Work Up A Sweat With This Shadowboxing Home Workout
No equipment is needed for this shadowboxing and bodyweight workout.
It’s no secret that boxing is a sport that demands incredible levels of fitness from its practitioners and if you head to any boxing gym for a workout you’re likely to find yourself pushed to the limit. However, it’s not a sport you immediately associate with home workouts, because most of us don’t have a room full of pads and bags to hit whenever the mood takes us.
Fortunately you don’t need all that, because shadowboxing is tough enough to test you any time, anywhere. This home training session is designed by Louis Rennocks, co-founder of Boxx, a website and app that offers a host of different classes you can follow at home, with boxing, strength, cardio and yoga sessions all included.
How To Do This Workout
This workout is designed in the style of one of Boxx’s BoxxHIIT session, which combines shadowboxing with bodyweight exercises. After a five-minute warm-up you’ll do seven three-minute rounds of shadowboxing plus bodyweight exercises. Add in another four minutes to warm down and you’ve got a tight 30-minute session. However, that’s only the case if you take no rest at all between rounds, so if that sounds a bit much, add in a minute of rest between each round and you’ll still be done in less than 40 minutes.
The shadowboxing sections are a mix of four punches – jab, cross, uppercut and hook – along with boxing defensive techniques like the slip and roll. If you need to brush up on your technique here’s a guide to the punches and standard combinations. For the slip you move your head to the side to avoid a punch, and for the roll bend at the knees and roll your torso.
Warm Up:
1. Clock lunge
- Reps 3 each side
“Start by imagining you’re in the centre of a clock face,” says Rennocks. “With your hands on your hips, lunge forwards with your right foot to 12 o’clock, keeping your body upright and your core tight, and then come back to the centre.
“Next lunge to your side, to 3 o’clock, then go to 9 o’clock by taking your right foot behind your stationary left foot in a sort of curtsey. Finally, lunge backwards to 6 o’clock, then swap to move your left foot around the clock.”
2. Inchworm
- Reps 10
“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart,” says Rennocks. “Roll your spine forwards from the top down and place your hands on the floor by your feet. Walk your hands forwards until you’re in a press-up position, then slowly walk your hands back to your hands and roll back up to standing.”
3. Reverse lunge with twist
- Reps 10 each side
“Stand with your feet hip-width apart,” says Rennocks. "Step back into a lunge with your right leg and drop until both knees are at 90°. Ensure your front knee doesn’t go past your toes. Twist left with your arms above your head. Repeat, lunging on the same side until all reps are complete, then switch.”
4. Mountain climber
- Time 10 each side
“Drop into a press-up position with your arms straight and your legs extended,” says Rennocks. “Bring one knee towards your chest, then return it to the starting position. Repeat with your other leg. Continue quickly, alternating legs.”
Boxing Workout
Round 1
Repeat each combination or exercise for 45 seconds
1 Jab, jab, jab
2 Jab, jab, jab, cross
3 Jab, cross
4. Press-up
“Place your hands on the floor directly underneath your shoulders with your feet together,” says Rennocks. “Your body should form a straight line from head to heels. Engage your core and slowly bend your elbows to lower your chest, then push powerfully back up.”
Round 2
Repeat each combination or exercise for 45 seconds
1 Jab, cross, slip
2 Jab, cross, slip, left hook
3 Jab, cross, slip, left hook, left uppercut, cross
Mountain climber
Round 3
Repeat each combination or exercise for 45 seconds
1 Cross, roll, cross
2 Cross, roll, cross, left hook, right hook
3 Cross, roll, cross, left hook, right hook, right uppercut
4 Jump squat
“From standing, squat down as low as you can,” says Rennocks. “Push through your heels to explosively drive back up and jump into the air, lifting your feet off the ground as high as you can. Land softly and repeat.”
Round 4
Repeat each combination or exercise for 45 seconds
1 Jab, roll, left hook
2 Jab, roll, left hook, cross
3 Jab, cross
4 Sprinter sit-up
“Sit upright with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor,” says Rennocks. “Keeping your core engaged, lean your torso back at a 45° angle and extend your right leg and hold it off the floor. Powerfully return to upright position while pulling your right knee towards your chest and moving your left arm forwards much like you do when sprinting.” Switch sides halfway through the time.
Round 5
Repeat each combination or exercise for 45 seconds
1 Left uppercut, right uppercut
2 Left uppercut, right uppercut, left uppercut, right hook
3 Left uppercut, right uppercut
4 Fast feet
“Stand with your feet hip-width apart,” says Rennocks. “Lower into a half squat and reach your arms out in front of you. Raise your heels so you are on the balls of your feet. Hold this body position, then start running as fast as you can on the spot. Stay low and feel the burn in your quads.”
Round 6
Repeat each combination or exercise for 45 seconds
1 Left uppercut, roll, left hook
2 Left uppercut, roll, left hook, step back, cross
3 High knees and punches
“Sprint on the spot, raising your knees to hip height while simultaneously punching the air in front of you,” says Rennocks.
- #### 4 Jackknife
“Lie flat on the floor with your arms stretched out behind your head,” says Rennocks. “Raise your arms and legs a little off the ground. Fold in two, bringing your arms and legs together to meet above your tummy, then lower them back to a little off the ground. Aim to keep your arms and legs as straight as possible throughout.”
Round 7 – knockout round
Repeat each combination or exercise for 30 seconds
- #### 1 Jab, cross
- #### 2 High knees
- #### 3 Fast feet
- #### 4 Left uppercut, right uppercut
- #### 5 Jump squat
- #### 6 Burpee
“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart,” says Rennocks. “Place your hands on the floor and kick your legs straight out behind you. Perform a press-up, then jump your legs back to your hands. Jump straight up, raising your arms overhead.”
Written by Nick Harris-Fry for Coach and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.