Hand Hygiene, Boxing and YOU!!

While it is often correctly mentioned that boxing is a full-body activity with most of the punching power being generated by the legs and core, it is primarily our hands which take the punishment. This is why it is important that when we train on the heavy bag, we wrap our hands, use at least 12-ounce gloves, and of course use proper form. 

We must take care of our hands and this extends beyond even the physical impact. We also want our equipment to last and stay in good condition. Then there are hygienic issues to be considered as well- for you and those you train with. Here are several important tips to keep in mind:

Wash (And Dry) Your Hand Wraps After Every Use!

It doesn't matter how clean you are, how clean your hands are, how clean your gloves are, or anything else: when you box for more than a few minutes, your hand wraps are not going to smell good. They get sweaty and wet with very little ventilation and they stink. Don't take it personally, it is an undeniable, scientific fact of life. If by some chance, your unwashed wraps don't smell particularly bad to you, I guarantee you they do to others. It can be pretty pungent too and very specific. So just like you would wash a T-shirt that got completely soaked with sweat after one use, you should do the same thing with hand wraps.

This smell is caused by bacteria and repeatedly exposing yourself to this bacteria can cause skin irritation and rash. In the case of hand wraps, you are also transferring this bacteria to your gloves. So it's not just about being nice to your coaches and training partners, washing your hand wraps is good for you too.

I have met some people who didn't know that they could wash their wraps and others who thought they could wash them but not put them in a dryer. You absolutely can and should put them in the dryer! Hand wraps are too long to dry properly without heating in a dryer. And if your hand wraps are wet when you use them, even after being washed, they are going to acquire bacteria more quickly.

PRO-TIP - Worried about your wraps getting tangled up in the laundry? Get a zip-up
mesh bag and put the wraps inside when you wash and dry them. They come in all sizes and are pretty cheap, $5-10 max.

Use Lotion For Your Hands

Sounds like a little thing but it really can make a difference. Punching something solid with dry, cracked skin can be painful, bloody in some cases, and it's not going to heal extra slow unless you do something. Now of course, you may think that raw, bleeding hands makes you kind of tougher but it will affect your punches somewhat, even if you try to consciously avoid it.

I like to just use lotion before I go to bed at night and it helps. Depending on your
hands, you may need it more frequently. Pretty much any moisturizing lotion is good but again, if you have really chapped hands, you might need something more serious.  I like the Duke Cannon "Bloody Knuckles" balm for those rough cases. Plus it just makes me feel manlier than say, L'Occitane

Dry/Disinfect Your Gloves

Just like wraps, the reason why old gloves smell bad is because they get damp, don't dry well, and thus, bacteria. But you can keep your gloves smelling fresh by disinfecting and drying them yourself, with the drying part being the most important. There are several ways to do this. First, as soon as you finish boxing, you can put these cedar-filled bags inside your gloves to help soak up some of that moisture. These are known as either "glove dogs" or "glove devils.” I have no idea why they are called either of those things, but they definitely help.

What helps even more is using a boot dryer of some kind. It is just a small unit with two plastic tube-like things sticking up that emit heat. I put my gloves on them immediately after use and turn up the heat for about 15 minutes. This has been a game-changer for me. Gloves I use every day have been able to last indefinitely stink-free. You don't need anything fancy here either. Mine cost about $16 bucks on Amazon. Plus you can use it for your boots too!

Disinfecting is not a bad idea either, especially if you are trying to rescue gloves that have already acquired a bit of an odor. You can use just regular old Lysol or in extreme cases, Odor-Aid. You don't need a lot of it either so a bottle should last you a long time. Just one or two squirts after use can take a pair of gloves that you were pretty much ready to give up on because of the smell can turn things completely around.

Am I Too Old to Train Boxing?

If  you are indeed reading this right now, without even knowing exactly who you are, I can say with some certainty that you are NOT too old to train boxing. You are likely not too old to compete either, provided you are matched up appropriately. I would not necessarily recommend the latter to most but I would recommend the former to everyone. Everyone can train in boxing, provided you have no pre-existing health issues that a doctor believes might preclude you from it.

