Boxing Workout
Filed under: Alternative Workouts, Cardio, Exercise, Gyms, Review, Work Out
As owner and author of 60 in 3, I tend to get various offers for free stuff. Most of the time they’re for things I’m not interested in. Things like diet pills, weird workout gadgets, energy bars and so on. On rare occasions though, someone comes through with an offer that’s interesting enough for me to look at. That’s what happened to me last week with LA Boxing.
LA Boxing is a string of gyms spread all around the US which specialize in boxing and boxing related workouts. Their PR rep made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse. “Come down to one of our gyms and try out a boxing workout. Then tell us what you think.” This came at a perfect time for me since I’ve been thinking about buying a punching bag for my house and I’ve been wanting to try out boxing for a while. So last Saturday morning I went the local LA Boxing gym in San Jose and spent an hour training. Note that this was not some special class that they set up for me. This was their normal Saturday morning class with their regular customers.
First Impressions
My first thoughts as I entered the gym were “huh, this is not what I was expecting.” Maybe I’ve seen too many boxing movies, but I was expecting a run down gym filled with men hitting one another. Instead, LA boxing has just one ring, a few exercise machines and class workout area filled with punching bags. Everything was clean and well maintained. Also, the customer base included a lot of women and children. The ratio of women to men was actually a lot higher than any other gym I’ve been to.
Equipment
Each participant picked a punching bag and had boxing gloves. That was all the equipment necessary. Gloves were provided by the gym if you didn’t have any. I would also recommend hand wraps since without them, you’re going to scrape some skin off your knuckles.
The Workout
I’m not sure what I expected from a boxing workout. A lot of punching a bag I suppose. What I got was very different. We started out with the gloves off doing a bit of calisthenics to warm up. Jumping jacks, push ups, crunches, lunges, jumping squats and so on. Fast sets with the instructor urging us on. After 5 or so minutes, we stretched for 5 more minutes and then the workout began in earnest.
The workout alternated boxing combos with calisthenics. For example, the instructor would show us a 6 or 8 move combo and have us repeat it multiple times using either speed or power. Speed means you punch fast, power means you punch hard. Either way, the workout was very fast paced and much more demanding than I expected. After each 5 minute punching set, Tony (the instructor) had us do 5 minutes of other exercises like crunches, leg lifts and lunges. These sets worked out muscles that the boxing parts of the workout did not.
The combination of boxing and calisthenics had me sweating in no time. Now I’m in pretty good shape but I have to say that I found the workout very challenging. I got caught up in the boxing parts and was enjoying them so much that I didn’t notice how much energy I was pouring out into that bag. By the end, I was sore and covered in sweat. Still, it was a good kind of sore, that kind you get from a great workout.
Notes
Dexterity - This is one of the few workouts that I felt worked on dexterity as well as physical conditioning. The various combos and moves you work on will improve your hand eye coordination as well as your overall agility. That’s a benefit I have not seen in any other workout.
Full Body - I expected a boxing workout to only work out my upper body, but the combination of boxing and other exercises made sure that my whole body participated.
Boxing High - A few weeks ago I spoke about a runner’s high and mentioned that it’s something you can only get when running. Well, now I’ve experienced something new, a boxing high. It’s not the same as a runner’s high but there’s just something about punching that bag. Maybe it’s a guy thing, I have no clue, but wow. I wasn’t just physically tired at the end of that workout, I was emotionally spent as well. Any aggression, hostility or other kind of negative emotion, it all went into that bag. It felt good.
Recommendation
Would I go back? Definitely! LA Boxing is a bit far away from my house but still. I enjoyed that workout so much that the trip back would be worth it. In the meantime, I’m definitely thinking of installing a punching bag in my garage and doing some boxing workouts of my own. If you have a boxing gym anywhere near you, sign up for a class and see if you like it. I think you will.
Thank You
Thank you to Monica and LA boxing for giving me the chance to attend a class. Thank you to LA Boxing San Jose for being my hosts. And thank you to Tony Johnson, my instructor, for an incredible workout. If you’re in the San Jose area, you can contact Tony and LA Boxing at (408)729-5269.
###
And thank you to Me-Ander for including a 60 in 3 article in their debut weight loss carnival.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
I’ll add only to suggest that boxing moves can be a little harsh on the shoulder joints. I own a bag, and use it from time to time. Almsot without exception though, the next after punching, my already abused shoulder joints have a rough go of it. I agree that it’s good exercise, but take caution and learn how to punch properly.
I see utility in this for people under the age of 55 or so, but beyond that, not so much. Quick snapping movements are not always consistent with an aging body.
I took martial arts for a few years in college. There’s nothing like doing a few 3-minute sparring sessions to build strength, endurance, and cardiovascular capacity!
Yeah, I don’t think a lot of people understand that the most beneficial part of boxing is the training, not the actual boxing part. Look at the Rocky movies and the intense training he did. Most of the time, he wasn’t even boxing.