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Fitness & Sports

Boxing and Jogging – They Go Together

Do you want to be a good boxer?

Well then you need to have superior cardiovascular strength. You also have to have strong legs which will not turn to rubber as the fight drags on. This means you need to do a lot of running, stadium steps, and wind sprints. Of course, you also need time to spend in the gym working out, building up your muscles, sparring, and working on your speed and strength. It would make sense not to waste the time while jogging, and to do a little shadowboxing as you go.

One technique which is quite common is to wear ankle weights and wrist weights while you run. If you want to get ripped wear more clothing so you will sweat more. Be sure to stay hydrated, and once you take all those weights off you will be amazed at how light you feel, and how fast your hands are. It’s best to go directly from running while shadowboxing during each step, and directly into the gym to work out on a speed bag. Perhaps you’ve been driving your car around and watched folks jogging down the street, stop for a signal in the crosswalk, and turn around and start shadowboxing every which way.

They look as if they’re throwing combination punches at ghosts, and you are just happy you are in your car where you are safe rather than in front of all those flying fists. You may think it looks fairly silly, but a smart boxer will do this for hours on end, and it will hone their skills, and keep them up for the challenge of their next fight. Make no mistake this is no substitution for lifting weights in the gym, doing push-ups, sit-ups, and being in unbelievable physical condition – still if you want to compete at the higher levels of boxing you are going to eventually have to combine your boxing and jogging together as you train.

While I was on the track team and also playing soccer I often took a soccer ball with me and kicked it around on my 6-mile runs. It was amazing how much ball control I had by combining these two activities. It made me fast, agile, and I helped my skills with the ball. The same thing is true for shadowboxing and jogging.

In case you were ever wondering what those folks were doing as they jogged down the street and looked like they are fighting ghosts, now you know. Today they are punching at the air today, tomorrow it could well be an opponent on his way to the mat. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow

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