4 Benefits of Boxing

Boxing - a sure fire way to get your mind and body into shape!

Dominating the world of sports for many, many years, boxing is truly one of the all time greatest sports! And, recently it has evolved into a much bigger fitness phenomenon.

Boxing is no longer just about two blokes battling it out for the title. It has now become one of the most popular forms of exercise that everyone can enjoy!

Sure, there are still a heap of us that want to step into the ring and fight competitively (living out our greatest Muhammad Ali fantasises), however, more and more people are choosing boxing training as a fun and sociable way to boost our physical and mental health.

In fact, boxercise has a ton of benefits that extend much further than just our physical well being. To only highlight a few, here are our

4 benefits of boxing for fitness!

 1. Improving your cardiovascular health

We've said it before and we will say it again, getting in your cardio training does not just have to be endless amounts of running. Any form of exercise that accelerates your heart rate and puts your lungs to work will see improvements to your heart health, and boxing does just that!

I mean think about it.. boxing is all about landing punches and trying to not get punched yourself, so inevitably you are always on the move. Constantly manoeuvring around the ring, dodging hits and throwing a few mean right hooks is guaranteed to get that blood pumping!

Even if you aren't in the ring, boxercise demands that you throw punch after punch, kick after kick. These powerful, repeated movements take a lot of exertion, as they work multiple muscles simultaneously (and I assure you, it'll have you working up a sweat)!

 2. Building strength

Boxing is a compact sport, soooo you definitely want a bit of muscle packing your punch. Conveniently for us, the physical movement of punching itself actually helps us build strength. And that's the beauty of boxing, whilst your exerting your strength you are building on it at the same time. 

Whether your working with a 30 kilo boxing bag or a 70 kilo sparring partner, you're going to be punching and kicking a solid a force one hundred times over. Throwing those punches is going to take strength, but handling the impact and doing it again is going to help you rebuild it.

 3. Relieving stress

A lot of us use exercise as an outlet for stress, and for good reason! It is an excellent way release those happy endorphins, and to just forget about all the little nuisances for a while. However, for me personally, it takes a wee bit more than a nice stroll around the block to completely let go of my frustrations. And that is why boxing is such an amazing outlet!

If you've had a hard day at work, you're worried about an upcoming deadline, or even if someones said something that's just really peeved you off, heading to the gym and unleashing it all onto the boxing bag is a great way to release any negative energy your feeling.

What else is great about boxing is that it requires a lot of concentration, so it's unlikely that outside thoughts are going to interfere with your workout. This means you can truly shut off off for an hour or so and forget about anything that's causing you stress.

 4. Boosting your confidence

As with any workout regime, if you stick to your boxing training and follow a balanced diet, you're going to see adaptations to your body. Your clothes may get looser, your muscles may grow and your tummy might get a little flatter. And naturally, this is going to make us feel good.

Whilst these physical changes are likely to increase our self-esteem, there are other ways boxing can increase our confidence. For instance, as we begin to refine our skills, we may feel more confident to step into the ring competitively. As we see improvements to our strength we might feel more confident to up our weight training and strive for a new PB. Or, we may just simply take more pride in the fact that we have showed up to our training sessions week after week.

The benefits listed above are only a few in a long list of ways boxing can positively impact your life. So, what are you waiting for? Chuck on some gloves and step up to the ring, the sky is your limit!

If you need any help choosing equipment, or if you have any more questions about boxing, you are always welcome to contact  our friendly staff!