This is because boxing training for fitness, skill-development and fun is relatively quite safe to do. It is high-intensity, yes, but everyone can go at their own pace. Even at a very high intensity level though, boxing does not put nearly the stress on your joints that other forms of exercise do. When people do something like jog for instance, their feet impact the ground thousands upon thousands of times. Surfaces may vary but either way, that ground is not going anywhere. It is solid so each step someone takes, their full bodyweight is absorbed as soon as that foot hits the ground. Eventually, that repetitive stress can wear them down, especially those with non-small frames. HIIT training may not have the same volume of stress but it almost always involves jumping, which can magnify the problem significantly. Weight-lifting, even with lighter weights, can also present a risk factor as you may have perfect form 99.9% of the time but that one, rare, instance where maybe you're tired, maybe you're coming down to the last few reps of set and something is just slightly off, that could be the rep that causes an injury.

Boxing training does not have these same kind of hazards. Whether you are punching a heavy bag, mitts, or just the air (shadowboxing), you are not striking an immovable surface and hence, aren't absorbing 100% of the impact. Nor are you as likely to encounter the problem of landing something wrong and causing serious injury because there is still some give to your striking surface. There is plenty of footwork in boxing and much of the power comes from the legs but the knees stay bent and there is no hard contact between your foot and the ground. And while you get great resistance training by punching the bag, it is not connected to your body the way a weight is, nor does it affect movement the way holding weight does so the chances of that one bad rep which causes injury is far slimmer than it would be lifting.

There are certainly other forms of exercise that don't pose big risk factors either but other than swimming, you are going to be hard pressed to find one that provides anywhere near the workout that boxing training does for cardio, full-body resistance and high intensity training. 

But that's not all! Boxing trains your base level physical skills like balance, coordination, agility and reaction time. When we're young and running around on playgrounds, climbing trees, playing sports, etc., we are constantly using these skills. As we get older and our adult lives take over, it is very hard to remain active like that. We may go to the gym for an hour every day or so but unless you participate in a sport, it is very, very unlikely you will train all 4 of those skills I mention. Even if you do a lot of sports-related drills, without the constantly change and real time adaptation, you won't be engaging those skills nearly as much as you would with boxing training. (Note: I have met many people who believe their lack of coordination cannot be improved, that they are just born that way. While it's true that some people are naturally more coordinated or better in certain ways than others, this is still a trainable skill that can be improved with practice).

The other big thing about skills like coordination and balance is that if you don't use them, you lose them. This is one reason that seniors face an increased risk of falling as they get older. Balance requires maintenance and finding a fun activity to keep you engaged is the best way to do it. General body coordination is required to do just about all the activities of daily life boxing will certainly help us here as it requires just about every body part to work in concert.

Boxing trains your brain too. It's not rocket science but it does require you to think and keep your mind active. Processing each move, each sequence of moves and changing patterns of movement keeps the neural pathways open and the neurotransmitters firing. This is why boxing can be recommended for people with Parkinson's, to either slow and sometimes help reverse symptoms of the disease.

Then there is stress. Even those who have never boxed in their lives know that it is a great way to relieve stress and while some of us mellow out as we get a little older and wiser, there is always stress to be released and this is probably the healthiest way to do it! 

These are all some of the reasons why I myself has chosen boxing as a training regimen. It is literally something I can do my entire life. It is a full-body, high-intensity workout that is easily scalable with less risk of injury and long-term wear and tear than most anything else. It will keep my skills sharp, my brain working, and even slow the process of my eventual transition into a grumpy old man. Plus if I ever have to throw down against some mischievous young whippersnappers, I've at least got a fighting chance!

Do kickboxers and MMA-ers box differently than boxers?

Whether it is Muay Thai, kickboxing (not the same as Muay Thai) or mixed martial arts, fighters generally use the same traditional punches that boxers do - jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, body shots, overhands, etc. But that doesn't necessarily mean they throw them the same way or in the same context. Occasionally, you hear boxing purists criticize the boxing ability of Thai boxers, kickboxers and MMA-ers. Sometimes the criticism is more than warranted but other times, it is not so much that their boxing technique is "bad,” it's just that their sports are different and that drastically changes how they approach the punching part of their striking.

Even just within boxing itself, there are different styles, different stances, different guards and different strategies. Oftentimes, these variables change the way fighters throw punches. Then when we add things like kicks, elbows, knees, backfists, sweeps, spinning attacks, takedowns, submissions and more, those variables can change the punching technique exponentially.

