Written by Jack Boardman
40 Minute Boxing Circuit
Looking for a circuit to get you in fighting shape? This high-intensity session is designed to burn fat and develop lean muscle while managing those stress levels on the punch bag along the way.
How does it work? You’ll need the necessary space and equipment for the following exercises. You should perform each at a high intensity and take a minute’s rest in between.
#1 Box Jumps. 1 minute. Jump with both feet, crouching a little to spring from your calf muscles and hamstrings – then the same when you land. The power of your punch comes from your legs, after all.
#2 Shadow boxing with light dumbbells. 1 minute. With light weights, shadow box in front of the mirror and make sure you keep your arms up.
#3 Jumping Jacks. 1 minute. These should loosen you up and get your legs and hips working. Keep them loose and wide to stay limber.
#4 Punch bag. 1 minute. Hit the bag with rhythm rather than velocity, but at the same time, don’t stop just because it’s not hitting back. Keep your arms up!
#5 Push ups using push up handles. 1 minute. Build your chest, grip and front delts.
#6 Standing military press. 1 minute. This will further work your shoulders, so by now your arms will be feeling pretty heavy. Don’t jerk the movement. Make sure you perform slowly and steadily so you don’t pull anything.
#7 Standing chest press with barbell. 1 minute. Don’t add weight to the bar for this. Just keep your arms moving.
#8 Punch bag. 1 minute. Arms getting tired? Keep them up. It’s not about how hard you hit the bag, but keeping your waist, feet and arms working.
#9 Skipping. 1 minute. You didn’t think you’d be doing a boxing workout without a bit of skipping, did you?
#10 Alternate bicep curls (palms down). 1 minute. You probably won’t be keen to lift too heavy at this point, but, with a light weight, work the outer muscles on your forearms and around the elbows by doing high reps with your palms down.
#11 Lateral raises. 1 minute. This will work a different part of your shoulder than you’ve mainly been using with the presses and punch bag, but your arms will be feeling like lead at this point. Keep them straight and feel it in your lat (mid) delts.
#12 Punch bag. 1 minute.
#13 Front raises. 1 minute. This should focus on your abs and your front and rear delts – all of which will be screaming at this point, so stick to a light weight and make sure your movements are steady and consistent.Abs twists with
#14 Abs twists with a medicine ball. 1 minutes. If you’re feeling confident, raise your heels off the floor to really feel these in your lower abs.
#15 Hanging leg raises. 1 minute. Finish off your lower abs with some hanging leg raises.
#16 Punch bag. 1 minute. This is your last round, so make it count!
Take a five-minute rest but keep moving. This could be a brisk walk, light sidesteps or a jog.
If all of that doesn’t sound enough like enough core strengthening work, just as you’re about to assume the fetal, there’s one more killer exercise to do before you get to limp home: a round of crunches. Yup, that’s three minutes of non-stop stomach crunches.
Whether you manage to keep up a steady rate throughout the duration or not, crunches are about contracting your abdominal muscles. This approach is known as muscle fatiguing, which will make a lot of sense at the end of those three minutes, by which point you’ll be ready for rest and nutrition.
The Aftermath
Avoid abdominal workouts the day after. Stick to low-intensity workouts, running, light bag work or stretching. Most important of all is how you can actively help your own recovery by making sure that you take in the right nutrition. If you hadn’t already guessed, the above counts as a high-intensity training session. This means that you will be burning off major calories, and continue to do so after you’ve left the gym. This is exactly the news you were after, but in order to reap the benefits (strengthening your muscles and improving your endurance and cardiovascular health), you will need to refuel.
If it’s lean muscle and low body fat that’s drawn you to this boxing circuit, you may think that fat burning is the be all and end all, but you’d be wrong. Protein and energy-loading aren't just for bodybuilders, it is a necessity in getting the right fuel for your body and also the building blocks for muscle recovery and growth. Fat loss is a matter of the calories you take in and the amount you burn off.
Make sure that you immediately get some protein after your workout. One of the best ways is with a protein shake. After that, make sure that you eat and get your protein and carbs for recovery within the hour.
Our articles should be used for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you're concerned, consult a health professional before taking dietary supplements or introducing any major changes to your diet.
