Let’s Box: Boxing Gym in Bountiful, Utah

We live in such an exciting time today where people are constantly reaching for optimum health. The fitness industry is booming with new gyms, workout classes and specialty clubs popping up on street corners on what seems like daily. If you are someone that likes to get on a good sweat, then we are sure you have heard the buzz surrounding one of the greatest exercise trends to hit the fitness industry: boxing. 

Believe it or not, even though boxing has only recently made its way to the spotlight, it has actually been around for centuries! In fact, boxing is one of the oldest sports known to man and can be seen dating as far back as Ancient Egypt in 3000 BC. Back then, boxing was only for the monsters of men and consisted of throwing punches until the death of one of the fighters. However, since then boxing has evolved making it an effective way to exercise that we all know and love today! 

Top Benefits of Boxing

Boxing is a great workout because it is challenging. Some of the attributes that you will find are strength, agility, speed, hand-eye coordination, endurance, and power. If you are looking to get in great shape and improve your overall health, then you should definitely consider signing up for a boxing fitness class at your local boxing gym like Legends Boxing Gym in Bountiful, Utah. Legends Boxing Bountiful is a great option that is conveniently located just north of Salt Lake City. Here are some of the top benefits that come from boxing:

Cardiovascular Health

Did you know that heart disease is the number cause of death in the US? You are given one body with one heart to protect. It is so vital to your health to do what you can to keep your heart strong and healthy! Cardio is so important because it works to place a moderate amount of stress on your heart and lungs. By doing this, they are challenged to make enough beneficial physiologic adaptations to support the higher level of physical activity. 

Every jab, hook and cross that you throw forces many of your muscles to contract at one time. Since many muscles are being utilized, your heart has to work extra hard to pump oxygen and blood to each muscle thus giving your heart quite the workout! 

Boxing also requires you to stay light on your feet which will constantly keep your body moving. Not only will you punch a bag, but you will also do things like jump rope, run, and circuit train. Getting a good cardiovascular workout is really important for your physical fitness and overall health with studies showing that it can help to control blood pressure and help with obtaining a healthy heart rate. 

Stronger Muscles

Another great benefit that comes with boxing is that it will definitely work to help tone and sculpt your body helping your muscles to get big and strong! Boxing is a full-body workout meaning you will notice every muscle in your body ignites with each class. During each session, you may punch a bag requiring you to use your lower and upper body along with your core to engage as you make contact each time. Some of the major muscles that are used are:

• Shoulders – if you are new to boxing, prepare to feel the burn in your shoulders! It doesn’t matter if you are sparring with a partner or punching a bag, the extra weight that comes from your gloves will wear down your deltoids pretty quickly helping them to become strong! It is important to have strong shoulder muscles because all of the power that you will develop from your core and lower body still needs to be filtered through the shoulder joint to help throw a strong punch. If your shoulder muscles are weak, you will find it challenging to throw punch after punch and hold your hands up to properly protect your face. 
• Legs – your legs will surely get strong as all power comes from the ground up! Your legs are responsible for pushing off the ground to generate power throughout your entire body. This is why all proper punches are typically thrown with the legs pivoting and rotating. The two major muscles in your legs that you will feel ignite from each class are the quads and calf muscles. 
• Core – your core is one of the most important muscles in your body that you will workout during every boxing class. Your core is a big group of muscles that run from your shoulders to your hips and covers everything in between like most of your back! The twisting motion in a punch starts from your legs but is then carried on by the muscles in your core, specifically the oblique muscles! Having a strong core is important because it will help to keep you stabilized, aids in the prevention of injury, and can increase your power output!
• Arms – have you ever dreamed of having sexy toned arms? Well, we have good news for you because boxing is one of the best workouts that you can do to help do just that! Say goodbye to your chicken wings and say hello to beautifully sculpted arms that can make anyone jealous! When you box, the two major muscles in your arms that you will workout are the biceps and triceps. The bicep sits on the top of your arm where the triceps sit on the bottom. Each time you throw a punch, your triceps are engaged to extend the elbow helping to drive each punch to its target. The biceps are used more commonly during a hook or uppercut. 

Better Endurance

Okay, so now you know that boxing is an amazing workout to help build strong muscles and gives you a great cardiovascular workout, but what about endurance? After you have taken a few boxing classes, you will notice that your muscles have become stronger meaning that you can punch harder for longer periods of time without getting tired making improved endurance another great benefit to boxing! Your cardiovascular system and muscles will strengthen due to various forms of training giving your lungs and heart the ability to pump more oxygen and blood to your muscles in a limited period of time. 

More oxygen and blood in your muscles means that they can go much longer without getting tired, improving your endurance. You will notice that you are much less likely to run out of breath to keep your body moving punch after punch. 

Stress Relief

One of the best benefits of boxing is that it has the ability to relieve tension and stress in your body! We are human and all tend to suffer from stress from time to time and sometimes just want to scream or punch something! Boxing is so great because you can let your frustrations out on an inanimate object like a punching bag. 

Another awesome way that boxing helps to relieve stress is because a new daily workout has been shown to make people feel happier and relieve the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. This is because when you work out, your brain produces chemicals like serotonin which works to produce a sense of happiness, joy, and elation. 

Improved Confidence

Boxing is an incredible workout for a ton of reasons but what many people experience after taking a few classes is that their confidence and self-esteem improve. Being healthier, stronger and in better shape will help to make anyone feel good! We are our worst critics and how we perceive ourselves and how we look has a huge impact on our self-esteem. Boxing can help to tone and sculpt every muscle in your body leaving you with a physique to be proud of! 

Boxing helps many to feel strong and empowered. At first, the workout may seem a little intimidating due to all of the punches and proper footwork that you will learn, however, once you finally get the technique down, you will walk with your head held high feeling proud. Boxing will help you to feel more powerful mentally and give you the fighting spirit to help you deal with any challenging curveball that life throws at you. 

Fun Way to Exercise

Gone are the days of running mile after mile on the treadmill- yawn. If you are looking to spice up your exercise routine and meet your fitness goals with a total-body workout, then you should definitely consider taking up a boxing class! You will first learn the basics of boxing and self-defense based on real USA boxing techniques before being able to move on to different things like step boxing fitness classes. A trick to sticking to a healthy exercise regimen is by making it fun because otherwise, it will feel like a job or a chore that you will surely lose interest in! Hitting the bag can become a game and mastering each technique keeps it challenging. Every single boxing class is different which will always keep you on your toes craving for more! 

Boxing is an incredible way to exercise with many benefits like improved cardiovascular health, stronger muscles, better endurance, natural stress relief, improved confidence and gives you a fun and challenging way to work out! Each boxing class will help you with your fitness journey while making a ton of friends in the process! We highly recommend giving boxing a try as we know you will not regret it!