Pure Recreation

When you mention boxing, the majority of people picture two strong athletes in a ring, pumped up on adrenaline and attempting to defeat one another with their fists. Fitness boxing, however, is very different from that often conjured image. Many different types and classes of people enjoy an effective workout from a non-contact version of boxing. Boxing as a way to keep fit is fast becoming increasingly popular and rightfully so considering its many benefits. You will see increased speed, agility, endurance, coordination and strength. You will learn the basic stance and how to properly control your feet. You will learn basic punches such as the hook, the jab, the upper cut, and how to effectively combine them as you develop your boxing skills. Boxing is not just a sport for self defence, although you will learn how to properly throw a punch. And it will increase your self-confidence knowing that if anything goes awry you should be able to take care of yourself.

So you may wonder how I got started in boxing. I was already going to the gym three or four times every week, but I was only working on weight training. I was not doing any cardio, and even though I was becoming stronger and building my muscle strength, my midsection was still pretty soft. The idea of running had no appeal for me at all, so getting on a treadmill was out of the question. I thought of maybe going with my girlfriend to one of her group fitness classes, but hardly any other guys went so I quickly lost interest in that.

After a conversation with my boss one day at lunch he suggested I come along to a boxing session. He is in his 40s and in outstanding physical shape. He is totally ripped, six pack abs and all, so when someone in that kind of physical shape talks, I listen. He offered to let me borrow a pair of boxing gloves, and told me all I needed to bring was a towel and a bottle of water. I felt a bit challenged because I had never tried to box before. The man who would soon become my sparring partner informed me boxing is something anyone can do. So off I went to the gym to give boxing a go. We did a 15 minute warm up session, followed by thirty or so minutes of sparring, then a fifteen minute cool down. I experienced an entirely new level of pain! Not because someone smacked me in the face (it is non-contact after all). It was my muscles that were burning like they had never burned before. Even muscles that I didn’t imagine I would be using hurt. My legs, my shoulders, my core…everything was on fire. I thought that would be the end of my boxing activity, but I gave myself a couple days to recover and then I went back to the ring to give it another shot.

Knowing the moves gave me a better work out, and I was more prepared mentally this time. I kept going week after week and began to notice that I was beginning to trim up a little and that spare tyre around my midsection was fading away. Boxing is very much a high repetition work-out so you’ll see tone rather than muscle. Combine that with a good diet and you can really see some results very quickly.

One certain thing I’ve learned from the boxing experience is that you should never be afraid to try something new. No matter what your skill or fitness level is, boxing is good for you because it can be modified to increase or decrease complexity and intensity of the workout. Boxing is a high intensity program of exercise. It targets numerous large muscle groups, which assures you a program for toning and building strength while you also become more in shape and better fit. The gym is a great place to hang out with a mate and get a little competitive if you wish, but try and keep it above the belt.

We have all been in a rut, locked in a pattern of circumstances that we cannot seem to get out of. Rarely do those circumstances change by themselves, it’s more likely that we will need to take action to ensure that we don’t become stuck in a rut.

Tags: agility, boxing, competition, coordination, Diet, endurance, exercise, Fitness, gym, high intensity, in a rut, Sparring, speed, strength, try something new, workout

When you mention boxing, the majority of people picture two strong athletes in a ring, adrenaline pumped and attempting to defeat each other with their fists. Boxing for fitness is something completely different where entire classes of people can achieve a great workout from a non-contact version of the sport. Boxing as a way to stay fit is becoming increasingly popular and rightfully so considering the benefits. Boxing increases strength, coordination, endurance, speed, and agility. You will learn the proper way to control your feet and the basic boxing stance. You will learn the basic punches like the jab, the hook, and the uppercut and how to effectively combine them all. Boxing is not necessarily for self-defence, but you will learn how to throw a punch. And it will build your self-confidence knowing that if anything was to go awry you should be able to take care of yourself.

