Trust us – we tried it and these reasons are legit!
Boxing gets you lean fast. Plus, you’ll feel safer on the streets knowing you can throw or dodge a punch.
A vigorous workout, boxing will whip you into shape and improve fitness fast. Stop being intimidated – you won’t be tossed into the ring. As a sport, it is about speed, agility, strength, endurance, concentration and nerve. As a fitness regime, boxing lets you perfect these athletic skills – without taking a direct punch. Ever.
Joseph Chinana, owner of Mojo Boxing & Fitness in Cape Town (mojoboxing.co.za), shares six reasons why you should slip into a pair of gloves:
1. It Ups Your Cardio Burn
Boxing has a potential burn rate of 3260kJ an hour (54kJ a minute). That’s close to other types of cardio, such as running and cycling.
2. It Tones Muscles
Due to the nature of the exercise, boxing is great for toning and will sculpt, rather than build, muscle. The training sessions also work every muscle in the body, from upper arms and core to chest, hips and calves.
3. It Will Make You Strong
Strength training is as important as fat burning. To achieve the attributes needed for boxing – namely speed and endurance – you need to be strong. Boxing as a training regime involves different forms of movement and repetitive motions, and these provide full-body strength training.
4. It Positively Impacts Health
Not only is it great for weight management as it fries kilojoules, due to interval training – a start-stop form of exercise – it can improve cardiovascular health.
5. It’s The Ultimate Stress Relief
While any workout releases feel-good endorphins, punching a heavy bag, doing one-on-one pad work with a trainer, hitting the speed ball or skipping your heart out will leave you feeling confident and less stressed in minutes.
6. It Will Keep You Engaged And Challenged
It is especially perfect for those looking for a challenge over and above the more traditional forms of exercise. An interesting and stimulating workout, boxing will not only improve fitness levels, but keep you engaged. You never know where the trainer might ask you to throw a punch, so you always have that element of surprise.
