There are different benefits of calisthenics for boxing. These benefits include fitness, being less likely to injure yourself, improved strength, and improved power. Also, it is convenient and cheap due to calisthenics, so you don’t have to go to a gym.
When it comes to gaining power, the more power you pack in boxing, the faster and harder your punches will be. When it comes to strength, you need core strength in order to link the upper body and lower body in the kinetic chain. To be able to stay on your feet and dance around in the ring, you must have leg strength. And, of course, you must have the upper body strength to be able to deliver great punches.
All of these desired traits contribute to being fit. And by being fit, you will be able to effectively dodge and throw punches with less fatigue. The opposite is true if you are out of shape. You’ll become fatigued faster, which will lead to your inability to dodge and throw punches.
To ensure you are in the best shape for boxing, calisthenics is key, and the following includes five calisthenics that is awesome for boxing:
1. Pushups
There are various types of pushups. There are the standard pushups, elevated pushups, and explosive pushups. If you are a beginner, you must start with standard pushups. You then must build up a lot more before starting to work with other types of pushups. Doing so will eliminate possible injuries that may occur if you’re not strong enough to do more advanced pushups.
For handstand pushups, it is as the name implies: you’re standing and pushing up on your hands. To do this, you must first find something or someone to support your leg. Once you find that support, you must ensure that your glutes are tight. Doing this will also prevent injuries as it is supportive of your lower back.
Then, while remaining in a straight line without arching your back, you must push as far as you can. The idea is to go deep enough with the push. However, if you can’t push to 90 degrees, you must go as far as you can. This will do as you will gradually get better over time.
When it comes to elevated pushups, you can use an easier version to start off with, if needed. The easier version simply involves the slight elevation of your legs and doing the standard pushups the best you can. You can use a stool or something of a similar height to elevate your legs. Please note, also, that elevated pushups will put tension on your upper plex and shoulders. So, the higher you elevate your legs, the more tension you may encounter.
For explosive pushups, there are some variations. You can do pushup hops, clapping pushups, superman pushups, and more.
In general, you’ll do the following:
- Position yourself in a pushup position with arms straight.
- While having your core engaged, bend your arms slowly and lower into a pushup.
- Push off the floor explosively and with the intent of having sufficient power to lift your hands and body off the floor.
- Once you land your hands back on the floor, repeat the steps.
The clapping hands’ variation includes the same steps above. You just clap your hands as you explosively lift yourself off the floor. This technique may seem silly to some, but it effectively helps to add a little more coordination, tension, and swiftness to your arms and shoulders.
Once you gain more control and expertise with these explosive pushups, you can add other variations according to your innovative nature. The Superman variation is, as the name implies, where you can work your arms and perhaps feet in a flying manner as you push up explosively. And, of course, you must place your arms and feet back on the floor.
2. Pull-ups
Pull-ups are the bread and butter when it comes to boxing, martial arts, and the like. This exercise effectively impacts the upper back, lats, forearms, abs, and biceps.
If you feel, however, that pullups are easy for you, you can simply add weights. Adding plates increases resistance, and you can try doing the following:
- Add two plates of 10 kgs each for no more than two reps at a time.
- Use 20kg plates to pull up and do no more than two or more reps at a time.
3. Dips
There are also various types of dips. The steps to doing traditional dips are as follows:
- You must hold onto two parallel bars, a Dipstand, or two stable chairs in your home at approximately shoulder-width apart with your hands.
- With your feet off the ground, use only your arms to support your body weight as you rise to the top position of the bar or Dipstand.
- Bend your elbows to lower yourself to as low as 90 degrees with the top part of your forearm and shoulder being parallel to the ground. The rest of the forearm should be perpendicular to the ground. And if you can’t go as low as 90 degrees, go as low as you can.
- Once you go as low as you can, push upwards with your arms to the starting position.
- Swinging is not allowed with this exercise as it can cause injuries!
Other variations of dips include bench dips, chair dips, ring dips, floor/ground ‘L’ dips, chest dips, and triceps dips. The bench dips include having your hands on the bench towards the back and your feet on the floor. The chair dips, as mentioned before, is what you use at home, and it’s similar to bench dips. Chest dips include you having the inclination of your body around 30 to 45 degrees forward while doing dips. Triceps dips include your torso being perpendicular to the ground while doing dips. Ring dips include the use of gymnastics rings for dips.
Floor/ground ‘L’ dips are advanced types of dips. You must first sit in an upright position on the ground. Your feet must also be together and stretch out, so you will be in an ‘L’ position. You must then have your hands on your sides on the floor next to your torso at approximately 45 degrees for your legs.
While remaining in the L position, use your hands to push yourself up. Your body, except for your hands, should be off the floor once you push yourself up. Also, there will not be a lot of arms’ length to perform the exercise, but it’s possible. Just don’t lock the elbows that will be at the top position. And alternatively, you can use parallel bars to perform L dips on parallel bars.
4. Squat Jumps
First, have your feet at shoulder-width apart. Next, slowly lower yourself into a squat position and jump up off the floor. While jumping off the floor, you must ensure your knees, hips, and ankles are fully extended. Like the explosive pushups, you must begin the next rep once your feet have landed back on the floor.
How to do Split Squat Jump:
- Stand upright with your arms at your side and feet together.
- Swiftly and explosively jump in the air.
- When in mid-air, position your legs, so that one will be in the front and the other one in the back.
- Then, land in a split squat position with one leg being in the forward position with the knee bent and the other leg being backward and standing on your toes.
- Jump into the air again without pausing and reverse the leg positioning.
- Repeat accordingly and by alternating the position of the legs.
5. Split Jumps
The split jumps are similar to split squat jumps. You just won’t do the squatting. So, with your right foot forward, you will start in a lunge position. Then, swiftly and explosively jump off the ground. While in mid-air, alternate your back and front legs so that you will land on the opposite leg than you used before to be in the front. However, please land gently to eliminate possible knee, leg, or foot injuries.
Once you land with the other leg foot forward, repeat the steps above along with alternating your front and back legs upon landing. Then, repeat accordingly.
In Closing
To ensure you are in the best shape for boxing, calisthenics is key. The benefits of calisthenics include fitness, being less likely to injure yourself, improved strength, and improved power. It is also convenient and cheap because you don’t need special equipment or a gym to do calisthenics.
Pushups, pullups, squat jumps, split jumps, and dips are calisthenics that will go a long way. These expercises will greatly offer you more of an edge over fellow boxers, and they will activate your entire upper and lower body. And with all the characteristics that will lead to great fitness, you will be able to effectively dodge and throw punches with less fatigue.
You will be a force to be reckoned with in the gym.