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In this article, there are a few examples of cardio boxing routines with varying degrees of difficulty. There's something to suit everyone, from beginner through to expert level. In all cases, the aim is the same: train your cardio fitness with boxing-inspired moves.
PRECAUTIONS
There are a few important safety precautions to take before any training session, particularly if it's going to be at a high intensity. First of all, be sure to warm up thoroughly, particularly your joints (wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, etc.).
If you're using a punching bag, make sure you've got the right protective equipment. A pair of boxing wraps and a pair of gloves that fit you is a minimum. If you plan on working on your leg technique, you may want shin guards (that will depend on the hardness of your bag as well as your level of training).
Lastly, it is strongly recommended for you to use a customisable timer so that you can focus fully on your exercises without worrying about time management.
“BEGINNER” ROUTINE
This is for people who want to start cardio boxing and/or who don't necessarily know the limits of their physical abilities. It gets you started at a reasonable level of intensity and includes recovery periods of at least 30 seconds (half the length of the exercises). This routine takes a total of 24 minutes.
A bit more about each exercise:
- Skipping rope: the go-to cardio workout. The aim is to do 1 minute without stopping. Try to do acceleration phases if you can, as if you were in a real fight. Besides being great for your cardio, this exercise teaches you to stay light on your toes.
- Shadow boxing: a sequence of punches done into the air as you move around, visualising an imaginary opponent. You can throw in both punches and kicks. The aim is to make your movements (footwork and kicks) as fluid as possible while keeping up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag punching combinations: practising your punches on a bag. You can use all types of punches, from jabs to hooks and uppercuts, at head or body height. Try to be as fluid as possible in your combinations and don't stay static in front of the bag. Remember to keep up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag kicking combinations: this time, we're focusing on your lower limbs, while still working on the punching bag. You can use any type of kick - front kicks, side kicks and roundhouse kicks - at any height, facing any direction. There are so many kinds of kick, it's time to get creative! Like when punching, try to be as fluid as possible in your combinations and don't stay static in front of the bag. Keep up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag punching/kicking combinations: this is a case of bringing together the previous two exercises by doing combinations that mix kicking and punching.
“INTERMEDIATE” ROUTINE
This uses the previous exercises but with 3 differences:
- You skip for 2 minutes rather than 1.
- You add an elastic band to your shadow boxing.
- The recovery time between exercises drops from 30 to 20 seconds.
A bit more about each exercise:
- Skipping rope: the go-to cardio workout. The aim is to do 2 minutes without stopping. Try to do acceleration phases if you can, as if you were in a real fight. Besides being great for your cardio, this exercise teaches you to stay light on your toes.
- Shadow boxing: a sequence of punches done into the air as you move around, visualising an imaginary opponent. The level of complexity increases for this "intermediate" routine, with an elastic band to add resistance to your punches. You can also add kicks if you want. The aim here is to make your movements (footwork and kicks) as fluid as possible while keeping up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag punching combinations: practising your punches on a bag. You can use all types of punches, from jabs to hooks and uppercuts, at head or body height. Try to be as fluid as possible in your combinations and don't stay static in front of the bag. Remember to keep up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag kicking combinations: this time, we're focusing on your lower limbs, while still working on the punching bag. You can use any type of kick - front kicks, side kicks and roundhouse kicks - at any height, facing any direction. There are so many kinds of kick, it's time to get creative! Like when punching, try to be as fluid as possible in your combinations and don't stay static in front of the bag. Keep up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag punching/kicking combinations: this is a case of bringing together the previous two exercises by doing combinations that mix kicking and punching.
“INTERMEDIATE” (MORE EXPERIENCED) ROUTINE
This includes most of the previous exercises but with a few differences:
- You move on to 3 minutes of skipping - the equivalent of a round of boxing.
- You still do the shadow boxing with the elastic band, but you also add a session with 1 or 2 kg dumbbells.
A bit more about each exercise:
- Skipping rope: the go-to cardio workout. The aim is to do 3 minutes without stopping. Try to do acceleration phases if you can, as if you were in a real fight. Besides being great for your cardio, this exercise teaches you to stay light on your toes.
- Shadow boxing: a sequence of punches done into the air as you move around, visualising an imaginary opponent. The level of complexity increases for this "intermediate" (more experienced) routine, with an elastic band to add resistance to your punches. The second time around, this band is replaced by small 1 or 2 kg dumbbells to train your strength. You can also add kicks if you want. The aim here is to make your movements (footwork and kicks) as fluid as possible while keeping up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag punching combinations: practising your punches on a bag. You can use all types of punches, from jabs to hooks and uppercuts, at head or body height. Try to be as fluid as possible in your combinations and don't stay static in front of the bag. Remember to keep up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag kicking combinations: this time, we're focusing on your lower limbs, while still working on the punching bag. You can use any type of kick - front kicks, side kicks and roundhouse kicks - at any height, facing any direction. There are so many kinds of kick, it's time to get creative! Like when punching, try to be as fluid as possible in your combinations and don't stay static in front of the bag. Keep up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag punching/kicking combinations: this is a case of bringing together the previous two exercises by doing combinations that mix kicking and punching.
“ADVANCED” ROUTINE
This routine lasts the same amount of time as a boxing fight (36 minutes) and includes the following changes:
- It adds 1 minute of squats to strengthen your legs.
- There is an extra set, i.e. 4 instead of 3.
A bit more about each exercise:
- Skipping rope: the go-to cardio workout. The aim is to do 3 minutes without stopping. Try to do acceleration phases if you can, as if you were in a real fight. Besides being great for your cardio, this exercise teaches you to stay light on your toes.
- Shadow boxing: a sequence of punches done into the air as you move around, visualising an imaginary opponent. The level of complexity increases for this "advanced" routine, with an elastic band to add resistance to your punches. The second time around, this band is replaced by small 1 or 2 kg dumbbells to train your strength. You can also add kicks if you want. The aim here is to make your movements (footwork and kicks) as fluid as possible while keeping up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag punching combinations: practising your punches on a bag. You can use all types of punches, from jabs to hooks and uppercuts, at head or body height. Try to be as fluid as possible in your combinations and don't stay static in front of the bag. Remember to keep up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Punching bag kicking combinations: this time, we're focusing on your lower limbs, while still working on the punching bag. You can use any type of kick - front kicks, side kicks and roundhouse kicks - at any height, facing any direction. There are so many kinds of kick, it's time to get creative! Like when punching, try to be as fluid as possible in your combinations and don't stay static in front of the bag. Keep up a good guard throughout the exercise.
- Squats: an exercise aiming to intensify your leg training in between 2 rounds of punching bag exercises.
- Punching bag punching/kicking combinations: this is a case of bringing together the previous two punching bag exercises by doing combinations that mix kicking and punching.
