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One of the frustrating things about amateur boxing is that it’s seasonal. For some six months of the year clubs across the country are closed. (And for the passionate pugilist it can feel like an eternity until they open again.) But just because the doors are bolted shut, doesn’t mean you have to hang up your gloves. Long periods of inactivity lead to a loss in fitness and skill.
Many beginner boxers believe that you can’t keep up your conditioning or technique without a coach, bags, and pads. As you’re soon to discover, that belief is false. (To support my argument, let me quickly tell you about the legendary Cuban heavyweight boxer, Felix Savon. He threw his first punch on a homemade punching bag – filled with sand and stone – in a pair of gloves that his mother fashioned from discarded rags. From these humble beginnings, Savon went on to win three Olympic gold medals and six World Amateur Champion titles. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.)
This blog will show you that not only is it possible to maintain boxing fitness out of season, but that it can also be improved.
In addition to getting a boxing workout that you can do at home, I’ll also share with you a list of helpful training tips. These tips will teach you how to stay sharp and in shape.
Boxing workout at home benefits
But before all that, it might be worth reviewing what you’ll get from this workout. An understanding of the boxing and fitness benefits can boost motivation and commitment. And as the legendary heavyweight world champion Jack Dempsy once said, you can’t master the sweet science of boxing without consistent practice.
In the context of performance development, this boxing workout at home has been crafted to target three components of fitness relevant to boxing. They are power, muscular endurance, and cardio conditioning. Basic plyometric bodyweight exercises such as squat jumps, clap hand press-ups, and shadowboxing promote those attributes.
Aerobic stamina is enhanced by combining full-body movements and high-volume output. In the hints and tips section below, I discuss several modification options that can also boost stamina.
Boxing skills development
Now that your fitness has been taken care of, let’s shift the focus to boxing skills. After all, no boxing workout is replete without the inclusion of some element of skills development.
The workout aims to improve your ‘pugilistic prowess’ through the integration of boxing-specific drills and movement patterns. Some of the training tasks directly relate to boxing – shadowboxing and skipping. These exercises provide you with opportunities to perfect your punches, footwork, coordination, and agility (also known as the boxing basics).
Other training tasks, though not directly related to boxing, are prized by fighters for their capacity to cultivate essential physical attributes. (I have in mind muscular explosivity and enhanced endurance.) To an extent, these coveted qualities can be developed by such exercises as clap hand press-ups, burpees, and Russian twists.
Boxing training accessibility
A final benefit of this boxing workout at home that I will briefly explore, is that it can promote training accessibility. As with many combat sports, to fully participate in boxing requires a specialist training facility and a coach/training partner. No boxer (that I’m aware of) achieved success without these things. There’s no escaping this fact.
But, as I argued above, it’s a mistake to think that you can’t keep up your boxing skills and ‘ring’ fitness outside the gym. As I will soon show, even with minimal equipment, you can still hone your boxing ability.
Related: A review of the Best Home Boxing Kit >
I’ve designed three workouts to support you in this endeavour. Because the training plans are comprised of simple exercises that require little to no kit, you can use them anywhere. Thus, as I see it, this feature is the chief benefit of this blog as you can engage more frequently in boxing training. After all, the key ingredient in perfecting your pugilism is persistent practice.
I think it’s time to glove up and step in the ring with the workouts.
Boxing workouts at home
Though the title of the blog suggests a single workout, I’ve created two for you to try. To tighten the relevancy of the plans, I’ve structured the training tasks so that they simulate a boxing bout. Exercises are grouped into a circular circuit. Each completed lap is followed by a period of rest.
You’ll notice that the workouts are organised into three levels of difficulty: Level 1 = Amateur; Level 2 = Experienced; Level 3 = Pro. This is a ploy to appeal to a wider audience.
However, varying the duration of the plans also caters to those with time constraints. On days when you can’t accommodate a 12-round slugfest, you may instead be able to squeeze in a short six-rounder. (In the hints and tips section below, I outline several ways that you can customise the workouts to suit your training needs.)
Boxing workout key points
Warm up thoroughly before starting any of the workouts.
Select the level reflective of your fitness ability. The level breakdown is as follows:
Level 1: Beginner = 3 minute AMRAPs or 20 secs per station.
Level 2: Experienced = 4 minute AMRAPs or 40 secs per station.
Level 3: Pro = 5 minute AMRAPs or 60 secs per station.
The training objective remains the same across the three workouts. Aim to progress round the 8 exercises ensuring to sustain a consistent output.
To more closely simulate combat conditions, consider fluctuating the intensity. (Apply the Fartlek Training method.)
Concluding the contest, cool down, stretch off, and then hit the showers.
Boxing warm up
Option 1: Two to 4-mile steady-state run (must wear Rocky Balboa-style sweatsuit).
Option 2: 10 min skipping followed by 3 x 2 min rounds of shadowboxing.
Option 3: 6 x 2 min rounds of shadowboxing (during the 60 sec rest period between rounds, perform 10 air squats and 10 press-ups).
Boxing workout at home hints and tips
The plans rely almost exclusively on bodyweight exercises. This is a design feature that attempts to improve the accessibility of the workouts. Of course, many people do not have the luxury of home training equipment. Thus, including kit-intensive resistance exercises would prohibit many people from participating. That’s my justification. But it’s not to say that you can’t use kit if you have some kicking about. For example, if you have a light pair of dumbbells, you could hold them while shadowboxing and when performing such exercises as air squats, jump squats, and lunges. Other items of equipment can be incorporated into the plans by either modifying an exercise – holding a competition kettlebell, say, when air squatting – or replacing a bodyweight exercise for a more functional movement – kettlebell snatch in place of the plank.
The simplicity of the plans makes them suitable for multiple training locations. On pleasant days, you may prefer to perform the boxing workouts outdoors – perhaps at your local park or sports ground. Doing so can expand the training adaptation options. One such option, by way of example, would be to substitute shadowboxing with shuttle sprints. This change would make the workout more cardio-intensive and with it increase aerobic conditioning. Also, if your park contains a training apparatus, you could integrate more challenging exercises such as pull-ups, hanging leg raises, toes to bar, muscle-ups, and triceps dips.
Our final tip (or hint) is to those who have boxing kit at home. It goes without saying that if you have a punching bag in your garage or a reflex ball in your bedroom, use them! Do so by swapping out the shadowboxing rounds.
Enjoyed these workouts?
Then get your hands on over 80 more with the Hungry4Fitness Book of Workouts Vol.3 >
About Adam Priest –
A former Royal Marines Commando, Adam Priest is a content writer, college lecturer, and health and fitness coach. He is also a fitness author and contributor to other websites. Connect with Adam at info@hungry4fitness.co.uk.