The sport of boxing for women is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. For the past few years, we have witnessed the opening of boutique fitness studios solely devoted to boxing lessons. At the same time, larger fitness centres have gotten on board with the trend and included boxing courses in their schedules. So, what exactly is the big deal here?
Boxing is not only a terrific way to get in shape, but it can also give you a sense of empowerment, whether at the gym or in the privacy of your house. In addition to being an all-around mood booster and something that will make you feel strong, it helps you maintain fit, burns fat, builds muscle, and gets you moving.
If you’ve never done it before, boxing could look intimidating and challenging at first because of how fast-paced it is. However, once you get the fundamentals down, the possibilities for growth are virtually unlimited.
To get you started on the right foot, we asked three boxing professionals to fill us in on all you need to know about contemporary boxing for women. So get ready to feel confident during your next boxing workout with the help of these professional tips and techniques:
- Put on your most supportive pair of workout leggings.
- Slip on your most supportive pair of running shoes.
- Pick up a pair of boxing gloves.
Boxing training for women is unlike any other form of exercise because it favours both the body and the psyche. In this section, we’ll look at insights and personal experiences directly from women who box and present some excellent boxing exercises for women to check out for themselves.
Why Women Should Take Up Boxing
Benefits That Boxing Offers to Women
1. Boxing Means Fat Burning and Increase in Endurance
It is a fallacy that you may meet your fitness objectives by running on a treadmill for sixty minutes at a moderate pace. However, suppose you can incorporate anaerobic workouts (such as jumping rope, lifting weights, or sprinting) and aerobic exercises (such as jogging, walking, or bicycling) into your fitness program. In that case, you will see benefits much more quickly!
Your endurance will increase, as well as your blood flow if you engage in aerobic exercise. Anaerobic exercise is beneficial for maintaining and enhancing your muscle mass while also efficiently reducing body fat. I hope you can now comprehend how good combining these two things will be for your well-being.
You will improve your cardiovascular endurance by practising both of them together, which will also help you maintain your muscle mass while reducing the amount of unneeded fat in your body.
Although training in boxing requires you to devote 20 to 30 per cent of your time to aerobic exercises and 70 to 80 per cent of your time to anaerobic exercises, it has the potential to give you benefits on both fronts, relieving you of the need to include an excessive number of activities in your workout routine.
2. Boxing Will Tone Your Muscles
Many women, especially those self-conscious about their bodies, avoid strength training out of the concern that it will make them appear larger and more muscular.
Because boxing training increases your strength, you won’t have to worry about having that issue when you’ve completed it. And without making you into the Incredible Hulk in the process!
Due to the repetitious nature of boxing training, you will eventually develop a natural strength, which will help tone your muscles over time. As a result, it gives the impression that they are significantly thinner and leaner.
Take, for instance, the best men’s and women’s professional boxers, who both serve as excellent instances of this. Unsurprisingly, many famous people and models use boxing as part of their fitness routine.
3. Your Entire Body will be Working Out
You have undoubtedly watched a boxing match on television previously. You have just seen the competitors throw punches, leading you to believe that boxing is only about working out the upper body. It is, however, just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
When you begin training, you will immediately begin executing maneuvers such as bobbing, weaving, and rolling under punches. While you are exercising, these will provide your glutes and thighs with a significant amount of benefit. In addition, your abdominal muscles will always be kept active when you make motions like these.
Another important component that most women frequently overlook is the development of a robust core. Boxing, on the other hand, will assist you in constructing a solid core foundation that will benefit every physical punch and movement you execute while training.
Regarding working out, boxing covers most bases, including high-intensity exercise, aerobic training, and strength training. As a result, it transforms into a comprehensive fitness solution for women interested in maintaining their health and physical fitness.
