Also in boxing, it is necessary to build specific muscles. This gives the boxer more power, speed and some shock resistance.
Gaining muscle mass with boxing depends on three simple factors: exercise, nutrition and rest.
Only then, if a balance between these three phases is achieved, is effective muscle strengthening possible.
In this article, I talk specifically about bodybuilding for boxers, because this differs somewhat from normal bodybuilders since the boxer has to be much more agile.
Table of Contents
Does Punching a Bag Build Muscle & Gym?
Before I started boxing, I played soccer and basketball at the club and also trained in the gym for a long time. When I started martial arts, I noticed that my muscle mass was more an obstacle than a benefit to me.
Although my body looked defined with muscles and I had little fat, I later realized that this really didn’t help me with boxing. I felt heavy and was limited in my movement, I didn’t train basic boxing punches well.
So I left the gym and avoided training with weights. Only with my own body weight did it help me build muscle that gave me strength, allowed me to be faster and would not restrict my freedom of movement.
📌 To the question of whether you need a lot of muscle as a boxer, I can only answer with a NO. The relationship between height and muscle mass must be correct in a boxer.
As mentioned earlier, freedom of movement should not be restricted. You have to feel comfortable in your own body, have a certain speed and still have a strong blow.
To illustrate this better, I take as an example the former Ukrainian boxer Klitschko. Maybe someone asks, why was Klitschko so giant? Although Klitschko fought in the heavyweight category, he accumulated an ideal amount of muscle mass as a boxer about his body.
If you observe Wladimir Klitschko’s movements, you will soon find that this professional ex-boxer felt very good on his body. This is also a reason for his great successes as a heavyweight boxer.
Boxer Body Training
There are a variety of ways to shape your training to develop real muscles as a boxer. Preferably, I personally use training exercises with my own body weight, which I also combine with small dumbbells for hands and legs.
These can be done virtually anywhere, they are simple but very effective. For example, here are several ways to do push-ups. With these, you can train your chest, biceps, and triceps.
With this boxing training routine, you can build muscles that are useful in impact speed. Squats are not appreciated by many boxers because they are uncomfortable. However, this is a real exercise to train your legs.
As a boxer, one is quite standing and has to be fast. A strong punch also gets its power from the legs, so the punch is stronger the more trained the legs are.
For squats you can, among other things, take a 5 kg medicine ball to get a stronger effect. Running with weights is also very useful if you want to dance in the Ring like Muhammad Ali. These weights should be about 1 kg in weight and comfortable to hold on the legs.
When jogging, you will train the muscles of the entire leg and also train its resistance. But before buying leg weights, you must first get used to running a longer distance without them.
If you want to train your shoulders, you should definitely work with the best free standing punching bag. Here you have the opportunity to train your arms and muscles around your shoulder. This will increase your speed and impact power.
Training with a punching bag is fun and a good way to download everything if you want. But be careful to train with boxing bandages and boxing gloves, as it can easily hurt you with it.
Training with dumbbells is part of every boxing exercise. We often see professional boxers like Gennady Golovkin training with dumbbells. Take small weights of approximately 1 or 2 kg and start training with shadow boxing.
After only a few minutes you will notice how the muscles burn. Really effective training of the muscles, which helps you improve your movement. Try it, also boxing for women.
The jump rope is also recommended, with which you can build muscle. It is ideal for warm-up and bodybuilding. With this, you fully train your arms and thus increase your speed, your ability to coordinate and, of course, resistance.
Even boxers like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson have used the jump rope as another daily training tool. The best way to train with the jump rope is for 15 minutes before starting or after your actual training.
Boxing Diet That Helps Build Muscles
Bodybuilding and nutrition go hand in hand. Not only has the training caused my own transformation, but my diet also had to be changed. So I have completely given up fast food and other unhealthy foods.
At first, it was a bit strange and the appeal was great. However, whoever has an objective in mind, this does not matter much. As a boxer, you should eat healthy, as this will affect the entire body and its resistance.
I mainly have fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and other foods that provide us with vitamins and proteins. But a diet for a boxer that contains protein is crucial for muscle growth.
Also, the calories that our body needs so that it can regenerate again. But this does not mean you should eat a cake now. With each hard workout, our body will burn a lot of nutrients.
We have to feed them with healthy and good food. Therefore, carbohydrates and healthy fats should not be underestimated. The carbohydrates provide energy to our body, allowing us to exercise.
Fats serve as energy sources and are also important for the production of hormones. Once it was very difficult for me to resist unhealthy sweets, I simply mixed a protein shake and took it.
These contain many proteins and do not contain fat (depending on the type of powder) and so I calm my body and continue to dispense with unhealthy foods. Since muscle tissue is mainly composed of proteins, smoothies are also beneficial for muscle growth.
You should not drink these shakes too often and see them as a substitute for a balanced diet because they are only a supplement. And don’t break your head if it doesn’t work with a sudden change in diet.
📌 Things are starting to get better and there you have to make gradual improvements. Even if you stop drinking tea without sugar, you have taken a good step forward.
Breaks Between Boxing Workouts
Let’s go to the third point, the breaks. It’s not as difficult as it seems, but breaks are needed. Many beginners at first overestimate and take training to the extreme.
This has the consequence that they run out quickly after a short time of training and no longer want to box. It is also part of training to take a break to give the body a chance to recover. Only when our body is at rest, can new muscles be formed. So take your time and rest.