Boxing For Weight Loss: Health Benefits & Best Workouts 2024

If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re not alone. In fact, roughly 50% of Americans report actively trying to lose weight. There are countless ways to lose weight, from fad diets to celebrity exercise programs. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work the same way for everyone – it may take some trial and error to find the calorie-burning exercises that actually work for your body and your goals. And boxing weight loss workouts may be the right answer for you.

When it comes to losing weight, cutting calories isn’t the only thing to focus on – especially if you want to shed belly fat while maintaining lean muscle. The key is to find a fitness routine that burns calories while engaging your muscle groups and improving your stamina. Boxing for weight loss is a great option to consider if traditional workouts aren’t cutting it for you.

Six-Day Boxing For Weight Loss Split

If you are looking for a serious calorie burner, boxing is a great exercise to choose from! You can easily burn 400 calories in half an hour of boxing.

After jumping rope or jogging in place to warm up for about five minutes, try one of the following workouts to build your basic boxing techniques: 

Boxing Conditioning Workout

Get ready to boost your boxing skills and overall fitness with our Boxing Conditioning Workout. This high-intensity training routine combines strength-building exercises with punching drills to improve your endurance, power, and agility.

Exercise	Sets x Reps
Squats	three sets x 25 reps
Pushups	three sets x 25 reps
Crunches	three sets x 50 reps
Basic jab, cross, and hook punches	five sets x 3 minutes each
Rest	30 seconds
Punch combinations on the heavy bag	five sets x three minutes each
Rest	30 seconds

Boxing Footwork And Conditioning Workout

Prepare to enhance your boxing footwork and overall fitness with our Boxing Footwork and Conditioning Workout. This session focuses on agility, strength, and endurance, ensuring you’re ready to move like a champ in the ring.

Exercise	Sets x Reps
Jumping Jacks	one set x 30 reps
Squats	one set x 30 reps
Pushups	one set x 30 reps
Lunges	one set x 30 reps
Shadowboxing basic punches	one set x five minutes
Rest	30 seconds
Sidestep footwork drills(*)	one set x three minutes
Rest	30 seconds
Forward and backward step drills(**)	one set x three minutes
Rest	30 seconds
Box step drills	one set x three minutes

(*) Alternate between 10 quick steps left and 10 quick steps right

(**) Six steps forward, six steps right, six steps backward, six steps left

Boxing Cardio And Conditioning Intensive

This session is designed to boost your cardiovascular endurance, enhance your boxing skills, and push your limits.

Boxing Speed And Endurance Challenge

This workout day is designed to elevate your speed, agility, and endurance in the ring.

Boxing Power And Precision Workout

Get ready for an Explosive Boxing Workout that will elevate your speed, power, and precision in the ring. This dynamic session combines intense cardio, shadowboxing with powerful punches, pushups for upper body strength, and a series of heavy bag drills to take your boxing skills to the next level.

Boxing Agility And Power Circuit

This action-packed workout day is designed to turbocharge your agility, strength, and punching power. You’ll engage in a series of explosive exercises, precision bag work, and bobbing and weaving drills to level up your boxing skills.

(*) moving 180 degrees around the bag between each set.

What Is A Boxing Workout?

Boxing programs can be customized according to your fitness goals and preferences. These workouts can incorporate a variety of elements, including practiced movements, footwork drills, and punching drills. They can be done with or without equipment such as boxing gloves, speed bags, heavy bags, and focus mitts, and you can even find boxing workout games. 

A high-intensity workout for weight loss may incorporate additional conditioning exercises to increase calorie expenditure and help you burn more excess fat. Calisthenics and jumping rope, for example, are popular elements of boxing weight loss workouts. 

Is Boxing Good For Weight Loss?

Any form of physical activity has the potential to help you lose weight as long as you achieve a calorie deficit, but you may still find yourself asking: is boxing good for weight loss? Yes!

Though it can also be good for muscle building, boxing primarily involves cardiovascular exercise, making it effective as a weight-loss workout. It is typically considered a form of high-intensity interval training or HIIT, which has been shown to burn more fat^[1] than other exercises like walking when performed for extended periods at low- to moderate intensity. 

