How efficient is Boxing training in getting back in shape or just kicking up your fitness regime? It’s all the rage right now from Victoria’s Secret models posting their workouts on Instagram to Vogue shadowing Gigi Hadid on her boxing workout while she gets seriously sculpted. We wanted to dig in to why this super workout could work for you, too!

Where to Start

In order to take up boxing, you will need proper training guidance and just a bare amount of equipment (you can go crazy later if you like it!). For equipment, check out the glory of Amazon reviews when looking at things like kicking bags, and make sure you find the right model for your height and weight. For the training part, learning to do the right moves might be a bit more complicated. Every punch you throw at the bag needs to be precise because you need to avoid hurting yourself. If you have little to no time or can’t afford to get a studio subscription like at a TITLE Boxing Club, you can use online resources like YouTube to get started. Many boxers make videos about their training, and with their help, you can learn SO much!

Editors note: Here are some informational (and maybe some funny) videos to get started:

• We Trained Like Boxers For A Month

• 20 MINUTE CARDIO AND BOXING WORKOUT FOR WEIGHT LOSS

• Boxing for beginners | Training techniques Episode 1

• Learn to BOX with us!

The Calorie Burn

In case the videos didn’t get you pumped up about boxing, here may be the best reason of all to start adding in some boxing to your workout wheel: It burns a TON of calories both quickly and efficiently, which means faster results.

According to Antonio Valverde, the owner of Elite City Fitness in NYC, boxing combines both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. In a nutshell, it burns considerably more calories compared to running on the treadmill, consistent jogging, or even dancing.

Due to its ability to boost your metabolism, working out with a Heavy Bag can burn between 360 and 550 calories per hour. Of course, these figures also depend on your weight and the intensity of your workout. Most people who are out of shape aren’t likely to engage in high-intensity exercise at the beginning of their weight loss journeys. But as their resistance increases, the intensity of their workout sessions also becomes higher.

Some sources say that a person weighing 182 pounds will burn approximately 371 calories over the course of forty-five minutes of heavy bag training. If you decide to use a speed bag and a jump rope, as well as spar with other boxers, you could burn as many as 800 calories in just one hour!

If you train with a heavy bag, you’ll notice that the muscles in your shoulders, chest, and back will grow. Although boxing is, without a doubt, a far cry from hitting the weight room, it can significantly improve your overall power and upper body strength.

Building Physical AND Mental Toughness

The more you spar, the more you can actively train your body to fight instead of simply retreating. Let’s face it… It’s somewhat scary to try to fend off your opponent’s hits, especially in the beginning. The fight-or-flight response is only natural after all. However, when you finally learn to take a punch and just get up and stand in front of your sparring partner, your confidence grows.

With this type of exercise, you can train for both mental toughness and physical resistance. Believe it or not, you’ll become significantly more confident after just three boxing sessions. This type of sport can come in handy when you’re trying to defend yourself from an attacker.

As resistance grows, people find they will become grittier and will want to achieve fitness goals in a more efficient fashion. Therefore, you’ll likely be able to lose any extra weight when pairing it with a healthy, clean diet, but a bonus to this grit is being able to mentally bounce back quicker when dealing with challenges that life can throw at you.

Boxing Is Stress Relief

While some might argue that boxing can have a negative impact on a person’s anger management, it’s (almost always) the other way around. You can take it out on your heavy bag, whether we’re talking about any frustration you might have from work or various other situations you are trying to handle in your day-to-day life. And in the above video, Learn to BOX with Us!, the instructor says that it’s not about taking out anger, but it’s more about getting away from the outside noise and totally focusing on one thing to compartmentalize anything going on in life.

One Caveat

Even though this kind of workout can provide positive outcomes for the body and mind of adults, it might not be the best for children. Both the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics do not recommend boxing for adolescents and children for fear of injuries. Head and facial ones are particularly common, and there have also been reports of chronic and neurologic injuries.

However, since boxing does offer a plethora of benefits such as self-confidence and self-discipline development, training with a heavy bag is still recommended for young boxers instead of actual sparring.

Want to see some kids in action to see how little ones might do it? These little boxer twins and this amazing young girl will make you smile and even be inspired…

To sum up, boxing CAN assist you in your weight loss journey, but it can also provide numerous other benefits. If you are feeling wary with regard to joining a boxing club or going to a studio, try just getting a speed bag or a self-standing heavy bag that you can practice with in your spare time. Make sure to stay safe and get the right protective equipment for your physical attributes… and most of all, have FUN!

The post Why Models Are Boxing & Reasons You Should, Too appeared first on Shannon Miller.