So you may wonder how I got started in boxing. I was already at the gym quite often, three or four times a week, but I was only doing weight training. I was not doing any cardio, and even though I was becoming stronger and building my muscle strength, my midsection was still pretty soft. I dreaded the thought of going for a run so there was no way I was going to get on a treadmill. I thought of maybe going with my girlfriend to one of her group fitness classes, but hardly any other guys went so I quickly lost interest in that. One day at lunch I was talking with my boss, and he suggested that I attend a boxing session with him. He is in his 40s and in outstanding physical shape. He is totally ripped, six pack abs and all, so when someone in that kind of physical shape talks, I listen. He let me know that I could borrow a pair of gloves so all I needed to bring was a towel and a bottle of water.

It was a little challenging as I had never tried boxing before. My soon-to-be-sparring-partner told me that boxing is a sport that anybody can do, so that week I tagged along to the gym to try it out. First we went through a 15 minute warm up session, then 30 minutes of sparring, and then a 15 minute cool down. I experienced a whole new level of pain! It was not a result of being hit in the ring; remember this is a non-contact form of boxing. It was my muscles that were burning like they had never burned before. Muscles I did not even know I was using were hurting. My core, my legs, my shoulders; everything burned like fire. I thought that would be the end of my boxing activity, but I gave myself a couple days to recover and then I went back to the ring to give it another shot.

Knowing the moves gave me a better work out, and I was more prepared mentally this time. I kept going week after week and started noticing that I was starting to trim up a little and that spare tyre around my midsection was fading away. Because boxing is a workout with high repetition, you will see more body toning than muscle building. Combine that with a good diet and you can really see some results quite quickly.

If I’ve learnt anything from the experience it is not to be afraid to try something new. No matter what your skill or fitness level is, boxing is good for you because it can be modified to increase or decrease intensity and complexity of the workout. You have no excuse not to try it. Not only is boxing a great way to workout, it gives you the opportunity to destress and vent your frustrations on the boxing pads. Boxing is a high intensity program of exercise. It targets numerous large muscle groups, which assures you a program for toning and building strength while you also become more in shape and better fit. The gym is a great place to hang out with a mate and get a little competitive if necessary, but try and keep it above the belt.

We have all been in a rut, locked in a pattern of circumstances that we cannot seem to get out of. Sometimes, those circumstances change by themselves, but more often we need to take action to ensure that we don’t become stuck in a rut.

Tags: agility, boxing, competition, coordination, Diet, endurance, exercise, Fitness, gym, high intensity, in a rut, Sparring, speed, strength, try something new, workout

When you mention the subject of boxing, the image that comes to people’s minds is of two athletes in a boxing ring, adrenaline pumped and seeking to destroy each other using their fists as weapons. Fitness boxing, however, is altogether different from that image. Many different classes and types of people enjoy an effective workout from a non-contact version of boxing. Boxing as a way to stay fit is becoming increasingly popular and rightfully so considering the benefits. You will see increased speed, agility, endurance, coordination and strength. You will learn the basic stance and how to properly control your feet. You will learn basic punches such as the jab, the hook, the upper cut, and how to combine them all effectively as you develop your boxing skills. Boxing is not just a sport for self defence, although you will learn how to properly throw a punch. Your self-confidence will increase, and you’ll know that you are prepared to hold your own if you should ever have occasion to.

So you may wonder how I got started in boxing. I was already going to the gym three or four times every week, but I was only working on weight training. I did absolutely no cardio and despite being stronger and more muscular I was still soft around the middle. The idea of running had no appeal for me at all, so getting on a treadmill was not an option. I considered going with my girlfriend to one of her group fitness classes but I was a little hesitant because there were never many guys in attendance.

After a conversation with my boss in the lunch room he suggested I come along to a boxing session. He is in his 40s and in incredible physical shape. He is totally ripped, six pack abs and all, so when someone in that kind of physical shape talks, I listen. He let me know that I could borrow a pair of boxing gloves so all I needed to bring was a bottle of water and a towel. It was a little challenging as I had never attempted boxing before. My soon-to-be-sparring-partner told me that boxing is a sport that anyone can do, so that week I tagged along to the gym to try it out. First we went through a 15 minute warm up session, then 30 minutes of sparring, and then a 15 minute cool down. I experienced a whole new world of pain! Not because someone smacked me in the face (it is non-contact after all). It was my muscles that were burning like they had never burned before. Muscles I did not even know I was using were hurting. My core, my legs, my shoulders; everything burned like fire. I thought I would never make it back to the gym, but after a couple of days of recovery I gave it another try.

