Photography by Mark Cameron
Boxing is one of the best workouts you can do for toning, burning fat and strengthening your heart.
Get in on the action with this beginner’s guide from Next Fitness Star finalist Sanchia du Preez – no opponent required!
In a world where fitness trends come and go faster than rebooted superhero franchises (seriously, how many times do we have to watch Martha Wayne’s pearls tumbling down the drain in agonising slo-mo?) boxing has been around forever and it’s going nowhere, baby. Why? Because it’s ace for building toned, sexy muscle, torching fat, busting stress and boosting confidence. And that’s not even taking into account the healthy-heart perks that boxers enjoy.
You Want A Piece Of That?
It’s exactly because of these benefits that we asked Next Fitness Star finalist Sanchia du Preez, a trainer at The Armoury Boxing Club in Cape Town, to design an exclusive boxer’s workout for the October issue. If you’re trying to shape up for summer, look no further than her functional mix of strength training and high-intensity cardio to score major results fast. Key to it all? As Sanchia says, “Boxing. Always boxing.” Now here’s the good news: There’s no need to step into the ring. You can reap all the fat-torching benefits with a pair of gloves and the punching bag at your local gym.
Do It
Not sure where you’d even begin? Watch this video demo by Sanchia to master the basic stance and movements you’ll need to work that bag, as well as two simple punches. Then, practise different punch combos – left-left-right; right-left; right-left-right, etc. Once you have your combos down, focus on throwing your whole body weight behind each punch for more power and start moving quicker with more explosiveness. Remember to maintain your stance, always keep moving around the bag and never let your guard down. Use free boxing as your cardio component to the strength workout in the mag and you’ll be stronger, fitter and leaner in record time.
Watch The Video
Looking for more on boxing? Here’s another boxing workout that’ll score a knock out body in the ring.