4. Very Valuable for Mental Health
Launch your preferred internet browser and research the careers of female professional boxers such as Lucia Rijker, Lila Ali, or Amanda Serrano. Apart from their professional achievements, one thing that unites them is a strong sense of self-assurance. Boxing training may be a great way to boost your self-assurance and develop a winning mentality, which will serve you well inside and outside the ring.
Women have the innate capacity to care for others, which is a blessing. But unfortunately, they frequently put the needs of others ahead of their own, and as a result, they are prone to forgetting that they, too, have requirements that must be satisfied.
Boxing has the potential to be an excellent method of self-care. No matter what kind of physical activity you’re partaking in, you’ll feel happier and more fulfilled mentally and emotionally.
Boxing is a great way to reduce stress and boost your mood because it causes your body to produce endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals. You will, without a doubt, also put yourself in a position to have a restful night’s sleep.
Like everyone else, each of us deals with our unique assortment of rage and irritation, both of which we would like to eradicate from our heads. However, we cannot vent our frustrations on everyone and everyone at random.
A punching bag ready to be punched can do wonders for your health and fitness.
6 Best Boxing Resources for Women
1. How Boxing Benefits a Woman’s Body
Check out why training like a boxer will get you in incredible shape for a more in-depth look at how boxing can help you attain your peak physical fitness level.
2. Boxing Basics
When first getting started with boxing, familiarising yourself with some basic motions is a good idea. Check out these five (5) fundamental boxing moves that you can pick up right away with no special equipment required.
3. Setting up a Boxing Gym
It is possible to begin boxing with no equipment, but if you want to receive the full effect of the activity, think about how simple it is to establish an at-home boxing gym.
4. Beginner Workout for Women
Look at this fantastic boxing workout for ladies designed for beginners and only lasts for twenty minutes if you are interested in learning how to box.
5. Boxing Workouts with FightCamp Trainer Shanie “Smash”
Shanie “Smash” Rusth, a trainer at FightCamp, is in your corner to provide you with a never-ending source of inspiration to keep you psyched up. The phrase “You got this, girl!” serves as her slogan. In addition to providing an excellent beginner boxing workout for ladies, Shanie also provides an extensive training video library that will motivate you to keep going.
6. Boxing Nutrition for Women
In addition to that, Shanie is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the optimal diet for boxers. A boxer’s diet is a crucial component in maximising the effects of their training. Learn what foods to have before a boxing workout and what foods to consume afterwards.
Women’s Boxing: The Ultimate Guide For Beginners
Boxing has a long tradition of being a popular kind of exercise that is entertaining and beneficial. Boxers can hone their punches and footwork in the numerous boxing rings that can be found in gyms across the nation of Australia.
In addition, boxing enthusiasts can receive excellent training from well-trained instructors who are also experienced boxers. These instructors can train boxing fans for either fitness or competition.
Is Boxing Good for Women’s Fitness?
It doesn’t matter what gender you are. Boxing is a fantastic way to get in shape. Boxing training can also be considered a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), a strategy for improving cardiovascular fitness that involves alternating bouts of intense aerobic activity with healing times less taxing on the body.
A session that lasts for thirty to forty-five minutes burns a significant quantity of calories and fat while simultaneously training the muscles in all of the body’s muscle groups.
How Does Boxing Tone the Body?
Boxing is a great way to work out your entire body. Your triceps, biceps, shoulders, and core muscles are all worked with every punch you throw. In addition, you give your legs a fantastic workout as you move about the ring by stepping, dancing, lunging, and weaving. Boxing is an excellent way to get in shape since it helps you burn many calories and reduces the amount of fat in your body.
Some people believe that strenuous workouts will cause you to become excessively bulky, but this is not true. That is far from being accurate! Targeted workouts are more effective for males than women in increasing muscle mass, but only if women perform exercises designed expressly for bodybuilding.
It is safe to state that women who train in boxing will only inevitably look bulky if they specifically seek that effect.
Is Boxing Good for Weight Loss?