I was prepared better mentally this time around and knowing the moves allowed for a better work out. I continued to go week after week and started noticing that I was starting to trim up a little and that spare tyre around my midsection was fading away. Boxing is very much a high repetition work-out so you’ll see tone rather than muscle. That combined with a nutritious diet will show you results very quickly.

If I’ve learnt anything from the experience it is not to be afraid to try something new. No matter what your skill or fitness level is, boxing is good for you because it can be modified to increase or decrease intensity and complexity of the workout. There is no excuse not to try it. It is an excellent way to de-stress and take out your frustrations on the boxing pads. Boxing is a high intensity program of exercise. It targets numerous large muscle groups, which assures you a program for toning and building strength while you also become more in shape and better fit. The gym is a great place to work out and spend time with a friend. You can even get a little competitive if you wish, as long as you keep all the moves above the belt.

We have all been in a rut, locked in a pattern of circumstances that we cannot seem to get out of. Rarely do those circumstances change by themselves, it’s more likely that we will need to take action to ensure that we don’t become stuck in a rut.

Tags: agility, boxing, competition, coordination, Diet, endurance, exercise, Fitness, gym, high intensity, in a rut, Sparring, speed, strength, try something new, workout

When you bring up the subject of boxing, the majority of people visualise two strong athletes in a ring, pumped up on adrenaline and attempting to defeat each other with their fists. Fitness boxing is something completely different where entire classes of people can get a great workout from a non-contact version of the sport. Boxing as a way to keep fit is becoming increasingly popular and rightfully so considering its many benefits. You will see increased agility, speed, endurance, coordination and strength. You will learn the basic stance and how to control your feet. You will learn basic punches such as the hook, the jab, the upper cut, and how to effectively combine them as you develop your boxing skills. Boxing is not just a sport for self defence, although you will learn how to properly throw a punch. And it will increase your self-confidence knowing that if anything goes awry you should be able to take care of yourself.

So you may wonder how I got started in boxing. I was already at the gym quite often, three or four times a week, but I was only doing weight training. I was not doing any cardio, and even though I was becoming stronger and building my muscle strength, my midsection was still pretty soft. I dreaded the thought of going for a run so there was no way I was getting on a treadmill. I thought of maybe going with my girlfriend to one of her group fitness classes, but hardly any other guys went so I quickly lost interest in that.

One day at lunch I was talking with my boss, and he made a suggestion that I attend a boxing session with him. He is an incredibly fit man in his 40s. He is totally ripped, six pack abs and all, so when someone in that kind of physical shape talks, I listen. He let me know that I could borrow a pair of gloves so all I needed to bring was a bottle of water and a towel. I felt a bit challenged because I had never tried to box before. My soon-to-be-sparring-partner told me that boxing is something that anybody can do, so that week I tagged along to the gym to try it out. We did a fifteen minute warm up, followed by thirty or so minutes of sparring, then a fifteen minute cool down. I experienced a whole new world of pain! Not because someone smacked me in the face (it is non-contact after all). It was my muscles that were burning like they had never burned before. Even muscles that I didn’t imagine I would be using hurt. My shoulders, my legs, my core…everything was on fire. I thought I would never get back to the gym, but after a couple of days of recovery I gave it another try.

I was prepared better mentally this time around and knowing the moves allowed for a better work out. I continued going to the gym every week. I noticed my body trimming up and my mid section spare tire was getting much less visible. Because boxing is a high repetition workout, you will see more body toning than muscle building. Combine that with a healthy diet and you can really see some results quite quickly.

