The Benefits of Boxing
Boxing is a sport of contrasts. On one hand, training for it is one of the best ways of getting your body in a peak physical state and improving your overall health, while on the other, getting punched in the head repeatedly is extremely bad for you.
For anyone who’s interested in reaping the fitness-related benefits of boxing without wanting to step into a ring competitively and experience said blows to the head, a fitness-focused boxing class, such as Pure Gym’s own Pure Combat might be just what the doctor ordered. You can also find boxing workouts to try here.
Here are some of the many benefits of signing up for a boxing class.
Excellent Cardio Workout
Boxing is first and foremost an intense cardiovascular workout, with the potential to get your heart and lungs into the best shape of your entire life.
The type of cardio you’ll experience in a boxing session will vary. You’ll do some steady-state, some moderate intensity work as you move around and work some of the basic drills, and high-intensity intervals as you let loose on the bags or pads.
What’s more, you’ll be getting this one-two combo of powerful cardio training while barely noticing it at all. While a treadmill session leaves you with nothing to focus on other than the exercise itself, a boxing session will keep your mind whirring with thoughts of proper technique, footwork, and attempts at guessing your opponent’s steps.
Before you know it, the session will be over, and you’ll have had one of the best workouts of your life.
Improved Balance and Coordination
Boxing — and all martial arts for that matter — is less about sheer strength and force than it is about superior balance and coordination. There’s a saying that “the shot you don’t see coming is the one that knocks you out,” and a major part of a successful boxer’s focus is going to be using their finesse to wrong-foot their opponent and hit them at the right angle to secure a knockout.
It’s simply not possible to be a technically proficient boxer without having good balance and coordination, as the entire body has to work as a single seamless unit in order to execute the techniques effectively.
After you’ve been attending regular boxing classes for a while, don’t be surprised if you find you’re becoming far more graceful in your other physical pastimes.
Improved Confidence and Self-Defence Abilities
While you should never go looking for a fight, it’s always good to have a basic knowledge of self-defence in case you ever find yourself cornered in a bad situation.
Boxing is one of the classic stand-up forms of self-defence, and allows for quick, direct moves to be applied against an assailant if needs be.
Simply learning and practicing some of these skills on a regular basis has the potential to boost your confidence in day-to-day life dramatically. A lot of insecurity stems from an underlying sense of physical threat. Just knowing that you have something in your arsenal to fight back with can take a massive weight off your mind.
Looking for a free workout that will help tone your body and improve your balance, coordination and strength? Try our Pure Combat class! Find out more about our Pure Combat class here.