Boxing is one of the greatest workouts for weight loss because it combines anaerobic and aerobic exercise, making it one of the best workouts for weight reduction overall (it is primarily anaerobic, but it does include some aerobic components as well).
Exercises that emphasise aerobic endurance and cardiovascular health are referred to as aerobic training, and workouts that emphasise anaerobic strength and muscle building are referred to as anaerobic training.
Boxing is an intense workout that requires a lot of energy. Boxing workouts can help you lose weight while also helping you gain muscle. It is because fat is stored energy, and boxing workouts, together with these other changes, can help.
What Are the Disadvantages of Boxing for Women?
Boxing is a strenuous activity that is full of motions that are both repetitive and occasionally have a strong impact. Overtraining is possible, just as with any other exercise type. If you overtrain and put undue tension on your muscles, you put yourself at a greater risk of getting injured. At first, you should take things slow and easy, and then, as you get more experience, you should gradually increase the difficulty of your workouts.
Even during beginner’s training, there is always a possibility of getting hit when you’re boxing. Not even for seasoned veterans. There is no way to avoid getting stuck in boxing. You put yourself at risk for injuries like black eyes and concussions if you don’t use protective gear when you go into dangerous situations.
Finally, keep in mind that boxing is a sport that involves physical contact. It indicates that there is a significant potential for unforeseen injuries to occur. For instance, if you are practising on an excessively difficult punching bag, you could injure your hand. Likewise, you risk sustaining an injury during a particularly intense round of sparring.
Because of this, you should limit your training to sessions with qualified professionals only. While working toward assisting you in accomplishing your objectives, your trainer will keep your well-being in mind.
What Does Boxing Do for a Women’s Body?
Boxing is one of the best ways to become in the best form of your life. Your general disposition and energy level will improve almost immediately after beginning a program of women’s boxing workouts.
If you keep up with your workouts, you will start to notice results just as quickly as everyone else. The benefits of boxing for a woman’s physique are numerous, and the following are just a few of them:
Women’s boxing will INCREASE:
- Resting Metabolic Rate
- Lean Muscle
- Confidence
Women’s boxing will DECREASE:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Fat
Women’s boxing will STRENGTHEN:
- Muscles
- Heart
- Bones
- Self-esteem
Total-Body Boxing Workout for Women
Fight club’s first and foremost rule is that there is no such thing as a fight club. However, that is only partially accurate. The sport of boxing is making a resurgence in the world of fitness, and boutique boxing studios are spreading like wildfire across the country. So why has there been a resurgence?
Boxing is incredibly effective in boosting your heart rate in a short time. Because of this, it is suitable for high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is one of the most efficient exercise regimens for getting in shape. For example, a boxing workout that lasts for 45 minutes will work almost all of the muscle groups in your body, in addition to torching calories, shedding fat, and building lean muscle.
Boxing Benefits
Boxing is a terrific activity to learn if you want to be in shape, lose weight, and tone your body simultaneously. It is extremely effective for toning your arms and abs, as well as truly addressing those problem areas many ladies struggle with.
In addition, because you are actively using your upper body and core muscles with each punch despite not adding additional weight, you will tone rather than bulk up. Other advantages, some of which may come as a surprise, include the following:
- Self-defence. By correctly throwing punches, women can learn how to defend themselves and protect themselves from potentially dangerous circumstances. Knowing that you are improving a talent that is applicable and beneficial from a preventative measure’s point of view will bolster your self-assurance.
- The alleviation of stress. Are you having a terrible day? Could you put it in the bag and look at it? Hitting a heavy bag as hard as you can is emotionally fulfilling, making boxing an extremely effective form of therapy.
- Empowerment. Boxing allows you to discover the champion that lies inside you. Boxing provides female athletes with the opportunity to challenge their physical limits, as well as their mental fortitude and endurance. After completing a boxing session, ladies may take the same sense of self-assurance and power with them and apply it to various situations.
