Most Important Muscle Group to Train in Boxing

It is somewhat odd that the largest, longest muscle group in the human body is also one of the most underappreciated- at least in terms of their most basic function. I am talking about the gluteal muscles and as it relates to boxing, these muscles could not be more important. In fact, I would say that if you could only train one muscle group for boxing, it should be those glutes.

But why? Don't you throw punches with your arms? Wouldn't things like the chest and shoulders be more important? I (and I am pretty sure anyone else with an understanding of boxing mechanics and human physiology) would say that while important, no muscles in the upper body are as important to train than your lower body. And in my opinion, it's not even close.

Every punch in boxing starts "below the belt." The first thing to activate once a punch is about to be thrown is in the lower body.  Either pushing off the ground, dipping at the knees, or turning of the hip. Once activation starts, the rest of the body follows in step.

Boxing isn't just about punching either. There is constant movement of the feet in all directions (even rotational) with maximum quickness and agility. Changing direction, moving in, moving out, faking one way and going the other way, all the while remaining on your toes and shifting your weight. In fact, you could also say that literally every movement in boxing - offense, defense, footwork, head movement, etc. - is about shifting your weight from one foot to the other when done properly.

So, if I take a step forward in a fighting stance, I push off of my back foot, lift my front foot up, step forward with that foot, and the weight shifts to my front foot as I step. If I throw a lead hook, I am transferring weight from that front foot to the back foot as I turn my hips into the punch. If I were to duck underneath a lead hook from my (orthodox) opponent, I would first dip down, then transfer the weight from my front foot to my back foot. Then I would likely throw my back hand - let's say a cross - where I once again transfer that weight that is currently on my back foot to my front foot as I rotate my hips and shoulders. I could go on and on.

To make these transitions possible, I need to use a lot of muscles in cooperation with each other. The quads get a lot of work, but they don't turn the hips. It is also important that I maintain balance and proper posture throughout. Transferring weight is one half generating the movement and the other half stopping the movement- "catching" the weight. Quads can help here too, especially with footwork, but again, they are generally missing the most important component of boxing, which is rotational. This is where the glutes and to a greater extent, the core, come in (Note that glutes should indeed be considered part of the core). The glutes are responsible for generating and stopping movement in all planes of motion, maintaining your balance in all situations.

Learning how to box properly will functionally train your glutes, but if you are looking for more strength training (and/or changing the appearance of your glutes), there are plenty of good exercises you can do. Squats are a simple, popular move but here are 5 more that I like a lot better:

1.            Step-ups (using a high enough step, like a park bench)

2.            Kettlebell or dumbbell swings

3.            Skater lunges or zig zag hops

4.            Single-leg glute bridges

5.            Donkey kicks

You can do everything but the swings without weight, but you can also add some weight to everything there too. These exercises- along with boxing itself- will definitely improve your athletic performance. It will also help your basic balance (standing or locomotion) and posture, as glutes are the primary muscle group for these jobs too. So, if you've never had a chance to think about how much they do for you, maybe now is the time to thank these functionally underappreciated muscles for their help as well as focus more on their training.