Boxing Training: 7 Health Advantages

When you hear the term ‘boxing training,’ you’re instantly bombarded by images of gum guards, broken noses, sweat, eyebrows split open, and, most of all, brain damage. But that is not what we are talking about here. Here, we are looking at the benefits of training like a boxer without the injuries.

Fitness training has taken on a myriad of faces in the last two decades. It is allowing us to choose from a whole number of disciplines to accommodate our fitness levels, goals, and preferences. With the advent of martial arts-based training programs lately, experts have begun to look into the enormous advantages of combat-related exercise programs. However, it is not just about fitness. There are so many health benefits that come from boxing training that you might overlook when concerned about the impact (excuse the pun) of the relevant exercises.

How Does Boxing Training Differ From Other Workouts?

Apart from being semi- or full contact in nature, boxing assures the overall targeting of various aspects of your body. Where some exercise regimes promote flexibility or endurance, and others increase strength or balance skill, boxing incorporates all of these elements in every workout. This whole-body workout is an advantage, especially for people who like to be active and have little time to maintain their fitness. In one boxing session, the body undergoes an encompassing collection of abilities to sharpen. It promotes the body’s abilities at endurance, speed, strength, and flexibility all in one.

Health Advantages of Boxing Training

There are endless advantages to training as a boxer. Here are seven benefits that pack a punch.

1. Overall Fitness

Unlike other sports that specialize in one capacity, boxing allows you to grow fitter faster. Its aerobic and endurance needs will promote cardiovascular health and fitness, while rapid movements enhance your reactions and strength alike. During boxing training, the body is subjected to mental and physical force, all happening very quickly. This intensity is beneficial to coordination and makes for a high concentration, full-body workout in less time than one aerobic class or yoga session.

2. Self Defense

Even if your intention is only to get fit or enhance muscular endurance, the self-defense elements of boxing will always be beneficial to women (and men). Without realizing it, you will find that boxing training teaches you how to throw a punch, or evade one. Not only will you learn how to dodge an attack faster, but boxing conditions you to do it inadvertently. Repetition of certain combinations is conducive to creating a routine in your mind-body connection. Should you need to defend yourself, your training will quite possibly automatically kick in.

3. Self-Confidence

The ability to protect yourself is an undeniable confidence booster. Your new self-confidence will also come from being healthier and more agile. Not to mention the guaranteed esthetic benefits that come with this level of high-intensity training. Learning a new skill or mastering something once thought complicated has a significant effect on how we value ourselves, and being a good boxer is no different.

4. Muscular Proficiency

Let’s face it – when most women hear anything about building muscle, they instantly shut down and think of professional bodybuilders who resemble their male counterparts. This adverse reaction to muscle growth training is the very reason why most women, those who refuse to embrace the conditioning of muscle tone, end up with early-onset osteoporosis. Bone density is reliant on, among others, the strength of the muscle attached.

Muscle growth and conditioning are imperative for battling degenerative bone density conditions. Not only does boxing training promote anti-aging by resistance and power exercises, but it also enhances the function of the stabilizer muscles. When boxing, we use our core muscles, arms, legs, and shoulders to pack each punch with as much power as possible. This integrated employment of muscle groups alleviates pre-existing conditions like a bad lower back or joint immobility.

5. Anti-Aging Proponent

Boxing training increases a hormone called HGH (Human Growth Hormone) in the body. In sports, HGH is a controversial substance, often having been injected to increase an athlete’s muscle mass and endurance ability. However, it is naturally available in the body and has been known to retard cellular aging.

If you train at a high capacity of oxygen utilization (full sparring, in this case), your body produces more HGH to facilitate strength and stamina.

6. Anti-Stress

Stress is a huge factor in limiting our health and decreasing the potency of our immune system. Combating these circumstances is where boxing training can be highly beneficial. When your body is exerting itself with proper exercise, you destress in that your brain releases endorphins that combat stress factors head-on. If you have ever subjected yourself to a hard workout, you will know how such intense exertion floods your brain with mood-enhancing hormones. Also, let’s not forget to mention how discipline promotes a good night’s sleep. You will not only feel empowered for defeating your opponent, but the accomplishment in your boxing session will add to your sense of relaxation afterward.

7. Enhances Proprioception

What a fancy word for kinaesthetic intelligence! Proprioception refers to the coordination and spatial awareness. In other words, eye-hand coordination and depth perception, both aspects of our everyday lives that are pivotal to our motor skills and function.

Boxing training, whether it is sparring with a partner or punching a bag, is undoubtedly one of the primary disciplines in increasing reflexes and mind-eye reactions. Proper coordination is critical, especially as we age, preventing us from unnecessary injury and falls.

Extras To Remember

Hydrate While Boxing

Do not forget to take your water bottle to keep your body cool and hydrated.

Where Protection While Boxing

Invest in proper gear – Before you start, make sure you protect yourself properly. Sparring headgear, a mouthguard, and hand-wraps to wear under your boxing gloves are an excellent way to start.

Have Fun When Boxing

Most of all, fight clean and enjoy yourself!