PENSACOLA, Florida (WKRG) – Due to the limitations of COVID-19, many people have been looking for alternative fitness routines.
Now that restrictions are easing, more and more people are back in the gym, but with a different kind of workout – boxing!
Trent Banks owns Don’t Blink Boxing and MMA in Pensacola. He says, “It’s one of the best cardio exercises you can do, from punch combo to footwork to the moving part. The heart rate increases, the heart rate decreases and all muscles are used. Your heart and lungs are engaged. “
With this information, it would be no surprise that boxing is a popular exercise. But in the last year or so, boxing customers have “stepped out of the box”.
In fitness studios, more and more customers are looking for a new way to get and stay fit. Many sign up for boxing lessons not necessarily to get in the ring, but to work on their bodies.
Says Nikki Cagle, “It’s a workout where I don’t worry about people watching me or I don’t know how to work with a machine or the same old cardio that we do every day. And it’s definitely fun! “
Lauren Buck has boxed for several years and says it’s a great overall workout: “You have the footwork, the placement, you have the hand placement, you move your hips, so it’s a full-body workout.”
Banks and its clients say boxing is also about strengthening the mind. “People don’t understand how much brain work is involved in boxing,” he says, adding, “It’s not just about remembering the combinations, it’s about moving properly and getting your feet right.”
Lauren adds, “It’s a visual challenge, but also an auditory challenge, and you need to use all of your senses to understand what’s happening.”
“I want to get stronger, I want to get better, I want to be able to have more self-defense for myself because I’m smaller,” says Nikki.
And using boxing motions to protect yourself in a dangerous situation can come in handy, Banks says. “Just knowing that you can defend yourself is huge.”
Banks adds that boxing helps with the mind. “Everyone has things,” says Banks, “and we tend to put them in bottles without letting them out.”
Boxing is a healthy point of sale, says Banks, and customers agree. “I’m not a bad person,” says Lauren, “but usually when I bump a bag it just creates pent-up aggression, I never knew I had it.” She says women shouldn’t be intimidated taking boxing lessons in a class or with a trainer. “If you come in and don’t know any of the punching positions, I guarantee you will know all 6 positions by the end of the day.”
According to Lauren, shadow boxing at home is a great way to get a workout if you are still unsure about going to the gym due to concerns.
Depending on whether you’re shadowing boxing, boxing with a bag or gloves, or with someone else, sports experts say that good boxing workout can burn between 350 and 800 calories an hour!