Conditioning Circuits Show Results
Stay calm about starting a fight if you are prepared to take blows. Floyd Mayweather, widely regarded as one of the most dominant boxers of all time, made the most of the exceptional level of conditioning he possessed while competing in the ring. It means you can avoid fighting an opponent to benefit from this sport. A significant portion of boxing’s magic occurs before you enter a ring.
Every single session will always have a fitness component and a boxing component. Work with a heavy bag and training circuits performed on the floor efficiently target the full body and help you get stronger while simultaneously reducing body fat.
Jump Rope
Boxers make great use of jumping rope to maintain their lean body mass and develop a solid cardiac foundation. In addition to this, it calls for excellent hand-foot coordination, which is essential for evading capture and maneuvering about the ring. An excellent cardio exercise is provided by jumping at a variety of tempos.
To replicate the flow of actual combat, leap slowly and steadily for twenty seconds. After that, accelerate the tempo by either jumping quicker, doubling your height or increasing the distance between each jump. Remember that maintaining a light step is the most crucial thing you can do. (You have a total of three minutes to jump rope.)
Shadowboxing
Work on your jab and cross, as they are the two basic punches. The jab should be your first move. Boxing stance should be your starting position, with your non-dominant foot in front of the other foot. You should slightly bend your knees, keep your chin tucked, and raise both hands to shield your face.
As you strike the target, reach your lead hand (or your non-dominant hand) forward and extend it to strike it. At the same time, lightly bring up your lead foot and stride it forward. Spin your upper body clockwise as you reach out with your dominant hand to perform the cross. To pack more punching power into each blow, pivot on your back foot and turn your hips. (You will now perform this combo three times in a row.)
- Jab
- Jab
- Double Jab
- Double Jab
- Jab, Cross
- Jab, Cross
- Double Jab, Cross
- Double Jab, Cross
- Jab, Cross, Jab, Cross
- Jab, Cross, Jab, Cross
Running
Because running is such an effective method for increasing stamina, Floyd Mayweather incorporates six to seven miles of running into his daily workout routine. Remember to concentrate on your breath, lift your chest, and propel yourself forward with your arms. (You have one mile to complete at a brisk clip.)
Prisoner Jump Squat
This fantastic exercise works the buttocks while incorporating short cardio bursts. Squat down low with your hands clasped behind your head, then explode upwards with a running start.
As a result of the extensive range of intensities through which you move your body while performing this exercise, a large variety of muscle groups will be worked. In addition, holding your hands in this position also engages the shoulder muscles, which can be difficult to focus on in other exercises. (You should complete 15 repetitions and repeat the sequence thrice.)
Mountain Climber
Mountain climbers are an excellent form of cardiovascular workout that can be performed at home with very little room required and will quickly increase your heart rate. In addition, they have a very low impact, reducing the risk of common injuries connected with other kinds of cardiovascular exercises, such as running. You should begin in plank posture, engage your core, and raise your right knee to your chest.
Next, come back to the plank. Make the other leg your dominant one, and bring your left knee forward. Alternate between your two legs and quicken your pace until it feels like you are jogging in place while holding the plank posture. (You will perform mountain climbers for three sets, each lasting thirty seconds.)
Push-Up
Push-ups are one of Mayweather’s favourite ways to work his entire body and build strength and tone. They are also incredibly straightforward and uncomplicated exercises that are one of the most effective ways to target upper body and back muscles. (You should complete ten repetitions and repeat the sequence three times.)
Footwork
It would help if you concentrated on your footwork by bouncing forward with your lead foot and doing the same thing backward with your rear foot while in a fighting stance and bouncing on both feet. Footwork exercises can help you burn calories, get lighter on your feet, and improve your boxing ability simultaneously. If you want to burn more calories and increase your upper body’s endurance, try holding light weights (around 3 pounds). (You should perform footwork exercises for a total of three minutes.)
