Boxing is an excellent aerobic workout. Regardless of your boxing training method, you will work your body hard, which is wonderful for your cardiovascular system. Flabby arms can lower self-esteem, and people think punching a heavy bag eliminates arm fat. The actual situation is more complicated and involves building and toning muscles.
It’s a common misconception in the fitness world that working out your arms will help you lose fat there. The truth is that you cannot target a specific area of your body in order to burn fat to lose weight. Spot reduction doesn’t work because your body burns fat evenly. To reduce weight in your arm, lower your body fat.
You have to lose weight overall in your body if you want to lose weight in a specific location. You burn fat when you create a calorie deficit that compels your body to use the extra energy it has been storing.
The body as a whole loses fat. Although this does involve your arms, neither a leg nor ab workout nor a punching session will directly target your arms for fat loss.
Before we dive in, if you want to read about the best boxers in history, follow the link to see the entire list. Knowing who are the best ones will help you learn from them and thus improve your own game.
Is boxing effective in toning arms?
When discussing boxing, whether it can offer you toned arms frequently arises. There are several arguments from other people’s experiences on both sides, but there is much more to it than may first appear.
Boxing is effective in toning arms because boxing is a fantastic full-body workout, and while punching, in particular, works wonders for your arms, conditioning them goes deeper than that. Having better-defined muscles is one aspect of the overall toning concept. To achieve balance, you must reduce fat and gain muscle.
It involves more than just knowing which exercise would produce the best outcomes.
However, there is no one specific location that you may target for fat loss. Boxing will cause you to lose fat from under your arms and aid in your efforts to tone up, but it will also have a similar effect on every other area of your body. In terms of fitness, there are no quick solutions or shortcuts.
Does boxing help lose arm fat?
Boxing is a good way to burn fat. Boxing will reveal your peak condition after losing weight and growing lean. And before you know it, you’ll have the physique of a highly skilled professional athlete. After a few sessions, you will start to see your weight begin to drop. Boxing for weight loss can burn up to 1000 calories in one hour, which is a significant amount of calories to burn.
You cannot focus on reducing body fat in one area. However, your physique will greatly improve if you combine boxing with a healthy diet. Boxing involves a total body workout, strength, and aerobic endurance. Your entire body loses fat at the same time. Over time, you will lose arm fat; however, you can’t decide when.
Depending on your present body composition, continue boxing for 3–4 months before you start to see effects. It can take longer or perhaps shorter. But the key is to finish what you start.
Best boxing exercises for losing arm fat
The first thing you think when thinking of a boxer is their conditioning. In boxing, physical strength is crucial, but developing your body and mind is what makes you the best. The boxers’ arms and legs must be strong enough to take hits and throw punches during the 12-round fight.
Boxers can tone their arms through their various workouts. At the same time, toning them and strengthening them simultaneously. Even though you may not train being a boxer or learn how to box, you can still apply the boxing techniques because you can still achieve the same results over time by mimicking their process.
Your triceps, biceps, and shoulders will get toned with these different punches. Your legs will strengthen, and your quick feet will improve your cardio. With each workout, you get to incorporate core work. Put your hands up and get ready to deliver a perfect punch!
What are the things you may need? You may need a Jump rope, small weights (think 2-5 lbs. optional), an interval timer, and water for hydration are all necessary pieces of equipment.
A jump rope is essential for getting conditioned boxer legs and arms. Try the various jump ropes for your exercise. Then go on with the workouts listed below to burn calories while having fun and toning your body.
#1 – Jumping or skipping rope
For a good reason, jumping rope is a well-known boxing exercise. It is an exercise that combines cardio, coordination, agility, and footwork.
Timing and rhythm are key elements in jumping rope. Advanced boxers work a lot to develop their lightning speed and unique moves. Jump rope exercises and drills should be a regular part of your training if you are trying to lose weight.
A review by the Journal of Sports Medicine in February 2018 suggested high-intensity interval training (HIIT) as a quick strategy for people to lose weight. People trying to lose overall body fat benefit most from HIIT exercises, including running and jumping ropes.
If you want to know which exercises are best for boxing, follow the link to an article of mine breaking down the best ones.
#2 – Weighted punch
Boxers frequently employ this method to boost hand speed and power, but it’s also a great way to tone your arm muscles.
You are shadowboxing with the addition of light weights for resistance. The ideal weight would be a small, portable dumbbell weighing no more than 3 pounds (1.36 kg).
Shadowboxing will increase your cardiovascular fitness while simultaneously working your shoulders, core, and arms. If you do this frequently, you should be on the right path toward leaner arms. With a weight in each hand, stand upright to perform the exercise.
In a combat stance, place one leg in front of the other. Alternately punch the two while raising both arms. Do this for about a minute before taking a break. For about ten minutes, keep doing this.
#3 – Uppercuts
The biceps on the front of the upper arm and the deltoid muscles, which shape the shoulder, are the main muscles activated when you perform an uppercut. Although the medial (middle) and posterior (back) deltoid are equally active to assist the movement, the anterior deltoid, or front of the shoulder, is most active.
However, a responsive lower body helps to assist the arm movement. To correctly carry out the sequence, you must also contract your leg muscles as well as your core muscles. When executed perfectly, the uppercut can also assist in toning and shaping the arms, legs, and abdominal muscles. The uppercut is a great boxing exercise for your arm.
#4 – Triceps push-up
This exercise targets the triceps once more, but it also strengthens the shoulders and chest. The location of your hands in proportion to the width of your shoulders distinguishes this exercise from a typical push-up.
Your hands should be flat on the ground, closer together than shoulder width, and you should lock your toes into place while you lay face down. Holding your arms at arm’s length, lower your body until your chest is barely off the floor while inhaling.
Until your upper body is back in place, push up largely with your chest and triceps. Try to do five sets of ten reps, and you will lose fat in your arms, toning your arms in no time.
Final words
Boxing helps burn fat and build muscle, but not enough to tone up quickly. You need continuous exercise for results. Arm weight training exercises are the finest way to speed up your progress and increase fat burning. The only genuine way to achieve it or begin a successful upper body toning program is in this manner.
If you achieve the perfect balance and don’t overdo it, boxing may tone your arms. Few workouts burn more calories than it, making it comparable to running.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you’ll also enjoy reading about whether it’s possible to do boxing and other sports. This can be a fantastic way of losing body fat, as you’ll become an active person.
References
- Health Canal. [https://www.healthcanal.com/life-style-fitness/how-to-lose-arm-fat#:~:text=The%20reality%20 is%20 that%20it%27s,less%20evenly%20across%20your%20body]
- Yale Scientific. [https://www.yalescientific.org/2011/04/targeted-fat-loss-myth-or-reality/]
- How to lose weight article by Health Canal. [https://www.healthcanal.com/life-style-fitness/how-to-lose-weight-over-summer]
- Journal of Sports Medicine. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29127602]
- Journal of the Royal Society Publishing. On the biomechanical analysis of the calories expended in a straight boxing jab. By T. I. Zohdi. Published:12 April 2017 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2017.0153 Abstract [https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2017.0153#d3e1134]