Boxing HIIT workout is challenging, motivating, and an efficient way to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness. It torches significant calories, reduces body fat percentage in obese people, enhances cardiovascular health, and improves body composition. I’ve shared an ultimate boxing HIIT workout for beginners in this article. So if you’re starting out, this can be helpful.
Boxing is a sport exercise that can also be integrated into High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT is a workout program that involves short periods of high-intensity activity alternated with less-intense recovery periods. The goal is to get your heart rate up and then bring it back down again and repeat for a set period of time.
Benefits of Boxing HIIT Workout
Hitting merely punches on a punching bag provides numerous health benefits. Let’s take a look at some of the important ones.
1. Torch significant calories and Support Weight Loss
Boxing HIIT workout ignites more calories than other forms of training like weight training and cardio. According to Valdosta State University, heavy bag boxing burns calories from 354 for a 130-pound person to 558 for a 205 pounds person per hour.1 Exercise and Calories Burned – Valdosta State University
Here you can see the calorie expenditure in a different type of boxing exercise:
| Boxing Type (Calories Burned per Hour) | 130 lbs | 155 lbs | 180 lbs | 205 lbs |
| Boxing in the ring | 708 | 844 | 981 | 117 |
| Boxing, punching bag | 354 | 422 | 490 | 558 |
| Boxing, sparring | 531 | 633 | 735 | 838 |
Higher calorie expenditure helps lose fat if you maintain your calorie intake and eat the right amount of macros.
A study has shown that high-intensity boxing training had a positive impact on obesity when men and women individuals participated in 12-week boxing HIIT program.2 The feasibility and effectiveness of high-intensity boxing training versus moderate-intensity brisk walking in adults with abdominal obesity: a pilot study – BMC Sports Science, Medicine, and Rehabilitation So, if your plan is to shed some extra kilos, start punching.
2. Enhance Cardiovascular Health
Boxing is one of the best ways to improve your cardiovascular function. It helps lower the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, according to Health Harvard Education.3 Punch up your exercise routine with fitness boxing – Harvard Medical School
3. Strengthen Muscles and Bones
Boxing engages multiple muscles throughout the body, particularly your arms, core, and shoulder, and helps strengthen and tone your muscles.
4. Improve Coordination
Boxing is a great way to improve coordination between different body parts. For example, it coordinates eyes and hands while punching the bag. And better coordination improves alertness and helps you in your day-to-day activities.
Types of Boxing Punches
You can hit numerous kinds of punches on the bag, depending on your fitness level. However, the most common ones you should know about are the jab, the cross, the hook, and the uppercut.
1. The Jab
The jabs are fast and long-range punches that use in the boxing ring to keep the opponent away from you. This is one of the basic movements you start with your HIIT circuit training.
How to do it:
- To throw a jab with your right hand, Place your right foot in front of your left in the split stance.
- Put your hands in front of your chin, tuck your elbows in, chin down, and keep a slight bend at your knees.
- Slightly lean forward with your elbows in and your left hand a little higher than your right.
- Keeping your core tight, transfer your weight forward and throw your right arm into a quick and powerful jab.
2. The Cross
The cross is one of the strongest punches in boxing because it naturally transfers power from the base right down to the end of the fist.
How to do it:
- Stand in the boxing stance, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Rotate your right hip until your heel comes off the ground and transfer your body weight forward (but don’t lean forward) and extend your right arm toward the bag to hit the hard punch.
- Make sure to rotate your palm down. After hitting the punch quickly bring your fist back and repeat with your opposite arm.
3. The Hook
The hook punch helps develop speed, power, and endurance. It is quicker and more powerful than the jab and cross. You can combine this with other punches during the boxing bag HIIT workout.
How to do it:
- Start with standing in the boxing stance with your dominant foot in the back. Feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Keep your dominant foot to the side so you can use it to pivot forward as you punch. And the other foot pointed forward.
- Slightly bend your knees slightly for balance and generation of extra power.
