Boxing For Weight Loss-- the best cardio exercise

Is boxing a good workout, You might ask. Well boxing is in fact one of the best cardio exercise around. Most people tend to become intimidated with the sport because they think it's only for professionals.

Well its not, and anyone looking to shed some pounds should consider boxing for weight loss.

What makes the sport great even for casual goers are the boxing drills which are essentially intense interval cardio weight loss exercises. A week to a couple of months of hitting the mitts and punching the bag will give you visible weight loss results. It takes some time and a lot of handwork but that's the tried and tested way to health and fitness success.

So if you are looking for a great cardio workout, then why not try boxing for weight loss and you might even gain some muscle in the process.

If you need more reasons to give boxing a try, check out my new hub 7 Benefits of Boxing.

Because boxing for weight loss can be a lot of fun on top of being one of the best cardio exercise you can do.

Boxing is a great way to lose the extra pounds that you gained over the holidays. A two hour session will usually leave you soaked from sweat. That's how physically challenging a boxing session is.

Running or jogging doesn't even compare to the cardio workout you get from boxing so if you're looking for a little more intensity then you've found it.

It initially might seem very difficult to do but boxing can be extremely fun if you have the correct mind set. Most people treat their gyms sessions as "tasks" or "work" and that just pulls their enthusiasm down. It is a lot better to think of a workout session as a break from work or "me time". This way you start looking forward to it.

Boxing gyms normally use the 3 minute per round system to train new students. So the trainee will be doing different boxing workouts, one type for 3 minutes then he/she'll go on a 30 second break and do one or two more rounds of the same drill. After completing a set, then it's on to the next drill. Here's what a typical session will involve:

• Stretching
• Warm Up, usually a short jog or light jump rope
• 3 rounds of shadow boxing
• 3 rounds of mitt hitting
• 3 rounds of focus or speed ball
• 3 rounds of Heavy bag Punching
• 3 rounds of focus or speed ball (you'll be alternating the two)
• 3 rounds of mitt hitting
• 3 rounds of weaving
• Ab workouts

The order of the drills will change depending on where you train and who your trainer is but these are the basic ones you will most likely be doing.

This is supposed to be done consecutively with only a 30 second break after each round. At least ideally it is only 30 seconds because this helps you build better stamina.New comers wont be able to go at this pace though and that's perfectly fine.

When I started, I remember asking my trainer for a break just 1 minute into mitt hitting. It took me a month or two before I was able to go through 3 rounds of mitts with out asking for extra breaks. It was a great challenge but it was satisfying to be able finally do the drills without any breaks.

The reason why boxing for weight loss is so effective is because of these intense and fast paced drills. You'll be sweating and burning fat like you've never done before. Just remember to do what your trainer tells you and don't wimp out on the hard stuff. Your trainer can't force you to keep going so you need to force yourself. Push yourself through those muscle burning and oxygen depleted moments, and you'll soon have better strength and stamina.

By now the "is boxing a good workout" question is out the window. It's not just good, it's intense. And if you stick to your drills, the weight loss will be intense as well.

It's be a good idea to run or jog when you don't box so that you can continue to build up your stamina. Jogging Music that will keep your feet moving!!! is an article that you might find interesting if you're lacking in motivation to run.

Another article you might want to check out is, Does Running Help You Lose Weight?

Like any sport, you will need the proper gear if you decide to seriously tryout boxing as a hobby. And even if you're only boxing for weight loss, you will still need to put on some wraps and gloves so that you can fully benefit from the different drills involved.

Boxing Gloves

This and wraps are the first things you should get. The gloves essentially protect your hands from impact. It reduces the stress that is caused when your knuckles hit the target because the gloves act as shock absorbers.

If you dont have them on you will most likely start bleeding and eventually injure yourself. This is especially true if you have a very strong punch. Those martial arts training drills you see in movies where they hit stuff barehanded might seem cool, but don't even think of doing it because this isn't a movie.

You can hit the bag or the mitts bare handed or with only wraps from time to time but it limits your training session because you will have to stop once your hands start hurting. This is another reason why you need gloves, it increases the number of punches you can do by decreasing pain and the chance of injury. Now all you need to work on are your stamina and determination.

Gloves come in different weights and it is really up to you to pick what you want. The heavier the gloves the more taxing it will be to lift them. It might seem really easy when you start but after an hour or two of drills you'll realize that a few ounces are a very big deal.

If you're wondering what size gloves to get, you might want to check out my new article, What Size Boxing Gloves Should I Get?

Hand Wraps

These are long bandage shaped cloth strips that you wrap around your arms to protect them from impact and friction. These are also important in keeping your wrist straight and in proper form. You'll notice that form time to time when you punch, your wrist can give in or bend when you do it too hard. This can lead to injury and hand wraps help prevent this from happening.

