What’s the Difference Between Boxfit and Boxercise?

Boxing is a fantastic sport that requires a lot of strength, power and endurance, so it’s no wonder that many different boxing-style exercises have been developed. Boxfit and boxercise are similar fitness classes created in the 1990s to utilise the intense training that boxers undergo to get themselves fighting fit while removing the contact from the sport. Thanks to its holistic approach to cardiovascular activity, non-contact boxing classes such as these make for excellent workouts that men and women, old and young can take part in. Let’s look into Boxfit and Boxercise more closely.

What Is Boxercise?

Boxercise was developed in 1992 in the United Kingdom by sports coach Andy Wake and quickly became a popular style of exercise class among many groups of people all over the world. It also led to the establishment of other, similar, exercise classes that use boxing skills and training techniques, like Boxfit.

A typical boxercise class will involve:

• A warm-up
• Skipping or hitting a punching bag
• Strength training exercises
• Focus pad training
• More intense strength training exercises
• Cool down and stretches

Since the idea of boxercise is to incorporate strength training exercises into an intense cardiovascular workout, a class will work on each of your muscle groups and train every part of your body, so if you want to lose your tummy fat, boxercise is a great activity. Classes usually last from 45 minutes to an hour, and just two to three sessions per week can get you in great shape.

What Are Strength Training Exercises?

Strength training exercises involve moving muscles in a full range of motion with sufficient resistance to build muscle by tearing muscle fibres so your body can rebuild them stronger. This is not the same as a torn muscle; if you have an injury, you should consult your doctor or physio before engaging in intense physical activity to avoid further harm.

Different strength training activities work on different muscle groups, so you should incorporate a range of actions into your workout or boxing fitness routine. Some common exercises include:

• Squats for glutes, hamstrings and calves
• Crunches or sit-ups for abdominals
• Press-ups for triceps, pectorals and shoulders
• Pull-ups for biceps and latissimus dorsi
• Lunges for quadriceps, calves, glutes and hamstring

Boxing alone is a great cardiovascular activity, but regularly performing sets of these strength training actions will build muscle, helping to strengthen your whole body, allowing you to perform everyday tasks easier, as well as improving your physical performance in sports.

Is Boxercise Good for You?

Boxercise and Boxfit are excellent workouts as they combine cardiovascular exercise with strength training exercises to both build up your muscles and raise your heart rate for long enough to burn a significant number of calories, which is useful for people who want to lose weight.

Boxercise targets the following muscles:

• Biceps
• Triceps
• Pectorals
• Lats
• Abdominals
• Quadriceps
• Hamstring
• Gluteals
• Calf muscles

These are the main muscle groups across the whole body, so Boxercise and Boxfit are great for your overall physical fitness and will help you feel fitter as well as strengthen and build your muscles.

What’s more, boxing sessions are excellent for our mental health too. Although Boxercise and Boxfit are non-contact, they do involve pummeling a punching bag for several rounds or taking turns to hit and hold the focus pads, both of which require upper body strength. These activities also allow us to release a lot of pent-up aggression we may have from a hectic workday or issues at home, without harming ourselves and getting some cardio in at the same time.

Exercising as a group can also bring about many social benefits and allows us to motivate each other, especially when we haven’t done much exercise in a while and need a bit of extra support to get fit. This is especially important for older people who might feel they don’t have the fitness level they once did; boxercise classes are a mix of shapes, sizes, abilities and ages, so everyone can have fun getting active.

How Often Should You Box to Get Fit?

Everybody has a different idea of what it is to be fit and healthy and each person who starts a fitness program will, and should, have their own fitness goals. Whether that’s to maintain your physical fitness levels, lose weight or get a flat tummy through boxing fitness, you should set yourself a goal before you start training so you can feel delighted when you achieve it.

An hour-long boxing fitness class like Boxfit can burn 500 to 600 calories, which is roughly the equivalent of a cheese sandwich and a packet of crisps, or one-quarter of the daily recommended calorie intake for women, and one-fifth for men. To stay physically fit, the NHS recommends to take part in 150 minutes of moderate activity, or 75 minutes of intense as well as two sessions of strength training activity each week. Boxing fitness is considered intense aerobic exercise and strength training, so just two hour-long sessions or three 45-minute sessions per week will have you well on your way to achieving your fitness goals.

What Equipment Do You Need for Boxercise?

The most important thing to bring to a boxercise class is comfortable sportswear so you can take part without worrying about having your movements impeded by your clothes or sweat patches showing on your clothes. Women should also wear a good sports bra to make sure they’re fully supported and comfortable while they train.

Many classes will have other equipment for you to borrow, however, it may be useful for you to have some of your own equipment to make sure it fits well, and you can train at home if you want to too. The most crucial piece of equipment is a good pair of boxing gloves.

Although you won’t be striking another person as you might in boxing classes, you’ll be hitting a punching bag or a partner’s focus mitts, so you’ll still need to protect your hands from the shock of the punches. Hands and wrists have the most bones in a dense area in the whole body, so it’s crucial you protect them well with well-fitting cushioned boxing gloves before you make contact with any boxing equipment. You may also need a skipping rope for your warm-up or to work on your footwork, and elastic fitness bands to help you with certain strength exercises when you first start.

You obviously won’t need to bring your own punching bag to class, but if you’re interested in boxercise but aren’t sure about participating in a group, you can invest in a punching bag for your home so you can train at your leisure.

What Are Punching Bags Good for?

Punching bags are a mainstay of boxing gyms and boxing fitness classes, especially straight hanging punching bags, as they allow people to utilise their power in their punches due to the weight and resistance of the bag. Just five to ten two-minute rounds hitting a punching bag is excellent cardio and will get your heart racing, helping you to burn calories and tone your muscles. But hitting a punching bag doesn’t build muscle.

Strength training activities are essential for building muscle due to the range of motion involved in the action; hitting a punching bag will tire you out and get the blood pumping oxygen around your body, but isn’t sufficient to build muscle.

Ready to Start Boxing? You’ll Need the Best Equipment

At Maxx Pro Boxing, we only supply the best boxing and martial arts equipment for sportspeople and fitness fanatics across the UK, so everyone has the chance to train and get fit safely and comfortably. If you’re starting a boxing fitness class or are interested in practising your boxing technique with a friend or partner at home, make sure you get a pair of boxing gloves that fit well. You can browse our boxing gloves now!