Difference Between Men and Women Boxing
Both male and female boxers are expected to comply with most of the sport’s rules. However, the length of each round is where you’ll find the most significant variation. Each round lasts three minutes for the men and two minutes for the ladies.
When it comes to beginning a career in boxing, the vast majority of women, about eighty per cent of them, do so to further their education. However, it would be more accurate to state that most women concentrate on physical fitness, reduce excess weight, and improve their self-defence skills.
However, due to an increase in the number of women participating in boxing, major boxing promotional organisations, such as Matchroom, now feature more female fighters as co-headliners and headliners alongside male competitors than ever before. Because a significant number of boxing fans are more interested in top female fights than top men’s fights in certain instances. It’s fantastic to see women’s boxing gaining popularity and expanding its reach.
Boxing Training Best For Women
Suppose the combat aspect does not pique your attention in the slightest. Different kinds of boxing classes are available, some of which are tailored specifically for female participants.
All of them are currently being utilised as a means of staying fit and active by a large number of women from all around the world. They aim to develop endurance and strength by elevating your heart rate through repetitiveness and full-on training sessions. They are structured in a manner analogous to that of a HIT class, which stands for high-interval training.
Many of these can be modified in terms of the skills you will acquire, and some can even include additional footwork workouts.
- Boxing methods are used in cardio boxing, which helps participants develop their stamina and endurance.
- Boxfit and Boxercise are hybrid forms of exercise that combine boxing with conventional interval training.
- Boxing training for self-defence teaches students how to defend themselves and physically and mentally condition themselves for combat by learning how to throw punches.
Conclusion
Celebrating women by giving them more agency is one of the most effective ways. Boxing is a fantastic outlet that enables women to lead healthier, more balanced lives in which they have more agency.
Boxing training for women is unlike any other form of exercise because it favours both the body and the psyche. Look at the insights and personal experiences directly from women who box and test out some incredible boxing routines designed for women.
Frequenly Asked Questions
Do I need prior experience or boxing skills to start fitness boxing training?
Do I need prior experience or boxing skills to start fitness boxing training?
No prior experience or boxing skills are required to start fitness boxing training. These programs are designed to cater to individuals of all fitness levels, including beginners. Trainers will guide you through the techniques and gradually introduce you to the fundamentals of boxing. You can start at your own pace and progress as you build strength and confidence.
Is fitness boxing training suitable for women of all ages?
Is fitness boxing training suitable for women of all ages?
Yes, fitness boxing training is suitable for women of all ages. It offers a versatile workout that can be adapted to accommodate different fitness levels and age groups. Whether you are in your 20s or 60s, you can engage in fitness boxing training to improve your overall fitness and enjoy its many benefits. It’s always a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have specific health concerns.
Can fitness boxing training help with weight loss and body toning?
Can fitness boxing training help with weight loss and body toning?
Yes, fitness boxing training can be an effective tool for weight loss and body toning. It combines cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) elements, which are known to burn calories and promote fat loss. Boxing exercises engage multiple muscle groups, helping to tone and sculpt the body. Combined with a balanced diet, fitness boxing training can contribute to weight management and improved body composition.
Can I practice fitness boxing while pregnant?
Can I practice fitness boxing while pregnant?
It is essential to consult with your healthcare provider before engaging in any exercise regimen, including fitness boxing, during pregnancy. While boxing training can be modified for prenatal fitness, certain precautions and modifications may be necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of both you and your baby. Your healthcare provider can guide you on the suitability of fitness boxing and recommend appropriate modifications.
What should I expect in a typical fitness boxing class?
What should I expect in a typical fitness boxing class?
In a typical fitness boxing class, you can expect a combination of cardio exercises, shadowboxing, pad work, bag work, strength training, and conditioning drills. The class may begin with a warm-up, followed by practising boxing techniques, combinations, and footwork. The trainer will guide you through various drills and exercises to improve your overall fitness and boxing skills. The class typically ends with a cool-down and stretching session.