Society’s perception of health and fitness has gone through a dramatic change in recent years. The importance we place on exercise and and living a healthy and active lifestyle has dramatically shifted just this past decade.
More and more people around the world are getting active, eating healthy, joining health clubs, and specialty gyms all with the goal to live a healthy happier life.
But, not all physical activity is created equal. Based on what you are trying to achieve, certain workouts are more effective than others. If you want to bulk up you lift heavy weight. If you want to slim down and burn some excess fat, you go running.
But a very underestimated type of workout that not very many people know about is cardio boxing workouts. Cardio boxing exercises can offer some of the most intensive and physically rewarding workouts that you could ever put your body through.
Cardio boxing workouts can be a combination of HITT ( high intensity interval training ) style punching bag workouts combined with high intensity bodyweight exercises and movements. You will be engaged and having fun hitting the bag instead of doing some other type of boring workout.
*But for this reason we do recommend you first get yourself a pair of heavy bag boxing gloves designed to protect your hands. SmartMMA list the best gloves here that are designed to keep your hands protected when training on the heavy bag.
It combines the benefits of some of the most popular training programs such as cross-fit into one full-body challenge. The high-intensity interval training (HIIT) boxing cardio workouts benefit your body and mind in the following ways:
1. Improved Mental Health – Mood and Well-Being
This is something that a lot of people do not think about or do not realize, when you exercise not only are you toning up your body and improving your cardiovascular health but you are also improving your sense of self and well-being as well.
Studies show that working out and any type of physically demanding exercise can effectively treat depression and anxiety. Exercise is a very powerful depression and anxiety fighter for many reasons.
It promotes all kinds of changes in the mind, including reduced inflammation that can be caused from stress, promotes new neural growth, as well as induces new patterns in the mind that promote improved feelings of well-being.
Intensive physical exercise such as boxing and punching bag workouts releases endorphins, powerful bio-chemicals in your mind that help with motivation and help to make you feel good.
2. Self-Esteem & Confidence Booster
Confidence plays a key role in our society today, the more confidence you have typically the better you will do, not only in your social life but in your professional life as well. According to Forbes having higher confidence and self-esteem will lead to several new found benefits.
But how can boxing cardio workouts help me gain confidence?
Improved self-image is the main key factor here, because when you look good you feel good. Simple as that. By using this type of training in your workout regimen you will notice that your body will start undergoing changes that you will start to see in the mirror. This will be a huge motivation booster as well as improve your self-confidence greatly.
3. You Will Learn Self-Defense
So just how effective is boxing for self-defense?
Very effective. Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts are combat sports that teach you how to use power striking, such as punching and kicking to take on any opponent. You will learn to throw punching combinations correctly, how to generate knock out power with both hands, how to block and several other boxing techniques.
Whether training on a heavy punching bag or sparring against an opponent in the boxing ring boxing cardio workouts will teach you self-defense techniques and to always be alert and on stand by for anything that comes in your way. Of course
4. Improved Cardiovascular Health
This whole concept of keeping your cardiovascular system in check has been drilled into your mind since day 1 of elementary school. You need to jump on the treadmill, go running, biking whatever it may be.. but the thing about those things is that they get boring. You get what I like to call “burn out”.
This is where boxing cardio workouts come in. If you can have fun hitting and kicking the punching bag and your getting in a workout at the same time then there is no reason why you can’t choose this workout over your typical running on the treadmill type of workout.
The whole purpose of cardio is to get your your heart and lungs working above their normal levels so that they are challenged enough to give beneficial improvements to support the higher level of physical activity. But how you decide to workout your lungs and heart is totally up to you.
Provided that you keep your heart rate up during your workout, there’s no reason you can’t use a punching bag to punch, kick, and jump your way to a healthy heart with a simple punching bag set up in your own home.
5. Improved Strength
Boxing cardio workouts can improve strength?
Yes..
Think about this, most punching bags ( heavy bags ) weigh at least 100 pounds plus. During any cardio boxing or punching bag workout session you will punch and kick the bag hundreds of times.
Each punch and kick requires your upper body, core (abs), and lower body to engage with extreme force. Doing this hundreds of times will not only shred the fat off but will greatly improve the muscular strength of your entire body.