Boxing is a type of combat sport and martial art that has existed for centuries. Others consider it for self-defense and as part of their workout routine. There are two reasons why people get attracted to boxing. For one, it’s entertaining and enjoyable. Second, it can notably improve their overall wellness and health.

Some health benefits of boxing include reducing stress, improving overall strength, and boosting mental health. Likewise, this type of combat sport can aid in weight loss. Engaging in boxing multiple times a week is considered to have more impact on a person’s body fat than other less arduous exercises.

This article will tackle how boxing can help with losing fat. It will also delve into two specific boxing workouts for achieving the same end.

How Boxing Can Be Good For Weight Loss

As long as you pair boxing with a proper diet, you can notice drastic improvements in your body composition and weight. Below are some ways that this combat sport can aid in achieving a healthy weight:

1. It Helps Burn Belly Fat

Fat is often tied to poor health. For one, it alters bodily functions, increasing the likelihood of lifestyle diseases. Examples of diseases that may happen because of excessive fat are:

  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease

Luckily, if you’re looking to lose fat, especially those found around your belly, engaging in high-intensity boxing is the path forward. Boxing engages your core and upper and lower body whenever you throw punches. This helps in losing belly fat.

2. It Helps Burn A Lot Of Calories

Boxing is an effective high-impact cardio exercise that can significantly burn calories. It’s normal for individuals to burn up to 1,000 calories in a single boxing session.

There are two reasons this combat sport is good for losing calories. For one, it involves moves that target multiple major muscle groups all at once. Secondly, it puts focus on your strength and cardiovascular fitness. 

Ultimately, at a boxing gym San Diego or other areas, you can find a coach to guide you in losing calories. This all translates to improving your fitness journey.

3. It Helps Reduce Stress

Many with obesity issues are worried about their weight. This is how boxing can be ideal. Coping with one’s weight can be possible through this combat sport. Boxing releases hormones such as serotonin, endorphin, and dopamine. These hormones can make you happy. When you’re satisfied with your workout, it can motivate you to push harder and lose more fat.

Boxing can also reduce your stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. This can also make you happy and get relaxed at the same time. When you’re less stressed, it can motivate you to do physical activity while reducing the chance of stress-eating. 

Lastly, boxing allows you to express your anger safely and in a healthy way. By engaging in this exercise, you can practice anger management without causing harm to yourself and those around you. Anger is said to be related to weight gain. Channeling its energy to fast movements is a great way of hitting two birds with one stone: mental and physical health. 

4. It Helps You Engage Your Whole Body

Some exercises don’t target the whole body and can sometimes get boring. Two examples of these exercises are treadmill workouts and brisk walking. This isn’t the case if you engage in boxing.

Boxing can target your upper and lower body in many ways. For one, it involves head movements, footwork, defensive movements such as bobbing and weaving, and many others. There are also boxing workouts that focus on power and speed by using one’s hips and core.

To add, people notice an improvement in their strength after their boxing workout. It’s because most of the muscles used in this combat sport are fast-twitch (i.e., quickly contracting) muscle fibers. These muscle groups are often undermined in typical exercises. Yet, it’s crucial to engage them. Doing so releases fat-burning hormones that can aid your weight loss journey.

5. It Helps You Engage In A Fun And Sustainable Workout 

Continuously finding the motivation to do workout is one of the most significant issues for those who want to lose weight. This is why more people are trying to engage in boxing. The reason for this is that boxing not only requires engaging the whole body but also compels the mind to focus. 

Another cause of why people continuously try boxing is that it’s a stimulating fitness routine. This allows people to maintain their interest in such combat sports. When others love the type of exercise they put effort into, sticking to a workout can be done more smoothly and consistently.

One more reason is that this combat sport is a sustainable workout and an ideal alternative to losing weight is that it’s easy to learn. Those just starting can engage in boxing immediately after training and learning the basic defensive strategies and offensive techniques. More so, people of different ages and gender can do this type of workout.

Boxing Workouts For Weight Loss

Now that you learned how boxing aids in losing weight, it’s good to know some boxing workouts that can help you achieve this goal. Ideally, you must do these workouts with the help of a boxing coach. But it’s fine to get familiarized with some of them on your own so you’re more informed and prepared to engage in this combat sport.

  • Jump Lunges

Jump lunges are ideal for boxers that want to build their overall strength. This activity is also suitable for those who want to have powerful punches that get their strength from the leg muscles. Likewise, this plyometric (i.e., fast and high-intensity) exercise can strengthen the hamstrings, quads, lower back, and glutes.

  •  Shadow Boxing

Shadow boxing is when a fighter throws punches in the air all alone. This type of boxing training is suitable for those who want to learn how to punch and build punch combinations before hitting the sandbag. To start, here are the various times when you have to shadow box:

  • Warm-Up
  • Technique Drills
  • Conditioning
  • Warm-Down

You can try shadow boxing before a mirror to help you create an ideal form and boxing technique. 

Wrapping Up

Besides being a fun activity, boxing can be ideal for weight loss. It has movements and repetitions you can try to aid you in losing fat. In the end, you can notice significant physical improvements once you engage in this combat sport with consistency and discipline.