To have any prayer of surviving intact after a boxing match, a fighter needs to be physically prepared to meet the rigors of the sport. So to make sure Men’s Fitness’ Zack Zeigler was best prepared to go a few rounds in the ring, he took a crash course from boxing trainer and Golden Gloves winner Janero Diaz.
Boxing is all about accentuating, stretching, and strengthening the muscles used during a fight for maximum punching performance. And to make sure all those muscles are put to work, Diaz chose three key exercises for Zeigler to tackle. First up, the king of legs moves…with a twist, and a medicine ball. After lacing up the gloves it was time for Zeigler to throw a barrage of jabs, uppercuts, and hooks while working on evading punches using the squat. It’s all about working the glutes with this essential move.
Next up: the woodchop, a rotational move that’s very important once the gloves start flying. With a few technique tweaks, Zeigler took his movement and power skills to the next level. With that move mastered, Zeigler switched up directions with the reverse woodchop, another stellar move to benefit boxing performance. Lastly, Zeigler put all the newly learned moves together, and was soon firing on all cylinders like a true champ.
To improve his boxing skills, Diaz gave Zeigler the following advice:
- Repetition is king of the ring. Break down the movements and practice them separately before combining them.
- Don’t hold your breath, and remember to stay loose. If you tighten up, you’ll waste energy too early.
- Finally, power starts from the ground up, so make sure your footwork is on point and you use your hips to generate that power before you let your hands go.
To further amp up your game, try going a few rounds with this boxing workout below.
The Zero Boundaries boxing workout
Warmup:
- Jump rope: 10 min
- Squats x 20
- Pushups x 20
- Woodchoppers x 40
Heavy bag:
- Basic combinations: 3 min
- Rest 30 sec
- 3-5 rounds
Shadow boxing:
- Basic jab, cross, hook: 3 min
- Rest 30 sec
- 3-5 rounds
Finishers:
- Pushups x 100
- Squats x 100
- Situps x 200
- Rest as little as possible
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Editor’s tips:
Want more boxing workouts to get your summer body on point? Check out these 10 HIIT workouts for a fast-paced, total-body blast, or prepare for pain with these five savagely hard boxing workouts. And if you want a no-equipment routine to get you in fighting shape, step into the shadows with these fat-torching intervals.
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.