So many people here have boxing as part of their routine

[enwar3]

So at first glance I see that a lot of you have worked boxing into your weekly routine. What exactly does this consist of? Punching bag, or sparring-type stuff? Would this be considered cardio or an arms/chest/shoulders/back exercise?

 

[paulxcook]

Probably cardio. I would think about it if my gym had a bag to hit, just as something different to do.

 

[presidentender]

It's cardio, but it also wears out the muscles in your chest, shoulders, and back to some degree. I remember the first time I tried to bench after bag work: my max was shot, and I was weak. If you rarely or never do shoulders, your delts will be sore the day after bag work.

Sparring's great, too, but it becomes much more intense by default, and you don't want to do it unless both people know what they're doing.

 

[coreyb]

I do kickboxing (muay thai) and it is the most intense cardio I've ever done. It also works your arms, shoulders, back and hips a lot. I highly recommend it!

 

[irishScott]

I've taken Krav Maga for a couple of months now. It's kickass. The class is only an hour long, but the first 30 minutes are devoted to basic exercises (tombstone pads with partners, punches, kicks, hammer fists, etc) at full speed. My instructor specifically rails on you if he sees you pacing. Part of that's psychological training, as Krav Maga is actually military (specifically the Israeli Military) combat/street defense, and in said situation if you don't instinctively go at a 110% you'll probably fail. Suffice to say it works the entire core ridiculously well (and lower body depending on how much you focus on kicks), as well as ample cardio, and that's without the 110% philosophy.

I've found that sparring is actually less physically strenuous, (ie: you're never punching constantly for minutes on end). It's a hell of a lot more fun though.


As for Muay Thai, I've never taken it, but the Muay Thai class is right before my Krav class, and I've come early a few times. Their physical conditioning is ridiculous, and well above Krav. Same story with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The arts may be less practical, but if you want an insane workout, find a good instructor and prepare to not be able to move the next morning.

 

[NGC_604]

As others have said, the cardio is insane and you'll still work a lot of the muscles in the body.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

hitting a bag for 30 minutes beats the hell outta running imo

 

[TallBill]

Boxing is an anaerobic excersise. I train in a gym 3-4 times a week to compete. It's a great compliment to my lifting schedule.

Just on a side note, very few people actually "box" as part of their workout. They might hit a punching bag while wearing boxing gloves, but learning how to do it correctly makes a difference.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Boxing is an anaerobic excersise. I train in a gym 3-4 times a week to compete. It's a great compliment to my lifting schedule.

Just on a side note, very few people actually "box" as part of their workout. They might hit a punching bag while wearing boxing gloves, but learning how to do it correctly makes a difference.

QFT. Not that hard to learn though.

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: IcebergSlim
hitting a bag for 30 minutes beats the hell outta running imo

If you can box hard for half an hour, you're in much better shape than I am....

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: IcebergSlim
hitting a bag for 30 minutes beats the hell outta running imo

If you can box hard for half an hour, you're in much better shape than I am....

10 x 3 min rounds w/ 30 seconds between rounds

Some rounds are speed rounds some are power rounds some are all out balls to the wall rounds.

 

[enwar3]

And... where would I learn to do this correctly?

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: enwar3
And... where would I learn to do this correctly?

At a boxing gym or dojo or whatever your martial arts facility wants to call itself.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: TallBill
Boxing is an anaerobic excersise. I train in a gym 3-4 times a week to compete. It's a great compliment to my lifting schedule.

Just on a side note, very few people actually "box" as part of their workout. They might hit a punching bag while wearing boxing gloves, but learning how to do it correctly makes a difference.

QFT. Not that hard to learn though.

In my experience, that assessment doesn't pertain to all individuals. I've trained and/or trained with, people that came to every session for 6 months or longer, worked hard for the 2hrs class 2-3 days a week, practiced at home 1-2 day a week extra, and their mechanics were still horrible. If their base athleticism is lacking, it can be extremely difficult to learn how to box, kick box, ect. I am talking about people with almost no athletic background and experience that have made it to adulthood that way.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: TallBill
Boxing is an anaerobic excersise. I train in a gym 3-4 times a week to compete. It's a great compliment to my lifting schedule.

Just on a side note, very few people actually "box" as part of their workout. They might hit a punching bag while wearing boxing gloves, but learning how to do it correctly makes a difference.

QFT. Not that hard to learn though.

In my experience, that assessment doesn't pertain to all individuals. I've trained and/or trained with, people that came to every session for 6 months or longer, worked hard for the 2hrs class 2-3 days a week, practiced at home 1-2 day a week extra, and their mechanics were still horrible. If their base athleticism is lacking, it can be extremely difficult to learn how to box, kick box, ect. I am talking about people with almost no athletic background and experience that have made it to adulthood that way.

Really? Even without experience all it is is dominant foot back, heel of said foot off the ground at all times, and rotating the torso properly while punching (for a jab anyway). Admittedly they'll have to work harder than most to maintain good form as they don't have the muscle built up, but still...

