Top 5 Bodyweight Exercises For Boxing

While additional weight training may or may not be of help to your boxing skills and development, dynamic exercises using your own bodyweight are almost always recommended. And if you're travelling or just generally not able to get to the gym, they can help you stay active and healthy. The key is finding stuff that can be done quickly, relatively easily, with little space and has the most bang for your buck when it comes to boxing relevancy.

Shadowboxing is probably going to be the best option but will require more time for optimum benefits as well as a good plan going in so I am leaving it off the list. Also off the list are pull-ups. The are probably my favorite non-boxing single exercise but you'd need something stable to hang from, which aren't always available.

So without further ado, here are my Top 5. I also made a quick video going through each one right here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHcYuoH128Q&feature=youtu.be

#1) Skater Lunges/Side Hops

The glutes are probably the most important muscle group when it comes to boxing (footwork AND punches) and pretty darn important for everything else too. I highly recommend explosive side hops, bending the knee and pushing off the ground with one foot, then catching yourself on the other foot. Can do this like a skater lunge or without the lunge part of it. Just make sure you are pushing hard off the ground, absorbing the weight by bending the knee, and redirecting the other way. Don't check out and go with light, little hops. Make the most of it! Do this for 30 seconds non-stop, 3x, with 15 seconds rest in between and you will feel the burn!

#2) 180-Degree Squat Jumps

Still hitting those glutes but now with more quad engagement and explosiveness. Plus we are getting into rotation, which is the core element of EVERYTHING we do in boxing. Sit the hips down into a regular squat, spring upward and rotate the hips in the air about a 180-degrees (or as close as you can get), land right into that squat on loose knees (ie no stiff legs) and do it again. Same numbers as the last exercise - 30 second intervals, 3 sets, 15 seconds rest in between.

#3) Hay Balers

This is certainly something you can with weight, like a medicine ball, but if you are quick and explosive enough, you will still get a lot of out of it with zero weight. Plus it is working that rotational component again, which is the key to everything. Imagine you are holding something relatively heavy, twist a little bit to your right side, then twist quickly to your left side as if you were throwing that heavy thing over your back shoulder. Your hips should start the motion and be the prime movers. Do 2 sets of each side, 4 in total, with 30 second intervals and 15 seconds rest in between each interval.

#4) Push-Ups/Plyo Push-Ups

The push-up really is one of the best single exercises you can do, bodyweight or otherwise. They should be a part of everybody's lives. Can't do a push-up? Start on your knees but make sure there is ZERO bend between your back and your hips. Can barely do 1 or 2? No problem. Start with that. Do them every day. It won't be long before you can do 5, then 10, 15, etc. Push-ups of course work the chest and arms, which is certainly good for boxing, and hit the core pretty well too. But as boxing is all about explosiveness, I highly recommend moving up to plyo push-ups once you are able. It's just like a regular push-up but you are pressing off the ground so hard, that both hands come up - almost like a jump for your hands. This will really get the heart rate up too! You will likely need a little more rest of this so I would stick with the 30 second intervals, 3x through, but with 30 seconds' rest in between.

#5) Footwork Half-Circle Drills

According to me (and plenty others), footwork is the most important thing in boxing. It is probably one of the hardest things too. Reason being is that how we move in boxing is not really how we move in any other life activity, except for wrestling if you've done that before. The only way to make it not feel awkward is to practice it a lot! If you've got a little bit of space, give yourself a half circle and simply use your boxing footwork to move it around it. Go left, go right, move in, move out. Once you get used to it, try some angles, maybe even some pivots. Stay on your toes and bounce quickly as you start to get it down. Try to be a fast as you can without losing your footwork and form. Yes, you can add some shadow boxing punches to this drill BUT the goal here is to get used to moving in a boxing stance, staying balanced. How about this, then? Do 30 second intervals, 3x, and instead of just resting for 15 seconds, throw jab-crosses standing still. Then hooks, then uppercuts. That can be your active rest!

Pretty much all bodyweight exercises are going to be good and if you only have 3 minutes to do them, that is okay! It really is!! Not just physically either but mentally too. Just even a couple minutes a day will help you stay engaged and that can be critical, especially if you are traveling and aren't able to get to the club.