Resistance bands have come on recently as amazing fitness tools to help people get in shape, with their biggest appeal being their portability. You can take resistance bands anywhere and use them in a variety of ways. They are extremely adaptable and can provide you with a whole range of workouts that you can do on-the-go.
Resistance bands work your muscles the same way weights do, without the added heft. Because of their pliable nature, they can be used in many different situations. One of the best applications for resistance bands is for the sport of boxing.
Boxing has incorporated the use of resistance bands over the years, with more and more elite boxers picking up unique resistance band workouts to supplement their usual training routines.
Many modern-day strength and conditioning coaches have their boxers perform a wide range of resistance band workouts because, not only does it help in building lean muscle, but also improves range of motion — the kind that’s essential in the boxing ring.
Are you looking to add resistance band workouts to your boxing training regimen? That sounds like a great idea. As always, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few you should check out.
Today, Evolve Daily shares five resistance band workouts for boxing.
1) Shadowboxing With Resistance Bands
The most common application for resistance bands in boxing is incorporating them into your shadowboxing. This is where you should spend most of your time. The best thing about this workout is that you can do it anywhere — at the gym, in your home, in your hotel room while on vacation. The possibilities are endless.
Boxers shadowbox with weights to tone the muscles and improve speed and power. Resistance bands, however, offer a wider range of motion, therefore providing more improved muscle development. This will directly affect how fast and how forceful you can punch, and also improve your defensive skill.
The resistance from the bands helps develop defense by constantly keeping the arms and elbows in tight. Punching motion provides resistance with movement in any direction, whilst allowing the muscles to return to the original fighting stance. This helps in imprinting motion into muscle memory.
The next time you shadowbox, try using resistance bands to up the difficulty and reap the benefits.
2) Resistance Bands With Focus Mitts
The second direct application of resistance band use in boxing training is to use them within a focus mitts session, either tied around the arms just like in shadowboxing, or tied around the waist while bound to the ring post. This position, in particular, trains first-step explosiveness, and improves a boxer’s ability to quickly close the distance moving forward.
The resistance band in this instance adds a new dynamic to the focus mitts drill, forcing the boxer to adjust to the added level of difficulty, particularly in movement and footwork. This workout actually takes the shadowboxing with resistance bands principle to the next level by incorporating functional movement.
Using resistance bands with focus mitts closely mimics the kind of resistance and situations boxers experience in a real fight. That makes this training methodology very powerful if performed correctly.
As the video above suggested, boxers should pay attention to proper technique and make sure they are not instead developing bad habits.
3) Shred Your Shoulders
Now onto more indirect applications of resistance bands in boxing, we start with developing the shoulder muscles. The use of the shoulders is extremely important in boxing, because of this muscle group’s major role in the generation of power in a punch.
Oblivious to beginners, the shoulders are actually the main transfer point of energy leading up to the fist. The kinetic energy generated from the base and the core is transferred to the fist via the shoulders. This results in snappier, more powerful punches.
Moreover, having strong shoulders improves punch endurance, which allows boxers to basically throw more punches in bunches. It also helps in keeping the hands up when the arms are tired, since the shoulders act as sort of a fulcrum point for the arms.
The shoulders are key for strong and powerful punches. Follow this resistance band workout to give yourself better shoulders for boxing.
4) Engage Your Legs And Core
Arguably the most important muscles to develop as a boxer are the legs and core.
Having strong and powerful legs with a wide range of motion is essential to moving fluidly across the ring in the boxing stance. It helps improve forward and backward movement, as well as lateral movement.
In conjunction with movement, your core stability, core strength, and core endurance are equally, if not more important, than anything else in boxing. Energy, stamina, and power all come from the core, so developing this particular area is best for fighters who want to improve their athleticism all around.
The core muscle group is responsible for transferring power and kinetic energy between the lower and upper extremities. It’s the bridge that brings together the entire body as a cohesive unit. Before any powerful movement can occur in both the legs and the arms, a boxer’s core must be both solid and stable.
Furthermore, having a strong core helps protect boxers from devastating body shots, so it will be wise to focus on strengthening this area. This short resistance band workout for the legs and the core is perfect for boxers who want to enhance their fitness.
5) Improve Your Speed And Agility
Last but certainly not least, speed and agility are very important aspects of boxing that all serious fighters need to work on. Improving your speed and agility is tantamount to success in the ring, because you need both qualities in order to succeed.
Speed and agility, likewise, are directly enhanced with the use of resistance bands in workouts. Resistance bands have a unique, intrinsic quality that directly stimulates fast-twitch muscle fibers. They also greatly enhance flexibility and agility.
By training with resistance bands in a specific manner, as seen in the video above, you can improve your speed and agility, which will then impact the way you move and fight in the ring.
Ultimately, resistance bands add explosiveness to movements, which is an essential part of boxing. They improve the quality of every workout, help to focus control on specific areas and movements, fortify stabilizing muscles, and are designed for compound movement.
They are also incredibly lightweight and portable, so you can train with them anywhere.
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