One certain thing I’ve learned from the boxing experience is that you should never be afraid to try something new. No matter what your skill or fitness level boxing is good for you because it can be modified to increase or decrease complexity and intensity of the workout. Boxing is a high intensity program of exercise. It targets numerous large muscle groups, which assures you a program for toning and building strength while you also become more in shape and better fit. The gym is a great place to hang out with a mate and get a little competitive if you wish, but try and keep it above the belt.

Everyone knows what it feels like to be in a rut, trapped in a pattern of circumstances that we cannot escape. Sometimes, those circumstances change by themselves, but more often we need to take action to ensure that we don’t become stuck in a rut.

Tags: agility, boxing, competition, coordination, Diet, endurance, exercise, Fitness, gym, high intensity, in a rut, Sparring, speed, strength, try something new, workout

When you mention the subject of boxing, the image that comes to people’s minds is of two athletes in a boxing ring, adrenaline pumped and seeking to destroy each other using their fists as weapons. Fitness boxing, however, is altogether different from that often conjured image. Many different types and classes of people enjoy an effective workout from a non-contact boxing version. Boxing is fast becoming a popular way to exercise and stay fit, and it isn’t difficult to understand why when you take into account all the benefits the sport has to offer. Boxing increases strength, coordination, speed, endurance, and dexterity. You will learn the proper way to control your feet and the basic boxing stance. You will learn basic punches such as the jab, the hook, the upper cut, and how to effectively combine them as you develop your boxing skills. Boxing is not just a sport for self defence, although you will learn how to properly throw a punch. Your self-confidence will increase, and you’ll know that you are prepared to defend yourself if you should ever need to.

So how did I get started boxing? I was already going to the gym three or four times every week, but I was only working on weight training. I was not doing any cardio, and even though I was becoming stronger and building my muscle strength, my midsection was still pretty soft. I dreaded the thought of going for a run so there was no way I was going to get on a treadmill. I thought of maybe going with my girlfriend to one of her group fitness classes, but hardly any other guys went so I quickly lost interest in that.

One day at lunch I was talking with my boss, and he suggested that I attend a boxing session with him. He is in his 40s and in outstanding physical shape. He is totally ripped, six pack abs and all, so when someone in that kind of physical shape talks, I listen. He offered to let me borrow a pair of boxing gloves, and told me all I needed to bring was a towel and a bottle of water. I felt a bit challenged because I had never tried to box before. The man who would soon become my sparring partner informed me boxing is something anyone can do. So off I went to the gym to give boxing a go. First we went through a 15 minute warm up session, then 30 minutes of sparring, and then a 15 minute cool down. The pain I experienced after the boxing workout was entirely new to me! It was not a result of being hit in the ring; remember this is a non-contact form of boxing. My muscles burned, like nothing I had ever experienced before. Muscles I did not even know I was using were hurting. My legs, my shoulders, my core; everything burned like fire. I thought that would be the end of my boxing activity, but I gave myself a couple days to recover and then I went back to the ring to give it another shot.

I was better prepared mentally this time around and knowing the moves allowed for a better work out. I kept going week after week and started noticing that I was starting to trim up a little and that spare tyre around my midsection was fading away. Boxing is very much a high repetition work-out so you’ll see tone rather than muscle. Combine that with a good diet and you can really see some results quite quickly.

One certain thing I’ve learned from the boxing experience is that you should never be afraid to try something new. No matter what your skill or fitness level boxing is good for you because it can be modified to increase or decrease complexity and intensity of the workout. There is simply no valid reason for not giving boxing a try. It is a good way to de-stress and vent your frustrations on the boxing pads. Boxing is a high intensity program of exercise. It targets numerous large muscle groups, which assures you a program for toning and building strength while you also become more in shape and better fit. The gym is a great place to hang out with a mate and get a little competitive if necessary, but try and keep it above the belt.

Everyone knows what it feels like to be in a rut, trapped in a pattern of circumstances that we cannot escape. Rarely do those circumstances change by themselves, it’s more likely that we will need to take action to ensure that we don’t become stuck in a rut.

Tags: agility, boxing, competition, coordination, Diet, endurance, exercise, Fitness, gym, high intensity, in a rut, Sparring, speed, strength, try something new, workout