Are you new to boxing and want to know whether it will help you build muscles or not? Do you also want to become a muscular boxer and are here to know if the boxing exercise is enough or if you will need body-building exercises to gain muscles? Well, let’s answer your question.
Yes, boxing can build muscles. Although it may look like two people throwing punches at each other, trying to take one another down, it’s not all. There are several exercises that are practiced regularly. These target different muscles in your body. These help you increase your muscle mass slowly.
This comprehensive blog post will teach you to build muscles with the help of boxing. What are you waiting for, Tyson? Let’s start uncovering this information.
Which Muscles Are Engaged During Boxing?
There are several muscles that are engaged during boxing exercises. You have to know these to understand how boxing helps you build muscles. The continuous working of these muscles helps them grow. Let’s take a look at these muscles in detail.
- Calves: The first and most engaged muscle in this sport is the calves. These help you maintain balance and provide power for footwork. These are the reasons behind quick movements and stable boxing stances.
- Legs: The legs are the primary source of force for transferring weight. It helps in delivering powerful punches and speedy footwork in boxing.
- Hips: Your hips are also engaged in boxing. Hip rotation helps boxers with strong and effective strikes in boxing.
- Core: The core is such an important muscle in boxing. Have you seen how strong the core of Prime Mike Tyson was? It generates power and transfers energy from the lower body to the upper body.
- Shoulders: The next muscles are your shoulders. These are responsible for initiating and executing punches. These play a very important role in movements like jabs, crosses, and hooks. Strong shoulders are essential for powerful striking.
- Arms: Arms are next on our list. These become your most strong muscles in boxing due to so much practice. These are responsible for delivering punches and maintaining guard. Different arm muscles are working together to generate speed, power, and accuracy.
- Small Muscles: Alongside major muscles, several small muscles are also active during boxing. These include the muscles of the hands, wrists, forearms, etc.
How Does Boxing Build Your Muscles?
There are several exercises in boxing that help with muscle growth. Here, we are going to share a few of the of the most popular among them. Let’s take a look at them and understand how they can help you build muscles.
Punching Bag Training
The first one is punching bag training. You can also use it to your advantage in building muscles. It helps by improving your muscle endurance. Here are some recommended combinations to try on the punching bag for this purpose:
- The first one is a very simple combination of jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. Practice them at a slower pace.
- The next one is fast-punching with full power.
- Another helpful combination for this purpose is circuit training. It involves 20 secs work and 10 secs rest.
Ballistics
The next one is ballistics exercises. These are also helpful in muscle building. These help you gain power. Try combinations of different exercises with more reps. Keep the rest duration to a to a minimum. Here are some of the ballistic exercises you can try:
- Push presses
- Short sprints
- Kettlebell swings
- Medicine ball throws
- Jump squats
Plyometrics
The third boxing exercise to build muscles is plyometrics. It is also known as a power-building exercise. There are three major movements in this exercise. These three include ccentric, amortization, and concentric movements. These provide you with agility, quickness, more velocity, control, and speed. Here are some of the recommended plyometric exercises for this purpose:
- Reverse lunge, knee up
- Burpees
- Plyo push-ups
- Box jumps
- Squat jumps
Occlusion
The last recommended exercise to build muscles with boxing is occlusion. It is also known as blood flow restriction training (BFR). It speeds up your muscle-building process. It provides certain signals to your brain, which cause the release of growth hormones. You can also use it to your benefit during boxing.
Tips To Build Muscle While Boxing
Here are some practical and very effective tips to help you build muscles while boxing. Following these tips will boost this process:
- Add some weight-training exercises to your training routine as well.
- Perform different exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses to target maximum muscle groups.
- Eat more protein for better muscle repair and growth.
- Ensure proper sleep and nutrition. It helps muscles rebuild and grow.
- Include plyometric exercises like box jumps and medicine ball throws.
- Gradually increase the weight and intensity of your workouts.
- Drink plenty of water. It supports muscle function and performance.
- Add stretching and flexibility exercises to reduce the risk of injury as well.
- Take supplements, like creatine, to support muscle growth.
- The last but not least tip is to listen to your body and avoid overtraining to prevent injury and affect your muscle growth. Slow progress is better than the risk of injury.
Final Words
Yes, boxing can build muscles. Although following your regular training may not help you for this purpose, You may need to add or focus on certain exercises more than usual for this purpose. Moreover, taking essential rest and making certain dietary changes can also be very helpful during this journey.
Although you may want to become a muscular boxer, you should also listen to your body during this journey as well. Don’t let your focus shift to gaining muscle instead of boxing; it could affect your performance.