Boxing Shoes

The build of the shoe helps with footwork since boxing has a lot of tip toe movements in it. To be honest though I consider shoes optional if you're not planning to fight in a competition. I don't really like to train with shoes so I just do the drills barefooted.

However if you plan to spar or compete, you NEED boxing shoes. It's very difficult to fight barefoot because your toes get stepped on all the time. You also need to get used to the feel and grip of the shoes if you're thinking of sparring or competing in the long run.

I only go barefoot because I do muay thai as well.

Another great thing about boxing is that you don't necessarily have to go to the gym to workout. If you're a bit short on cash or you're just feeling lazy for the day, you can workout at home. If you dont have any equipment you can always do shadow boxing and weaving exercises. These two by themselves are great cardio exercises and should get you sweating and burning a lot of calories

If you feel like hitting something though you can always buy some extra equipment and install them at home.

Punching Bag

It would be great if you had a punching bag. These arent really that expensive and you can even DIY your own. A good bag will get you a decent boxing workout without paying for the trainer and the equipment.

I got one for myself just 4 months into boxing and I love how I can just hit the bag whenever I feel like it. I live in a one bedroom condominium and the bag is in the middle of my flat. So my bag has always been a great conversation starter for when people come over. And when you need the extra space you can always unhook it and store it somewhere out of the way.

Speed/Focus Ball

If you can have these installed at your place they'll give you a more complete workout if you have a bag already. It's not really difficult to install them since you just need to drill a few holes. These are great ways to work on the timing of your punches.

They also allow you to dictate the speed you want to train with them. Most people will take a week to a month to be able to time their hits properly but once you do, you'll love the sound and consistency of your hits.

I've been Lifting weights for maybe 6 or 7 years now. I started back in college and have been going to the gym ever since. About 3 years ago though a friend of mine introduced me to boxing and since then I've slowly shifted to boxing as my main workout. I wanted a workout that would burn a lot of fat and I knew I could lose weight boxing.

Ideally you should be doing both. Two workouts are better than one, provided that you arent overworking yourself of course. But if you can only focus on one of them, you can decide which one to do based on the benefits listed bellow. These are what I've been able to observe.

Weight Lifting

• You gain more muscle, if you're after a bigger muscled body then weight lifting will get you one
• Better strength gain
• Allows you to target particular muscles you want to better define (muscle group targeted workouts)
• Regular weight lifting isn't really a cardio weight loss workout but you can cross-train in order to bring up your heart rate and burn more calories

Boxing

• Workouts utilize explosive strength
• Greater flexibility and agility
• Full body workout in one session as opposed to target muscle groups
• You lose fat faster because a full session is effectively a High Intensity Interval Workout
• Is an intense cardio weight loss workout which is the best for burning calories

I might be a bit biased towards boxing because it's what I'm currently addicted to. But basically (from a guys perspective) if you want to become bigger and build better defined and bulging muscles you should focus on weight lifting. On the other hand, the benefits of boxing are better stamina, greater flexibility and faster fat burning. If you're like me who has been weight lifting for a long time already then shifting to boxing is a great way to become lean.

If you live in Manila then here's a list of the more popular boxing fitness gyms in the area. Find the one that's most accessible to you and go give the sport a try.

If you are from somewhere else you should do a google search for gyms in your area. Most gyms have websites now and even if they don't there are usually fitness forums that will have a list of gyms near where you live.

Just click the Subtitle so you can go and check the details about the gym at their website.

Elordy Boxing Gym

There are actually a lot of branches for this one and it seems to be the most popular. This is also where I learned to box. Rates range from 200-350 depending on where the gym is located. Each gym will usually have a yearly membership fee of 500 pesos and once you become a member they'll shave of 50 pesos for each session.

Trainers here are all Pros and they are really good. You'll notice that they'll disappear from time to time because they have fights.

Red Corner Fitness and Boxing Club

I've never tried the gym but a couple of my friends have and they said that the place was pretty good. They have 2 branches, one in Libis and another in Ortigas. They also teach other forms of martial arts if you're interested in learning more.

Punch Out Boxing Club

Again, never tried the gym but they're located at World Centre Building,
HV Dela Costa Street, Makati. So if you're near them you might want to go have a look.

That's it for now. I couldn't find anymore gyms with websites but the Elorde branches alone should cover most of the areas in Manila. If I hear about any other gyms then I'll post them here. Also if you know of anymore that don't have websites please leave a comment on where they are located and their rates. I hope to be able to compile a more complete list as soon.

So get off your ergonomically built rotating chair and start boxing and experience the best cardio exercise you'll ever try. You'll feel like you're in hell the first couple of sessions but it'll be all worth it in the end.