It’s one of the toughest workouts around. And a lot of folks may not think it’s for them. But I’m here to tell you – boxing can be for EVERYONE. And I’m not talking about Box-Aerobics. That’s a fun workout. But I’m specifically talking about putting on gloves and going to town on a bag… or even sparring with a partner. Boxing!!!
That’s what I got to do in a recent workout with the folks at BFS Boxing. Coach Ali took me on, after I went in for a tour of the gym and just to see what they’re about. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I used to box back in the day. But I’ve been away for waaaaayyyyyy too long.
I found that out quickly when I joined them for a group class. I was able to hang in there for a few rounds of jumping rope in the warm-up – that made me feel good! I could still do that. But I quickly realized that’s about the only skill I still have from my boxing days.
After several rounds of jumping rope, it was time to hit the bags!
I thought – ok – I’m ready to do this! And I was definitely ready in my heart! But my heart wasn’t physically ready. Does that make sense? Haha I had the “want to.” But I think I forgot how much boxing can physically drain you, especially when you work on correct form. Coach Ali had us all working on a short combo of punches. He helped me get my punches right! But it took some effort on his part and mine!
That was the big take away for me – MAN! My form is seriously lacking – and I’ve apparently gotten myself into some bad habits pounding away at the bag in my garage for the last few years. But Coach Ali was super patient with me and really helped me find the best way to get the most power out of my jab (specifically).
After some time on the bags, we broke off into pairs of two to practice a couple of combos. Angela was my partner. Bless her heart – she ALSO was super patient with me as I struggled to get my rhythm on the combos. (Bahhh – I have been gone too long!!!) Here I am holding my gloves as targets for HER while she works the combos.
And when Coach Ali saw me huffing and puffing pretty hard, he said it was time for a break. That’s when I got to watch the pros at it. That’s a really cool thing about working out in this group. There was a variety of skill level… beginner me… to actual pro boxers who compete. And not just dudes. That’s right! Check out Ali, one of their amateur fighters! She’s just as tough as the guys! And throws a MEAN punch.
After few more rounds of partner work and a few more rounds of bag work, it was time to work on our foot work. That’s obviously a HUGE part of boxing. You have to be able to move and move FAST! So Coach Ali brought out the ladder and we all worked on some different combos. That was followed by push-ups on and off the mats – yowwww!!!
Folks – I’m not kidding when I say... Wow. I remember boxing being an awesome workout. But I don’t remember being this exhausted. (Maybe it’s because when I used to do this, I was 19. That couldn’t have anything to do with it, could it?! bahaha)
Coach Ali was SO encouraging and really helped me stay positive about my workout as a whole. He said that I’m pretty good and, if I did more training there, I could really beat some people up! Haha I’ll take it!
And I do plan to go back. Coach Ali has promised to show me some of their other workouts there – specifically kickboxing, savate and muay thai. As intense as the boxing workout was, I’m looking forward to some tough workouts ahead!