The format of the sport will, of course, have a big effect as well. Professional boxing rounds are generally 3-minutes long, with 1-minute rest in between, and fights can be anywhere from 4-12 rounds. Most of the fights you see on TV will be at least 8 rounds. In Muay Thai, their rounds are also 3 minutes long but they usually get a 2-minute break in between and 5 rounds in total. Most kickboxing competitions use 3-minute rounds, with 1-minute breaks in between, and go for 3 rounds (some promotions will do an extra 4th round if it is a draw by the end of 3). MMA rounds are 5-minutes in length with a 1-minute break in between, anywhere from 3 or 5 rounds depending on whether it is a championship/headliner match (which would be the 5-round version). This might not seem like it would have a specific impact on the way fighters throw punches but it actually can. The biggest example is when it comes to the jab, which becomes much more important in a fight with more rounds than it would in say, a traditional kickboxing match. Therefore boxers will use their jab very differently than kickboxers. Everybody's scoring systems are different too, which will affect things even more.

But mostly, it is the technique for each sport that makes the punches different and it all starts with the stance and the guard. The Muay Thai stance is often high, with feet relatively close together and most of the weight loaded on the back foot. The hands are often up high, above the shoulder, leaving the body uncovered. The reason for this is to always be ready to check front leg kicks, block high kicks and while the body is exposed, this can be a trap as they will reign down elbows if you try to get inside for body shots or just generally clinch. This stance and guard is not going to lend itself to power punches at all though. The weight primarily on the back foot prevents them from really committing and having to start and end all punches from higher-than-chin level will slow things down. While Muay Thai is definitely the art of 8 limbs, there is no doubt that kicks, elbows and knees are much more used, especially by the fighters actually from Thailand. Some boxers, particularly the Dutch, have brought more punching/boxing into Muay Thai but the fists are far from their primary weapons. The punching combinations will never be as nuanced and the hands really function more to set up everything else.

A regular kickboxing stance is similar but the hands aren't as high and there is a little more bend in the knees. It is still considered to be a tall stance and neither footwork nor head movement is not a big part of what kickboxers (or Thai boxers) do. This is another huge difference as footwork and head movement are absolute cornerstones of boxing. In all kickboxing iterations ,there is a lot of standing and trading and head movement can present a problem where kicks and knees are involved (eg if you try to roll under a hook, you could run right into someone's knee).

Then an MMA stance is much lower and hence, wider. The MMA guard can vary quite a bit but more often than not, the hands are out a little wider too. The main reason for this is the takedown. Fighters need to always be ready to defend a takedown attempt or make one themselves. Hands may be low for that as well. Sometimes you will get a fight where neither combatant is interested in grappling and it becomes more like a kickboxing match but they can never put it completely out of mind. Because of this, and the kicks, an MMA fighter generally has their weight on their back leg as well. These things will have a big effect on punching. Another thing that does is that the fighters wear fingerless, 4-ounce gloves so a single punch can do more damage in MMA than it usually can in boxing or kickboxing. This can make the punching more significant but it changes the approach. Instead of trying to land a volume of punches or good combinations, it's more about landing a single, (sometimes wild and loopy) power punch. This is something a disciplined boxer would pick apart completely but in mixed martial arts, good technique and form is usually less important as you don't have to worry as much about the other person out-boxing you too much so long as you can time your strikes well. 

The same is mostly true for kickboxing and Muay Thai, though they are rarely wild and loopy with their punches. Ultimately, a boxer's punching technique will always be sharper than those who do other forms of combat. Their hand speed is generally going to be much higher too. As well they both should be! Boxers only throw punches so it makes sense that their punching skills are going to be advanced and more nuanced. And of course they have more time to devote to their punches too, especially compared to MMA-ers who train in kickboxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu as well. A boxer will also use their head and feet to set up their punches as well as avoid punches in ways that other fighters just cannot because they have other things to think about. So for the most part, I think it's unfair to view a kickboxer or mixed martial artist's punching through the lens of boxing because their sports are just different. Some fighters can compete in all 4 disciplines but they definitely can't fight the same and their entire boxing mindset will need to change for them to have any kind of success.

How Often Should You Train Boxing?

Being both a boxing coach and a guy who really likes to box, you might expect me to answer the question of how often should someone train in boxing is "as much as possible." And you would be right! But it really depends on you. As is always the case with any exercise program, it comes down to what your goals are. Are you looking to get in better shape? Get better at boxing? Feel strong and tough? Maybe learn some self-defense skills? Stress relief? Just because you feel like you have to do some form of exercise? Or is it some combination of all or some of those things?

