Push Your Limits: Boxing Gym in South Austin Texas

When you think of boxing, what comes to your mind? Is it “Iron '' Mike Tyson who was recognized as one of the hardest hitters of all time? Or what about Tyson Fury who currently holds the world's heavyweight champion title? When we think about boxing, exercise is not really the first thought that comes to mind, but it should be.

The earliest evidence of boxing dates back to Egypt around 3000 BC later being introduced to the ancient Olympic Games in Greece during the late 7th century BC. Boxing and even kickboxing has evolved quite a bit since then making it a very popular sport loved by many today! Originally, boxing was just for large men holding hulk-like qualities, but within the last couple of decades, people really began to notice some of the incredible effects training had on the body. This was the start of boxing for exercise! With an unparalleled list of benefits, some of the most popular advantages found from boxing are aerobics, muscular growth, and mental health.  

Aerobic Benefits of Boxing

Using a heavy bag while boxing is an incredible way to incorporate aerobic exercise into your life! After taking a boxing class in South Austin, Texas, you can expect to be dripping with sweat from head to toe. You even have the option of personal training boxing classes. Some of the amazing benefits of boxing found from aerobic exercise are fat loss, improved endurance and cardiovascular health.‍

Fat loss

Throwing punches left and right while working a heavyweight bag can burn up to 1,000 calories in an hour. Fat loss due to boxing can sometimes get overlooked because muscle weighs more than fat. This means that you might hop on the scale only to find that you haven’t necessarily dropped a ton of weight, but your pants don’t fit anymore because they are too big! 

Boxing is a high-intensity workout burning many calories while toning your body and challenging your mind. When you box, you are working towards bettering your overall health, building muscle and burning fat which can definitely help to trim a few inches from your waistline! Intense physical exercise found in boxing can increase your metabolism therefore helping you with fat loss. Followed by a healthy and nutritious diet, boxing is an exceptional way to get in shape. ‍

Improved Endurance

Just like any type of bootcamp exercise, when you start boxing fitness classes, you pump more blood and oxygen into your muscles, strengthening your heart and lungs. As you do this, your body becomes conditioned to exercise allowing you to really push your limits, going further without getting winded. 

Cardiovascular Health

Many muscles are used while boxing making it an outstanding sport for increasing your cardio endurance! Cardio gets your heart pumping and helps to lower the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. The whole purpose of cardio is to place a moderate amount of stress on your heart and lungs. By doing this, they are challenged to make beneficial physiologic adaptations to support the higher level of physical activity, thus giving your heart and lungs quite the workout!

Muscular Benefits of Boxing

Another great benefit that comes from boxing and joining a boxing club is that it will definitely help to tone your body and build lean muscle to help you get big and strong! Boxing is not only about being quick on your feet as it is just as important to be strong and powerful! Boxing is such an effective way to get strong because it uses so many of your muscles at one time. ‍

Shoulders‍

If you are new to boxing, then prepare to feel that intense burn in your shoulders due to a great workout! It doesn’t matter if you are punching the bag or sparring with a partner, the extra weight from the gloves will wear down your deltoids pretty quickly. ‍

Back‍

When you throw a punch, your back muscles are activated similarly to how they would be used when you do a shoulder press. ‍

Arms‍

Boxing is also a great choice for those looking to strengthen their arms! There are two major arm muscles known as the biceps and triceps. The bicep sits on top of your arm where the triceps are on the bottom. When you throw a punch, your triceps are used to extend the elbow making it the major muscle used. Biceps are used typically more during an uppercut or hook.‍

Core

‍Your core is one of the most powerful muscles in the body. All the delivered power from a punch does not come strictly from your arms, shoulders or back strength alone. Your core muscles play a very important role in transferring power to the arms during a punch. With every movement, the core is engaged making boxing an ideal workout for those who have always dreamed about having abs of steel!

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Mental Benefits of Boxing

One of the most significant things that people notice when they start boxing is the change in their emotional and mental state, similar to muay thai. Training can be really tough, boxing techniques push many to their limits, but at the end of the day, life is all about growth. When you think you can’t do something and are pushed to your limit, you exceed your expectation as to what you are truly capable of, thus new limits are made requiring you to push even harder!

More confidence

A primary benefit of boxing is that it is one of those sports that can really make you feel empowered! Mastering the techniques involved takes time and patience making people feel really great once they have them down! You will walk taller with more self-esteem knowing that you are doing the best you can to better your overall health. 

Stress relief

Have you ever felt so angry and stressed that you just wanted to hit something? We are human and it can happen from time to time! One of the best things about boxing is that it is a natural tension relief that occurs in your body every time you throw a punch. When you are exercising, our bodies produce serotonin which is a natural chemical in the brain that makes you feel happy! If you are looking to let off a little steam, boxing is healthy to relieve stress. 

Improved coordination

Having good hand-eye coordination will allow you to have fast lateral movement as well as upper body movement all at the same time while staying relaxed with little to no effort. As we get older, coordination and balance become a little more difficult which can increase the risk of falls. Boxing requires focused movements challenging not only your muscles, but your mind which will then increase your fine motor skills! Those with strong coordination tend to have faster reflexes.

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Boxing is truly incredible boasting a long list of benefits to improve your overall health. It has been shown to help with cardiovascular health through aerobic exercise, muscle growth, and even benefits promoting mental health. In the past, many people wouldn’t even dare stepping into a boxing gym due to the thought that it was strictly for macho men. Today, those stereotypical thoughts have been squashed and new gyms are popping up all around the US! Whether you are someone who has never stepped foot into a gym or if you are a professional bodybuilder, boxing gyms welcome everyone offering a wide variety of classes to help you to reach your goals. If you are looking to take your health to the next level and really push yourself to step out of your comfort zone, you should definitely give Legends Boxing in South Austin, Texas a try!