Boxing is one of the oldest sports in the world and has stood the test of time still remaining a popular sport to take part in & watch.

Its dynamic and vigorous flow of movements test the strength, speed and agility of its participants and its fierce nature keep audiences enthralled.

But despite the excitement, and skill that comes with this incredible sport are many health benefits.

Here’s why, if you haven’ already, should definitely add boxing into your routine:

1. Boxing improves body composition:
Boxing is an incredible exercise for improved body composition because it perfectly combines muscle-building, strength training moves and calorie-burning cardio. It is an all over body exercise that helps to shape you arms, legs, and most importantly core. The continuous rotation required to throw punches develops a muscle called the Serratus Anterior. This muscle is to not be overlooked as the SA ties the entire abdomen together and will help you achieve a chiseled midsection. By regularly participating in a boxing program and following a nutritious eating plan, you will no doubt see results.

2. Boxing helps build shoulder boulders:
Just look at the physique of any boxer and their shoulders are often a stand out feature. Boxing requires both type 1 and type 2 muscular contractions (slow and fast-twitch contractions). Your shoulders are always being used at low intensities to keep your arms up to protect your face but when you throw fast punches, it requires a greater exertion of the fast-twitch muscle fibres. The delts are also required to work in an array of planes of motion which help to give you well-rounded shoulders.

3. Boxing is a great way to improve bone strength:
The forces through the hands and arms when boxing stimulates bone minerals and strengthens them. This ultimately reduces the risk of developing osteopenia or osteoporosis and can even reverse the condition in some cases. Resistance training, in general, is a great way to reduce the negative effects of bone mineral loss due to sedentary behavior. Undergoing mechanical tension caused by external loads on the skeleton (i.e the action of muscles and tendons pulling on the bones) prompts the body to encourage bone mineral density adaptations. The impact force of hitting boxing pads/bags also transmits forces through the bones and activates an increase in bone mineral density.

4. Boxing increases lung & heart capacity:
The fast & explosive full body movements in boxing are very demanding on the heart and lungs. During boxing, there is not a muscle that goes unworked – it targets them all. As a result, your heart and lungs are forced to work extra hard in order to deliver oxygenated blood to the muscles so that you can maintain a long and intense work effort.

5. Boxing promotes better hand-eye coordination:
You may not realize the importance hand-eye coordination has on your overall health and the affects it has on the body, but it plays an important role in maintaining and improving a person’s gross and fine motor skills. People with better hand-eye coordination tend to have faster reflexes, faster reaction times and tend to have better physical coordination as a whole. This is important during aging as coordination and balance start to decrease as we get older which results in increased risk of falls.

Make sure to try out a boxing class next time your in! Check out the class timetable HERE