Whether you’re running, lifting weights, or boxing, weight loss is a balancing act. You need to balance the number of calories consumed against the number of calories burned on a daily basis. If you want to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit – you need to burn more calories^[2] than you consume. 

Many people have begun boxing for weight loss at home as a way to burn calories, build muscle, and improve physical fitness levels without having to pay for expensive subscription programs or gym memberships. 

Benefits Of Boxing For Weight Loss

While boxing has become incredibly popular as a great workout routine, its benefits extend beyond burning fat and calories. Regularly visiting boxing gyms can positively impact stress levels, heart health, and even balance. Here are five ways boxing can benefit your entire body and your overall health. 

Lowers Stress

Exercise, in its many forms, has been well-studied as a method for reducing stress.^[3] Boxing as a form of exercise, however, offers some unique benefits in this area. For example, programs that adhere to HIIT protocols have been shown^[4] to improve mood and cognitive function. The act of punching a mitt or a bag can also have a cathartic effect in relieving stress or anger. 

Reduces Blood Pressure

Hypertension gives you a higher risk for heart attack and stroke.^[5] Regular cardiovascular activities – especially HIIT training programs like boxing workouts – may help lower both your systolic and diastolic blood pressure. In fact, some research^[2] suggests boxing workouts may reduce blood pressure more significantly than moderate-intensity exercise.

Boosts Heart Health

In addition to lowering high blood pressure, cardio boxing can help improve your overall heart health. Because it is a form of high-intensity interval training, boxing puts your body and your heart through repeated bouts of intense activity. This improves your cardiovascular endurance and may decrease your risk^[6] for serious heart problems like heart disease. 

Improves Balance

Boxing involves repeated punching and footwork drills which help with developing coordination and building strength. In fact, boxing has been used to help improve balance and muscle coordination in individuals recovering from stroke^[7] and Parkinson’s disease.^[8] 

Increases Strength And Stamina

More than just a cardio workout, the high-intensity nature of boxing makes it a full-body workout. Throwing punches works your upper body, while footwork drills work your lower body. Keeping your core muscles engaged is essential for a good workout, and the faster you move, the more intense the aerobic workout you’re going to get. 

How To Get Started With Boxing Workouts

The first step in performing a martial art like boxing is to learn proper form. No matter what type of exercise you’re doing, maintaining proper form as you throw punches will reduce your risk of injury. 

Start by practicing your stance. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and move your nondominant foot slightly forward and your dominant foot slightly back. Balance your weight on the balls of your feet, keeping your knees loose and soft. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, bring your dominant fist up, so your index finger is resting right next to your chin. Your non-dominant fist should be held right around cheek height.

Once you’ve mastered proper stance and form, the next step is to learn the three basic punches. Taking a boxing class or watching a boxing exercise video can help if you’re having trouble visualizing the form. 

Jab

Start in your regular boxing stance with the index finger of your dominant fist resting lightly against your chin. Throw your non-dominant fist straight ahead. Remember that the jab punch is used to set up other throws and defensive movements, so it isn’t meant to be a power punch. 

Cross

Like the jab, the cross punch is thrown straight but with more power behind it. Throw the punch with your rear dominant fist, using your legs and hips to generate the force. Remember that the jab is thrown from the fist closest to your target and the cross from the fist furthest away.

Hook

This punch can be performed with either hand, but it’s best to use your non-dominant or lead fist. The goal of this punch is to come at the target from the side. Moving from your legs and hips for power, throw the punch out from your shoulder then turn your fist in toward the target halfway through. 

Summary

A boxing routine could help you reduce weight fast by burning calories, building muscle, and burning visceral fat. It’s easy to customize your boxing routine with an endless array of punch combinations, drills, and conditioning exercises. 

While boxing exercises are a great way to burn more calories, you may still need a little help to meet your weight loss goals quicker. Adding a stimulant-free fat burner to your routine may help boost your metabolism to increase your calorie burn while simultaneously suppressing your appetite to help you consume fewer calories.

Whether you add fat burners to your routine or not, consult a healthcare professional before starting your weight loss journey to see if a boxing fitness program is the right fit for you.

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