One of the hardest and most technical sports in the world is boxing. Since at least the beginning of time for man on earth, people have pitted their fists against one another.
Boxing is a dynamic sport because it calls for various dynamic motions that use every muscle in the body. Its tempo can change quickly from slow to medium to fast; therefore, you must prepare for everything your opponent may throw at you.
However, some people may wonder whether boxing or swimming is the better workout. Here’s the answer:
Swimming and boxing are excellent sports to burn calories and serve all fitness purposes. However, boxing is better for self-defense. Boxing works with every muscle in the body and improves your aerobic and anaerobic systems without putting strain on your knees. Combining them is very effective and promises better results.
Swimming is a great exercise to incorporate along with other cardio forms. It also helps you control your breathing, relax more, build your arm endurance and lung capacity, and get a great workout without putting any pressure on your joints. Since boxing requires such good conditioning, hitting the energy systems in as many ways as possible is a good idea.
Before we dive in, if you want to train boxing at home, follow the link to a guide I wrote on the topic.
What is boxing?
Boxing dates back to around 1500 BC, and Sumerian relief carvings of boxing from the third millennium BC exist to show boxing as an age-long sport. In ancient Rome, boxing was a common spectator sport between gladiators. Metal gloves with studs became the leather covering that guarded combatants’ hands. Unfortunately, one of the combatants died as a result of this.
Boxing is a combat sport of fighting with fists. Boxing has also been called “pugilism,” the Latin word for “fist fight.” Rounds of combat occur in an area known as a “ring.” They time them. You can win by scoring points or eliminating your opponent. Judges outside the ring decide who wins the match, and a referee controls“ the battle inside the ring.
All three energy systems—aerobic, anaerobic, and lactic—must function at their peak levels for boxing. You need the endurance to fight for 12 rounds, the strength, and skill to hit your opponent and control the fight, and the explosive force to finish the fight when the time is right.
Boxing clubs disappeared as the sport’s popularity grew and as they televised fights on radio and television. The sport’s popularity peaked in the middle of the 1960s with boxers like Muhammad Ali and the 1970s following the publication of “Rocky,” possibly the most well-known boxing film ever. In the 1980s, boxing remained popular thanks to stars like Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, and Julio César Chavez.
Although boxing was still well-liked in the 1990s, it has lost some appeal to the general public. As more athletes turn to combat sports like mixed martial arts (MMA) and others, some people now consider boxing more of a niche activity in the US.
There are two primary divisions in boxing today: amateur and professional. In amateur boxing, points are awarded instead of physical harm done to the opponent and protective headgear. A match lasts three rounds of three minutes each, with a one-minute rest period in between rounds.
Professional boxing contests, on the other hand, often last 10 to 12 rounds. Fighters are required to take far more damage, and headgear is not allowed. It is fairly uncommon for boxers to start as amateur competitors before moving on to the professional ranks.
What is swimming?
Swimming was a popular sport in Egypt as early as 2500 BCE, and it spread to the Assyrian, Greek, and Roman civilizations after that. Swimming was a component of martial arts instruction in Ancient Greece and Rome. With some evidence of swimming competitions in Japan as early as the first century BCE, swimming has a long history in the Orient.
Swimming is a recreational and competitive exercise where you propel your body through the water using a combination of arm and leg actions and its inherent buoyancy. Swimming is a well-liked all-around bodybuilder that is especially beneficial in the treatment and as an exercise for people with physical disabilities.
Additionally, they teach swimming to avoid death by drowning. The development of swimming associations (the Amateur Swimming Association in 1886) and clubs that engaged in interclub competitions marked the beginning of organized swimming in the 1800s and 1900s.
There are accounts of swimming clubs in England, France, Germany, and the US from that time. The popularity of swimming increased through high-profile tournaments. For example, in 1875, Matthew Webb swam the English Channel.
The first modern Olympic Games happened in Athens in 1896, and competitive swimming came back during the 1800s.
Should I swim or box?
When asked how to get in shape in an enjoyable way, swimming is the activity that most people first bring up. Swimming helps burn calories quickly, can be enjoyable, and offers a solid workout. But, it is typically inconvenient unless you have a lengthy swimming pool and gym contract. Even then, pool pumps break, the weather may be difficult, and it is a mission to have appropriate swimming equipment constantly available.
If you want to know how to fight fiercely, boxing is more suitable. However, if you desire to get in perfect shape by being in the water and swimming your way to victory, consider starting to swim often. However, combining both activities is possible and will result in better outcomes.
Boxing equipment is fun to use and try on. There are mitts; gloves used when working with the speed bag (pear ball), gloves used for the punching bag, and gloves used for sparring. The hand wraps fit around your hands in a way they won’t fit around anybody else’s. Each person’s equipment is unique to them.
Then there is the equipment you use, like the medicine ball, jump rope, heavy punching bag, speed bag, double-end bag, reflex bag, maize bag, slam man, and boxing ring for shadow-boxing.
Finally, you can adjust boxing training depending on the body part you wish to work on.
Learn more about the pros and cons of boxing by following the link to an article of mine on the topic.
Which is a better workout, boxing or swimming?
The biggest drawback of swimming as a workout is that you can’t feel the sweat streaming down your back, you can’t exhale and inhale between strokes, and the trainer is usually outside the pool yelling directions at you.
Boxing is a better workout than swimming because, on average, swimming burns 899 calories every hour. You work up most of your body’s muscle groups by swimming in a low-impact, injury-avoidant manner. While boxing helps you burn up to 981 calories in an hour. Speed, strength, and endurance are all combined in it.
While sparring with another boxer, a boxer can burn up to 735 calories per hour. During a boxing contest, a fighter burns approximately 981 calories. The number of calories burned during swimming varies depending on the swimmer’s speed and style of stroke. A faster butterfly stroke burns 900 calories per hour, compared to a slow freestyle stroke’s 570 calories per hour.
Moving on to swimming’s physical restrictions, swimming does not allow you to bulk up and does not strengthen your bones as most activities do, although it does help you lose calories and slightly tone your body. Overall, swimming impacts your muscles, but the training is not specific.
Final words
Keep in mind that a champion is constantly seeking out new strategies to get an advantage. It’s true—and critics may claim that boxing training should be sport-specific. However, being the guy who has trained in boxing and swimming (or another sport) would be preferable to being the guy who has only trained in boxing.
One thing is certain: boxing does go well with swimming when combined. The Klitschko brothers, Floyd Mayweather, and other boxing champions included swimming in their training regimens. It can help you in a lot of different ways to get fitter. In actuality, some boxers prefer to swim than run.
Adding swimming to your boxing training has a lot of advantages. The exercise in swimming is rigorous and utilizes a range of muscles.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you’ll also enjoy reading about why boxing makes you feel so good.