How to Box Like a Champ: 30 Minute At-Home Boxing Workout for Beginners
Is your usual at-home weight training routine or run around the block starting to get old? Or maybe you’ve taken the spin on the Peloton one too many times and you need a new routine to switch things up. My name is Anthony Crouchelli, I’m the Lead Trainer and Director of Talent at Litesport, and I’m here to turn your workout routine up a notch by adding boxing to your at-home routine.
Not only is boxing an effective cardio and strength workout but there are so many ways to step into the ring without stepping out of your home. Is it possible to learn how to box at home? You bet it is! Not sure how to get started? I’ve got you covered.
I’ve got all the details on why boxing is an effective workout and how you can get started today, including one of my full 30-minute boxing workouts that will get you sweating like a champ while you learn the basics.
Boxing benefits
Boxing is more than just punching, it requires speed, agility, strength, endurance, and mental toughness to be successful. The combination of strength building with quick cardio movements makes boxing an ultimate workout for both brain and body.
Not only can boxing keep you in great shape and improve your cardiovascular health, but it also helps with hand-eye coordination, balance, and proprioception, or the body’s ability to know and understand where the joints and muscles are in space.
Hitting a target (even if it's just the air!) can help release stress and tension in the body making boxing both a powerful physical and mental sport. With boxing, you can challenge your mind and your body in the world of music, competition, and punches.
At-home boxing equipment for beginners
There are plenty of options when it comes to boxing equipment. I train many beginners who start by shadow boxing in their living room with no equipment, while some like getting started with a punching bag, personal trainer, or a VR fitness platform like Litesport.
While boxing equipment helps improve your boxing experience and elevates your training, as you’re getting started all you need is some space in your home, time in your schedule, and the determination to learn something new. No matter how you get started or what equipment you’re using, you’re going to have a great workout when boxing at home.
Basic boxing form
Keeping your form and technique sharp is important as you are learning how to box. Not only does this help protect you from injuries, but it also allows you to land a good punch over and over again with more efficiency and strength. Learning how to box by starting with your basic boxing form helps connect you to your foundation. Every pivot, extension, and rotation comes from that foundation, and if you are able to tap into that, then no one can touch you in or outside the ring! That’s why practicing the basics is a necessary part of boxing whether you are throwing your first punches or you’ve been boxing for years.
Stance
It’s important to first start with your boxing stance because it is the starting point for all your punches. If you are right-handed (otherwise known as an Orthodox boxer) you will start with your left foot forward and your right foot back. If you are left-handed (or a Southpaw boxer) you will start with your right foot forward and your left foot back. This stance positions your dominant hand farther back so you can line up a punch with maximal power.
Bring your hands up to your chin to protect your face, tuck your chin slightly down, and keep your shoulders soft. Stagger your stance at about hip-width distance so you are always balanced and your weight is distributed.
Footwork
In your boxing stance, bend your knees, straighten your spine, and push off the ball of your foot with every movement. There should be a bounce to your body in your boxer stance, ready to move at any moment. This is because you are never static in boxing, you are always moving. After all, you never want to be a sitting duck for your opponent (even if your opponent is Litesport!).
To float like a Muhammad Ali butterfly, it’s important to practice drills like jump roping, defensive movements like bobbing, rolling, and weaving, quick side shuffles, or taking small bouncing steps in your boxing stance so you can get comfortable being light on your feet. Every time you punch, practice snapping back to your boxer stance as quickly as you can.
Punching
There are four basic punches in Litesport boxing: the jab, straight cross, and left and right uppercuts. While in your boxing stance, your dominant hand will deliver a rear cross and rear uppercut punches while your non-dominant hand will deliver lead jab and lead uppercut punches.
When punching with your dominant hand, use your back leg to power your punches. When punching with your non-dominant hand, use your front foot to step forward. When you throw your dominant hand punches, you’re going to pretend like you are crushing a grape under your back toe. Pick up your back heel and twist from your hips to generate more power.
Make sure to keep your punches tight. If you overextend your arm, swing out with your elbow too wide, or uppercut past your nose, you lose precious energy. After you punch, don’t forget to immediately step back to your boxer stance.
Speed and Strength
As you start boxing you are going to notice yourself running out of breath or unable to deliver powerful punches after a few short minutes. This is normal for a beginner boxer! This is why every boxer not only needs to focus on boxer stance, footwork, and accurate punches, but also on building up strength, endurance, and speed so you can box for longer.
Boxing with Litesport is one great way to build up your strength. Not only does it allow you to practice hitting a virtual target, but you’ll have me (or one of our other amazing trainers!) as your coach encouraging you to punch for longer and harder so you can build up that muscular strength and endurance. Another great way to build up your strength and endurance is to cross-train with other activities such as our Litesport Strength workouts or Total Body fitness.
30 Minute At-Home Boxing Workout
Now that you know the basics, it’s time to put it all together with one of my at-home boxing workouts. This one’s perfect for a beginner to learn the necessary boxing skills while getting a good sweat.
Warm-up
3-5 minutes
Start your warm-up with some active stretches. Try movements such as arm and neck circles, wide lunges while extending your opposite arm to your opposite foot, and squats to forward folds.
After some brief dynamic stretching, start to move into some cardio such as jumping jacks or running in place for about a minute. If you have Litesport, a great way to get the blood flowing for your warm-up is to hit play on one of our one-song Punch Tracks. Your warm-up can look different every time. The goal is to loosen up your joints and muscles with movement that isn’t too difficult for you but starts to get your heart rate up.
Practice your boxing stance, speed, and footwork
Choose 1-2 options from the below for 5 minutes
Bounce it out: Get into your proper boxing stance and practice hopping around your room punching the air and getting a feel for where to keep your feet to stay balanced. Practice being in constant movement as you avoid punches from your invisible opponent.
Side shuffles: In your boxing stance, practice moving side to side with your knees bent and your hands up at your chin.
Squats: Practice some defense with some squat work! Practice slipping, which is when you slightly bend your knees while keeping your hands up to protect your face, or stay in your stance and rep out some squats.
Bob, weave, and roll: Bobbing, weaving, and rolling are all defensive moves in boxing to avoid getting punched. Although you aren’t facing off against an opponent, these can be great drills to practice at home. Using a 45-second on and 15-second off tabata, practice bobbing, weaving, and rolling under and around an imaginary rope in your room. Roll and weave forward and back underneath the rope focusing on weight shifts, and once you feel comfortable feel free to add a jab cross!
Punching drills
10-15 minutes
Either using Litesport's Punch Tracks or on your own go ahead and pick your favorite song and go at maximum power with as many drills as you can manage. Do a couple of quick jabs, reset, and then throw some uppercuts and repeat the same combination until there is a new verse!
After your song ends, rest for a minute and then repeat again with another 1-2 songs or as many as you feel comfortable. Try out different combinations with each set and feel yourself getting more and more familiar with each punch. You’ll be surprised by how much you sweat in such a short amount of time!
Build up your strength
If you want an added challenge try the below strength exercises for 5-10 minutes
Push your strength to the max by ending your workout with a Litesport Strength Training or Total Body workout. Or if you don’t have Litesport, go ahead and set yourself up with some quick core and strength work with 30 seconds each of sit-ups, push-ups, crunches, bicycles, and plank. Repeat 2-3 times depending on how your body feels.
Cool down
2-3 minutes
Don’t forget to cool down with some stretches after all that hard work! It’s important to recover properly so you’re ready to go in your next boxing workout.
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Congratulations, you’ve completed a beginner boxing workout at home! Ready for more? So are we. Gloves on, volume up, let’s do this! Learn about how you can train more with me on Litesport and get started today.