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: TallBill
Boxing is an anaerobic excersise. I train in a gym 3-4 times a week to compete. It's a great compliment to my lifting schedule.

Just on a side note, very few people actually "box" as part of their workout. They might hit a punching bag while wearing boxing gloves, but learning how to do it correctly makes a difference.

QFT. Not that hard to learn though.

In my experience, that assessment doesn't pertain to all individuals. I've trained and/or trained with, people that came to every session for 6 months or longer, worked hard for the 2hrs class 2-3 days a week, practiced at home 1-2 day a week extra, and their mechanics were still horrible. If their base athleticism is lacking, it can be extremely difficult to learn how to box, kick box, ect. I am talking about people with almost no athletic background and experience that have made it to adulthood that way.

Really? Even without experience all it is is dominant foot back, heel of said foot off the ground at all times, and rotating the torso properly while punching (for a jab anyway). Admittedly they'll have to work harder than most to maintain good form as they don't have the muscle built up, but still...

Excuse me, but what? sitting/planting, on the ropes or in tight, clinches, ect., you can't stay off your back heel all the time. I understand you probably mean just learning to shadow/mirror box, but even then staying off you back heel all the time is nigh impossible. It is also disingenuous or just plain silly, to oversimplify what is involved in boxing from a mechanics perspective. As incomprehensible as it may seem to you, just because you naturally plug most of it in quickly, without thinking about it, doesn't mean everyone does.

My experience isn't with teaching boxing though, but, tournament point fighting, full contact karate/kick boxing. Take all the mechanics of boxing, then add to those the mechanics of kicking front and back leg, spin kicks and punches, sweeps, throws, knees and elbows, and the extra defense skill set you have to develop due to the wider array of technique coming at you. Then, try to teach the guy that grew up being that kid in gym class that was ultra type B personality, that didn't like the competition, contact, or most any other part of the exertion and skill development involved, and try to teach him those skills, and it can be painful to watch. Stiff, awkward, lack of balance and co-ordination, no fluidity of movement of any kind. Getting beyond that is a big challenge for a 30yr+ adult with that kind of background, I assure you.

 

[NGC_604]

Exact what DAPUNISHER said. There is a lot more to boxing than throwing a generic jab. And even if you're only boxing for a cardio workout, you still need to know a hell of lot more than just that. It will made your workouts a lot more fun and a lot more dynamic.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Originally posted by: irishScott

Originally posted by: TallBill
Boxing is an anaerobic excersise. I train in a gym 3-4 times a week to compete. It's a great compliment to my lifting schedule.

Just on a side note, very few people actually "box" as part of their workout. They might hit a punching bag while wearing boxing gloves, but learning how to do it correctly makes a difference.

QFT. Not that hard to learn though.

In my experience, that assessment doesn't pertain to all individuals. I've trained and/or trained with, people that came to every session for 6 months or longer, worked hard for the 2hrs class 2-3 days a week, practiced at home 1-2 day a week extra, and their mechanics were still horrible. If their base athleticism is lacking, it can be extremely difficult to learn how to box, kick box, ect. I am talking about people with almost no athletic background and experience that have made it to adulthood that way.

Really? Even without experience all it is is dominant foot back, heel of said foot off the ground at all times, and rotating the torso properly while punching (for a jab anyway). Admittedly they'll have to work harder than most to maintain good form as they don't have the muscle built up, but still...

Excuse me, but what? sitting/planting, on the ropes or in tight, clinches, ect., you can't stay off your back heel all the time. I understand you probably mean just learning to shadow/mirror box, but even then staying off you back heel all the time is nigh impossible. It is also disingenuous or just plain silly, to oversimplify what is involved in boxing from a mechanics perspective. As incomprehensible as it may seem to you, just because you naturally plug most of it in quickly, without thinking about it, doesn't mean everyone does.

My experience isn't with teaching boxing though, but, tournament point fighting, full contact karate/kick boxing. Take all the mechanics of boxing, then add to those the mechanics of kicking front and back leg, spin kicks and punches, sweeps, throws, knees and elbows, and the extra defense skill set you have to develop due to the wider array of technique coming at you. Then, try to teach the guy that grew up being that kid in gym class that was ultra type B personality, that didn't like the competition, contact, or most any other part of the exertion and skill development involved, and try to teach him those skills, and it can be painful to watch. Stiff, awkward, lack of balance and co-ordination, no fluidity of movement of any kind. Getting beyond that is a big challenge for a 30yr+ adult with that kind of background, I assure you.

I'm talking about punching a punching bag, not full fledged boxing. When I started my Krav Maga class, we had several noobs (myself included) each class for most of a week (schools were out, so there was something of a rush). All of us picked up the basic jab, hammer fist, and backhand by the end of the first class.

Learning how to punch is easy. Learning how to box is not.