
Before you can train different punch combinations on the punching bag, you should learn the basic techniques. You can do this without boxing equipment in shadow boxing. You just have to repeat the punches over and over until you get them perfect.
What is included in the first boxing equipment for beginners?
As soon as you want to hit the punching bag, we strongly recommend the right boxing gloves and boxing bandages to protect your fingers and wrists