The next question is, how bad you want it? How important are those goals of yours and how important is it that you achieve them? This is a critical question because it will determine how much time you will make for it. Usually people do this the other way around. They decide how much time they want to spend on an exercise program first. And there are certain guidelines for this too. The CDC says that each week, adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2 days of muscle strengthening activity, working the regular muscle groups of legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms. They also say that for even greater health benefits, you could add on 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity or equivalent combination. Those are perfectly fine guidelines but don't necessarily address your specific goals and desire to achieve them. Also remember that if you just do the minimum, you will eventually plateau, with diminishing returns.

No matter how committed you are to your fitness goals, I realize that none of us have unlimited hours to devote to exercise. We will need a balance but I still think we can't put the cart before the horse here. Consider your goals and how bad you want them first and foremost, then we can start thinking about time. Successful people in all aspects of life make the time for what is important to them and on track with their goals. Try to think about ways you can make the time for fitness instead of just the reasons that you can't.

Time is also relative. While you may only have an hour or so every other day, what you do with each minute is VERY scalable. Intensity level, power, speed and rest can be adjusted to make a workout harder or easier within a given time frame. Specific order of exercises can make a big difference too. That is one of many nice things about a boxing workout. It can be made infinitely more challenging based on the work you put in.

When it comes to lifting of heavy weights, the general rule of thumb is to give each muscle group at least 48 hours rest before working them again but this is not the case with boxing. You can box every day without diminishing returns, but I would recommend to everybody to take at least  one rest day per week. If you end up actually training 6 days in a row, though, you don't necessarily want to train same intensity level each day. Even then, everybody is a little different. Different people react to high amounts of training differently. So if you are very active, always be on the lookout for symptoms of overtraining, which include overly persistent muscle soreness, general lack of recovery, legs in particular feeling extra heavy, racing heart rate immediately into exercise and at rest, more frequent injury or illness, inability to relax, lack of energy, lack of joyfulness, and increased irritability. It doesn't have to mean that you are overtraining but one thing that can happen to highly active people is they feel completely useless when they don't exercise or even worse, have to skip a session. It's a fine line because you want to be motivated and excited to do your normal exercise routine but you can't get too down when you don't do it.

So if most people can very likely physically box about 6 days a week at somewhat varying intensity levels. without diminishing returns, does that mean they should do it? If they love it and have big fitness and/or skills goals, yes! You will very likely get better and stronger training that much, though it will be harder to measure or see because you are doing it so frequently (like watching the hands of a clock move). But this also means you will need to keep learning, pushing yourself, and getting out of your comfort zone if you want these positive results to continue long-term. The golden rule of "if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you" always applies and it may become harder to challenge you, the better you get.

Okay, but let's say that 6 days of boxing is still a little much. Maybe you do other stuff too besides box. As long as what you are doing is consistent with your goals, that is just fine. If you are looking to tone up, maybe lose a little weight or at least, feel more fit, and learn how to box, 2-3 hours of good, well-structured, high-intensity boxing per week might be enough. If you are trying to lose over 50 pounds let's say, you are going to need a little more moderate-to-higher intensity work, as well as likely dietary changes. If you wanted to train for an eventual fight, you will definitely need more of all varieties of work.

What about even less though? We have members of our club who only come once a week. Some of them do a lot of other things and boxing is somewhat of a supplemental workout for them, to switch things up. This can be particularly useful to distance runners, who want to get in some high intensity cardio without putting a lot of stress on their joints. And you can certainly learn the skills training once per week, though it will be an obviously slower process, especially at first. As I have mentioned many times, boxing movements are not natural movements and it takes time to commit them to muscle memory. Having a whole week go by before trying to get your body to remember those movements again will take some time and of course, slow progression. And as I have mentioned even more than many times before, your workout gets better as your boxing technique gets better so the effectiveness of the workout progresses more slowly as well.

How about just training in boxing once in a while? Like not every week but more sporadically? You can definitely get a good sweat on. Something is always better than nothing. But you are missing out on an opportunity to really build those skills and boxing becomes more like other forms of HIIT. Again, not a bad thing but always remember that boxing is different than those other forms of HIIT. It is special! Training consistently is like a force multiplier, where everything just gets better and better. So anyone interested in learning a skill-based workout like boxing should make sure they stay consistent, stay challenged, and make sure that what you are doing is in line with your specific goals. If you don't have any goals, let's come up with some! But that is a different post for a different day...