The website:

http://www.12minuteathlete.com/train-like-a-boxer-10-exercises-to-get-you-in-fighting-shape/

I’ve always loved the sport of boxing.

When I was younger, I punched a few holes in the wall (sorry, mom and dad), and pretty soon
afterwards my parents bought me a punching bag (which is all I always wanted anyway, guess I should
have brought that up sooner).

I had no idea what I was doing then when I tried to punch the damn thing—all I knew was that boxers
were always in incredible shape and really badass, and I wanted to be just like them.

Fast forward a few years later, I got my personal training certification and got a job at a gym in New York
City solely based on the fact that it had a boxing ring and an awesome, incredibly badass trainer. I
started taking lessons right away, and quickly learned all my hooks, jabs, and undercuts. I fell even
deeper in love with the sport.

There’s something so satisfying, so primal in a way, of punching something (or someone) as hard as
humanly possible.

And there’s no doubt about it—being in the ring is exhausting. You have to be able to outlast your
opponent till the bitter end, so there’s no option but to be as fit as possible. Heck, even just a few
rounds on a punching bag will leave you sweaty and breathless.

But whether or not you have any desire to punch anything, it’s hard to avoid the reality that boxers are
in some of the best shape of any athletes. Never bulky, boxers tend to have a lean, athletic look based
on being incredibly strong, well-conditioned, and full of passion and fire.

Because when you train like a fighter, you’ll build the strength, crazy endurance, and core power so that
if you wanted to punch someone round after round, you could.

Here are 10 exercises you can do to get in fighting shape:

Jump rope
Jumping rope is one of the classic boxing exercises, because it helps build a lean, strong body, aids in
coordination, agility, and footwork, and boosts endurance like nearly no other exercise does. Plus, since
jump ropes are so portable, you can literally do it anywhere.

Here are some jump rope variations you can try:

Single jumps

High knees

Double jumps

Figure eights

You can see 12 Minute Athlete workouts that use a jump rope here.

Burpees

Burpees are pretty much the best exercise ever, and will increase your strength and endurance like no
other exercise will. Plus, all that getting up and down is helpful in the ring (if you ever get knocked down,
that is).

How to do it:

_Get into a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you.

_Kick your feet back into a push up position and lower body to the floor.

_Return your feet back to the squat position as fast as possible.

_Immediately jump up into the air as high as you can.

_Add a little clap for pizazz!

Watch the video:

Sit ups
Boxers need a strong core to give them the strength to keep throwing punches, and sit ups are one of
the classic exercises to build up core strength in the ring.

How to do it:

_Lay on the floor with your legs spread in a butterfly setup.

_Stretch your arms in front of you.

_Use your abs to pull yourself off of the floor.

_Touch your feet with your hands, making sure to keep your chest forward.

_Lower back down and repeat.

Watch the video:

Tip: Try different variations of the sit up, such as throwing punches at the top of a sit up to build even
more core strength and endurance.

Shadow boxing

It may seem wimpy if you’ve never tried it, but shadow boxing is one of the best ways to practice your
movement and footwork as a boxer. Plus, it’s more tiring that you might imagine.

Here’s a good tutorial on how to shadow box if you don’t know how.

Push ups

Push ups are awesome and will also give you strong arms, shoulders, chest and core muscles. Plus, they
require no equipment whatsoever, so you have no excuse not to od them!
How to do it:

_Start in a push up position, with your shoulders directly over your hands.

_Tighten your abs, glutes and thighs.

_Lower yourself down so that your chest touches the floor.

_Push yourself back up into the starting position and repeat.

Beginner Modification

_Start in a push up position with your knees on the floor.

_Tighten your abs, glutes and thighs.

_Lower yourself down so that your chest touches the floor.

_Push yourself back up into the starting position and repeat.

Watch the video:

Chin ups/pull ups

Not only are chin ups and pull ups totally badass, they’ll build up your arm, chest, back, shoulder and
core strength like no other. Can’t do a single one yet? Learn how to start doing chin ups and pull ups.

How to do it:

_Start from a dead hang with straight elbows, palms facing you for chin ups, palms facing away for pull
ups

_Keeping your chest up and your shoulders back, squeeze your glutes and cross your feet

_Pull yourself up so that your chin rests over the bar

_Lower down and repeat.

Watch the videos:

Chin ups:

Pull ups:

Squats

Squats will strengthen your legs and glutes so you can bob, weave, and slip (typical boxing defenses) all
day long. A strong lower body is just as—or maybe more—important than a strong upper body during a
fight.

How to do it:

_Stand with your feet hip-width apart.

_Pull your shoulders back and engage your abs.

_Push your butt & hips back as if you were sitting in a chair.

_Keep your weight on your heels.

_Go down until your thighs are parallel to the floor, raising your arms up as you lower down.

_Repeat.

Tip: for an extra challenge, trySandbag squats or Kettlebell front squats. Or, if you have access to a
barbell and weights, feel free to use that too.

Watch the video:

Shoulder presses

Fighters need strong shoulders if they want to be able to keep punching round after round. And
shoulder presses will help build up shoulder strength and endurance.

How to do it:

_Stand straight (preferred to sitting) holding a sandbag, dumbbells, or a barbell at your waist.

_Raise the sandbag (or other weights) up to your shoulders, keeping your shoulders pulled back and
your abs tight.

_Straighten your arms at a moderate pace.

_Lower back down to your shoulders and repeat.

Watch the video:

Walking lunges

Not only will walking lunges build strength in your legs, glutes and core muscles, they’ll also help with
balance and flexibility—key requirements for any fighter.

How to do it:

_Start in a lunge position with your knees touching or almost touching the floor.

_Without pausing, alternate legs, bringing your opposite leg forward into a lunge position.

_Continue alternating legs while moving forward.

_For an added challenge, hold something heavy.

Watch the video:

Knees to elbows
Though sit ups are awesome because you can do them anywhere with no equipment, knees to elbows
will give you an even stronger core. And they’ll help you build up to even cooler abs exercises, such as
toes to knees, windshield wipers.

How to do it:

_Grip the pull up bar with your palms facing away from you, arms shoulder-width apart.

_Adding a slight swing, bring your knees up to your chest, touching your elbows if possible.

_Lower down and repeat.

Watch the video:

Train hard!