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Simple Shadow Boxing Workout at Home:
Discover how a simple shadow boxing workout at home helped me to lose weight, get more energy and gain my life back! It seems like a big promise.. But after years of mostly sitting, I needed something fun, engaging and motivating to gain my health back.
Why Beginners should do a Shadow Boxing Workout:
- Can do anywhere at any time
- Great cardio exercise
- Huge benefits for any skill level
- Improve your ability to use a punching bag
I start boxing solely and wholly for keeping myself healthy and fit – and that too at the age of 68. When you are well past your prime age and spending the rest of your retirement years sitting on a couch, everything seems to be tedious. You need stimulation to keep you going. And it was when the inception of boxing came to me.
Boxing came as a blessing in disguise for me. At first, I started boxing to keep myself in shape but gradually, as I learned more about the basics of boxing, it became the part and parcel of my daily life habits. The happiness that the daily 30-minute boxing drill brings to me cannot be described in words. In the beginning, it was indeed tough to keep up the pace with it but once I got acclimatized to it, there was no going back. And within a short time of home boxing, the result became apparent to me. I felt stronger and more vigorous with my weight reaching the optimum limit.
Boxing can be a great alternative to stressful exercises. You can maintain peak physical fitness if done rightly.
So to get healthy, I discovered does punching bag build muscle mass and will shadow boxing help me reach my goals quicker.
The Basics of a Shadowboxing Workout at Home:
Shadowboxing:
Pretending to box an opponent (or your shadow, hence ‘Shadow Boxing’)
It is a fundamental to learning boxing skills. You are using your own reflection to simulate an opponent in order to practice your movements and punches. It helps you tone your muscles, relieving the overall body stress. It is a great full-body workout that you can do at your home, in the backyard, park, gym, and in a hotel room – any place you name it. All you need is a few inches of empty space and there you go.
Shadowboxing is a great tool for beginners to get accustomed to the foundational boxing punches. It is an excellent warm-up for a workout or even a workout itself. Professional boxers use it to loosen their muscles before making contact with a heavy bag or sparring partner. With correct knowledge of punching techniques, you can utilize shadowboxing to keep yourself fit and robust.
Shadowboxing Workout tips:
Foot and arm position:
The foremost and most important aspect of shadowboxing is to get in a proper boxing stance. Your hands should be up with your elbows bent and close to your ribs. The next thing you should be focusing on is your foot positioning. You can use an orthodox boxing stance with your left foot in front of the right. Or the Southpaw position that is the other way around – right foot in front of your left. You can change your stance to equally train both sides of your body during your shadowboxing drill.
Punches and workout:
There are a number of punching combos that you can employ in your routine drill but the simplest combo which best serves to kickstart your at-home shadowboxing workout is the use of jab – both high and low and mix it with a couple of hooks. You don’t have to fully extend the arm when throwing the straight punches.
And as you go on to master this art, you can combine the footwork and punches as you shadow box. This further help fine-tune your technique.
Use of mirror to stay focused:
One of the biggest mistakes the beginners make while doing shadowboxing is the lack of attention to what they are doing as most people just go through the motion. So for this purpose, you can practice shadowboxing in front of the mirror just to visualize yourself and know what your body is going through during this exercise. It is indeed one of the best ways to start and gain progress.
Equipment required for a shadowboxing workout:
Is there any equipment required for shadowboxing at home?
The answer is none.
You read it right. You don’t need a punching bag for home or a pair of boxing gloves to get a good boxing workout in. if you don’t have access to a punching bag at home, shadow boxing drills are the perfect alternative to break a sweat and hone your boxing skills. Anyone can practice it and pretty much everywhere. All you need is the motivation and persistence that you have to muster up within yourself.
Shadowboxing is more than just throwing punches – It helps you refine your technique and improve your balance. You can just tie a rope across the room and even by just ducking and weaving across it, you will gradually feel the difference in your ability to evenly distribute your body weight.
Health Benefits of a Shadowboxing Workout at Home:
Shadowboxing is a low-impact cardio exercise that burns calories and one that you can do in the privacy of your home. Almost all your muscles from the shoulder, and biceps to the glutes, and abdomen work in coordination thus making it more power-packed.
Fat Burner:
Shadowboxing incorporates many of your major muscle groups and revs up your heart rate. This low-impact cardio burns fat and tones muscles – an average person burns up to 400 calories per hour during a boxing drill. So, it can prove to be very beneficial for obese athletes who are looking for weight loss in a short period of time.
Enhance Muscle mass and Memory:
When you throw a punch in the air, there is a whole lot of contraction in almost all the muscles of the body thus it helps tone your body and subsequently increase your muscle mass. And with repetitive moves, you gain muscles memory as your muscles become accustomed to performing the same motions over time, thus improving your accuracy.
Refine Technique and Balance:
Shadowboxing is the best way to improve your technique and balance. You are protected from all the distractions of a punching bag or opponent with your focus all on your hands and foot movement. It also helps you develop a better understanding of where your center of balance lies. You can also mix it with other exercises like squats, and crunches to make it more diverse.
Check out one of my favorite Shadow Boxing at Home Workout Video:
Conclusion:
Shadow boxing has major benefits for health, boxing skills and enjoyment if you commit to doing it a few minutes everyday. If you currently workout with a punching bag or plan to in the future, you should definitely incorporate shadow boxing into your routine.