- Walk up close to the heavy bag and punch the bag with your rear arm and at the same time, pull your leading arm.
- Repeat with your other arm. And make sure to generate power through your hips.
4. The Uppercut
The uppercut is an upward punch. It’s a powerful punch and can be used in combination with other punches. It helps improve your arm’s strength, speed, agility, and endurance. You can do it with and without weights, depending on your goal.
Here’s how you can do the uppercut punches:
10-Minute Heavy Bag Boxing HIIT Workout for Beginners
Whether you are starting out for the first time or want to rebuild your fitness, this 10-minute HIIT boxing bag workout will help you improve your hitting power, speed, accuracy, and endurance as well as increase your fitness to hit punches for a longer duration, such as 15 and 20 minutes.
Note: You can do shadow boxing if you don’t have access to a punching bag.
Warm-up
It’s best to do a five-minute low intense cardio to increase your heart rate and maximize your performance.
Here’s a sample of a 5-minute warm-up:
- 20-sec Jumping jacks, 40 seconds of rest
- 10 Kneeling pushups, 40 seconds of rest
- 20 Standard Squats, 40 seconds of rest
- 20-sec Mountain Climbers, 40 seconds of rest
- 10 Legs lifts, 40 seconds of rest
Okay, now let’s see how you can complete a 10-minute of boxing HIIT workout routine:
How to do: Hit punches for 20 seconds at your max effort followed by 40 seconds of rest during each minute until you complete your 10-minute session. You can also punch at a slower pace during your interval period if your body allows you to.
| Work/minute | Interval/minute | Work Intensity |
|---|---|---|
| 20 seconds | 40 seconds | At your max effort |
Minute 1: 2-1 (Jab)
Throw two jab punches in quick succession through your right hand and one jab through your left hand. Repeat for 20 seconds and then take a rest for 40 seconds.
Minute 2: 2-1 (Jab)
You’ll do the same thing during the second minute, but this time use your left hand to hit two jabs and your right to hit one.
Minute 3 and 4: 2-1 (Cross)
Perform Cross like you perform jabs during your first and second minute.
Minute 5: 2-2 (Jab and Cross)
Hit one jab on each side and then cross and continue for 20 seconds. Allow your heart rate to come down and get ready for the next round.
Minute 6 and 7: 2-1-2-1
- 2 jab punches (right hand), 1 jab (left hand), 2 cross punches (left hand), and One cross punch (right hand) repeat for 20 seconds and take 40 seconds of rest. Repeat twice.
Minute 8-10: Perform all punches (jab, cross, hook, and uppercut) one by one for 20 seconds and take 40 seconds of rest. Repeat three times.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who can do a heavy-bag high-intensity boxing workout?
Anyone can do a boxing HIIT workout, especially those who want to burn a significant number of calories in a short amount of time, improve cardiovascular health, improve shape while strengthening muscles and bones, and want to enhance quickness, power, alertness, and coordination.
Does HIIT Boxing workout Build Muscles?
High-intensity boxing doesn’t build mass, but it strengthens your muscles and bones. If you want to develop muscles, you can add a boxing workout with weight training.
How do I improve my intensity and power for boxing?
If you want to improve your performance, you need to work on each muscle of the body, especially the shoulders, arms, legs, and core. You also need to increase your endurance level. And to do that, you need to perform running, jumping ropes, burpees, high jumps, squats, etc.
What if my shoulder hurts while hitting fast punches?
If you feel discomfort while hitting the punches, you can reduce intensity and force. But sometimes loose fists can put pressure on your shoulders and make them vulnerable.
Related High-intensity Exercises:
References
- 1Exercise and Calories Burned – Valdosta State University
- 2The feasibility and effectiveness of high-intensity boxing training versus moderate-intensity brisk walking in adults with abdominal obesity: a pilot study – BMC Sports Science, Medicine, and Rehabilitation
- 3Punch up your exercise routine with fitness boxing – Harvard Medical School
