A boxer's workout

Boxers are some of the best conditioned athletes in the world. Simply being strong and fast is not enough to make it in the ring. That's why boxers train using plyometric workouts that focus on using a lot of power for short bursts of time. This builds on a boxer's endurance, the ability to last through rounds. Here are two workouts to try out next time you hit the gym.

Do each exercise for 15 seconds at a very high intensity, then move on to the next circuit. Once you have finished all 8 circuits, take a minute to rest, then repeat.

Boxing Workout 1

Squats 8 reps
Vertical Jumps 6 reps
Bench Press 8 reps
Medicine Ball (MB) Chest Pass 6 reps
Barbell lunge 8 reps
Step jumps 6 reps
Lat pull down 8 reps
MB overhead pass 6 reps
Weighted crunches 8 reps
MB sit ups 6 reps

Boxing Workout 2

Left jab 1-6kg dumb-bell 8 reps
Left jab MB throws 3-5kg medicine ball 6 reps
Straight right 1-6kg dumb-bell 8 reps
Straight right MB throws 3-5kg medicine ball 6 reps
Left hook 1-6kg dumb-bell 8 reps
Left hook MB throws 3-5kg medicine ball 6 reps
Right cross 1-6kg dumb-bell 8 reps
Right cross MB throws 3-5kg medicine ball 6 reps
Left uppercut 1-6kg dumb-bell 8 reps
Left uppercut MB throws 3-5kg medicine ball 6 reps
Right uppercut 1-6kg dumb-bell 8 reps
Right uppercut MB throws 3-5kg medicine ball 6 reps

You may have noticed that a lot of boxer workouts include jump roping. Aside from burning fat, this exercise also improves coordination, quickness, endurance, agility, and footwork. Here are some different variations.

Running in place
Double unders - rope goes under twice for every jump
Criss-cross - Cross the arms at the elbows on the descending swing of the rope and jump through the loop. Uncross the arms on the next descending swing and repeat the process