Boxing offers more than just skill and technique – when used correctly, boxing has the potential to build muscle and strength through it’s combination of workout intensity, systematic muscle activation, and endurance exercises. In addition to the agility and speed, the technique and power required for boxing in turn activates and conditions muscles throughout your entire body.
At UBX, we combine boxing and strength to deliver a full-body workout that progressively builds muscle, whilst benefiting all round health and fitness.
1. A full-body workout in every session
A powerful punch starts from the ground up: each time you throw a punch, you generate momentum from your feet to your legs, through to your core, shoulders, arms and fist. Boxing movements are compound and dynamic, and engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously – which not only contributes to muscle growth but also works to improve overall body coordination and strength. So, everytime you’re working on a boxing bag or on padwork with your coaches, you’ll be activating your entire body. The strength component of UBX is designed to compliment the cardio and endurance demands of boxing, offering weighted and resistance-based movements that isolate and develop specific muscles while also engaging the entire body, leading to more efficient muscle growth and better overall strength.
2. Physical conditioning through repetition
Boxing isn’t just about moving fast; it’s about moving efficiently. The repetitive nature of boxing comes from the combination of punches, footwork and evasions, where there’s no end to the sequence of your boxing and you can continue working until fatigue. Overtime, this repetition has the ability to conditions your muscles, allowing you to generate greater power behind your punches.
Each punch you throw ends in a contraction, placing stress on your muscles, and over time, this stress leads to muscle hypertrophy—the process of increasing muscle size. The constant muscle activation throughout your entire body means that you’re not just isolating one muscle group, but you’ll be working multiple groups simultaneously, which is key for balanced muscle growth and strength development.
3. Resistance through punching
Boxing serves as a form of resistance training, where your muscles work against an external force. This resistance is what causes the muscle fiber damage necessary for growth. Just like lifting weights in the gym, every punch you throw requires power and drive, engaging your muscles and prompting them to grow stronger.
4. Building lean muscle mass
An effective boxing program will focus on the development of lean muscle mass to enhance strength, endurance, and power, whilst also maintaining speed and agility. This requires a balanced effort of both cardio and strength.
Our workouts change daily, offering a variety of boxing and strength exercises using equipment or body weight. Some aspects of your workout will be focused on increasing your heart rate to fuel calorie burn, whilst others will focus on increasing weight and prioritising technique and tempo to challenge your body and stimulate muscle growth.
5. Progressive overload
Progressive overload is where you increase the intensity, duration, and complexity of your workouts, in order to stimulate your muscle growth, forcing them to adapt and strengthen. The beauty of boxing is that it’s easy to learn but offers unlimited progression, meaning you can continue to challenge yourself long-term.
As you continue to improve in boxing, you will naturally be building more power behind your punches, or increasing the speed of your combinations, placing greater demand on your body over time. This ongoing progression will mean that you won’t plateau in your development.
Let’s get the gloves on and see what’s possible!
Receive your first workout free at any UBX location
