Have you ever wondered what parts of the body does boxing work? Many may believe that all you need are strong arms and a powerful core, but the truth is that the punching power comes from the ground up, that is, from your feet.
The source of power needed to deliver a punch starts with the leg muscles, then it goes through the glute muscles, the abs and then through the upper body muscles. When a boxer punches, it is like cracking a whip: just a small movement of the lower body can radiate and become a powerful punch.
What muscles do you need in boxing?
In boxing training, you not only need to consider your muscles and technique but also your cardiovascular system. The organs that will help you sustain the speed and force of your punches by pumping oxygen through your bloodstream, which keep the muscles going, are your heart and lungs.
As for the specific muscles or parts of your body you use in a boxing workout, we can mention:
- Calves:
The calf muscles are those located from the back of your ankles to the back of your knees. They help you press your toes into the ground and lift your heels up. In boxing, you use them when you throw a punch by initiating a step in the direction of the punch. This makes this group of muscles the first step in a punch.
2. Legs:
All of the power you need in boxing comes from the ground and since it is your legs that are connected to the ground, they are responsible for pushing it off to generate power through your body.
The quadriceps and hamstrings are the main muscles that are part of your thigh and after the calves do what they need to do, these two muscles help move the body in the direction of a punch.
3. Hips:
The hips are responsible for holding together the lower body and the legs and they also generate a lot of power by pivoting the body when boxing. The hips also help you stay balanced and if they are strong you will have better control of your body’s balance, which determines the effectiveness and efficiency of your offense, defense and overall fighting.
The glute muscles are actually the biggest in your body and are part of the hips. When the energy is generated from the legs, they then go through the glutes and hips. The glutes also help turn your torso in the direction of the punch.
4. Core:
The core muscles are those that run from the hips to the shoulders and part of them are the abs and most of the back muscles. The abdominal muscles are very powerful because they help hold the entire body together and also combine the power that each limb generates individually.
In boxing, the abs also help you breathe and take frontal body shots. As for generating power, the ab muscles, more specifically the obliques, carry the energy that comes from the glutes.
As for the lower back, which is also part of the core, these are muscles for rotation and power in boxing. In addition, the back helps in punch recovery. However, many boxers don’t focus much on training these muscles as they do with their front ones, but they should.
Finally, also part of the core are the chest muscles. They work by connecting the shoulders, arms and lateral muscles into one combined force and they generate punching power too.
5. Shoulders:
A good boxing workout will leave your shoulders burning. That is because all of the power that you develop from your lower body and core is filtered through the shoulder joint. If you want punch endurance, you need to work on your shoulder muscles.
This part of the arm is usually also the one that gets tired first. It has to do with the fact that the shoulder muscle is only a small muscle on the edge of the arm and has the task of holding up the entire arm.
6. Arms:
Last, but certainly not least, the arm muscles. In this part of the body, you will find the biceps and the triceps. The first one is used more when you do hooks or uppercuts and the second one helps you extend your elbow out when you throw a punch.
The main objective of the arms is to gather all of the power you have built up from the floor and deliver it to the opponent or your target. The arms do not generate power, they connect it, and that is why it is important to have fast arms rather than big powerful arms in boxing.
You may want to read a little bit more about lifting weights and boxing and if it is really necessary to have large muscles for boxing.
Other benefits you can get from boxing
Besides working all of the muscles we mentioned above (which is pretty much your entire body), boxing also helps with your strength, speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, endurance and power. It is a very complete fitness activity that will help you get and stay in shape. In fact, you can use boxing for losing weight.
Boxing will also help you with your cardiovascular health and the way you can do it with boxing is by keeping your heart rate up when you are working out. You can also go running or hop on the treadmill for warming up if you prefer, but if you find it boring then focus on your heart rate when training at the boxing gym.
Another benefit you will get from boxing is complete body strength. When you hit the heavy bag, which can weigh up to 100 pounds, you are engaging your core, upper and lower body to make contact with it and develop strength along the way. In addition, many workouts in boxing include squats, pushups, planks and other exercises that will help you develop your strength.
In addition, you will gain better hand-eye coordination, which you may not be making much of it but is, in fact, something that plays an important role in anyone’s motor skills. When improving this aspect, you will have faster reflexes and reaction times and better physical coordination as a whole. In boxing, you work on this skill, especially when you’re on the speed bag or when sparring with a partner.
As we have told you before on Be Happy Boxing, this is an activity that can help you with your stress and anxiety since it works as a meditation, helps with concentration and also with releasing energy that has built up throughout the day.
Finally, another great benefit boxing gives you is amazing body composition. Not only will you be healthy (you should also try to eat like a boxer too) but you will be able to increase your muscle mass and decrease your fat mass. This is a sport that combines muscle-building (lean muscles), strength and calorie burning.
When you are training in your boxing gym, what parts of your body do you feel you work out the most? Which parts do you think you need to focus more on? Tell us in the comments!
