Best Exercises You can do to strengthen your Legs for Boxing
Most people link boxing with punches which means upper body strength only. However, if you notice the boxer you will see that it is never just the upper body at work, they keep moving in the ring from one side to another. This means that if your body is unable to balance your weight, you might get into trouble. For this reason, instructors emphasize the footwork of boxers as well. The energy that is generated for punching is from the ground up. If you receive a punch and you are unable to match the rhythm and maintain the balance, you will end up getting knocked out. Another important thing is that beginners do not understand the idea of swaying from one part of the ring to another so they try to stay at the same place just to avoid getting tired.
They do not know that the first and most basic rule of boxing is to avoid any punch that comes your way. If you do not move right away, you will end up hurting yourself and this will cost you the game as well.
With the help of this article, we will discuss in detail the importance of leg work out as well as some of the best leg workouts that every boxer must try. For better understanding we will also mention why these specific exercises are important and what part of the body they will engage.
Top 4 Exercises to Strengthen Your Legs for Boxing
Being a boxer, you don’t want chicken legs that do not support your body weight when you need to balance. So, your main goal should be linked with the way you handle your body weight as well as the strength of working for long hours without getting tired. Both strength and endurance are important in this regard. Some of the best exercises that every boxer must add to their workout include:
Jump Rope
This is a very iconic yet easy exercise that every boxer needs to add to their warm-up workout plan. Most people link rope skipping with speed and agility however, it also helps in strengthening the leg muscles. It engages the calf muscles and creates endurance as well. The best thing about rope skipping is the fact that it helps the foot to realize that bodyweight should be on the front so that you can bounce easily. This exercise is great for beginners and professionals alike.
Deadlifts
From a boxer’s point of view, this exercise is pretty daring. Deadlifts don’t just strengthen the muscles, it also helps in shaping your leg muscles. Where other exercises just make them bulky which later slows you down, it adds agility. This helps you work on your hamstrings mainly which means that it will protect your muscles around the knee and also make your hamstrings a little longer. The deadlift is also great for reducing the chance of injury.
Squats
Perfect for the back, legs, and body posture, squats are known to be one of the best functional exercises. You can start with simple squats and then you can add weight, however, squats are also good for maintaining a posture that favors the boxer. For better results, focus on your posture as well. With squats, you will feel the burn in your legs but make sure your core is tight and your back is straight.
Plyometrics
Plyos are great for strengthening the leg muscles. Polymeric exercises use the same exercises that target multiple muscles in the lower body but the combination is different. The main focus of these exercises is to help you work for longer hours. Athletes, runners, MMA artists, and anyone who needs to work for longer hours can use these exercises. If you want to work on increasing the power you need to add plyos to the list.
This exercise helps you work on your calf muscles and this helps in increasing agility while focusing on the power of the legs. With plyos, you can add squat jumps, lunges, and single-leg hop
Bottom Line
To sum it all up, attacking is as important as defense and for both, you need to ensure stability and balance. If you lose your balance, you might get knocked out easily. This also means that without a leg day, you will lose the game. Another important thing is that boxers need to find a way to defend themselves so they duck the punch. This is one of the basics that is taught to almost everyone once they start boxing. With the help of the above-mentioned exercises, you will not only be able to have strong legs, but you will also see that these exercises are pretty functional so they make the daily movement pretty effortless for the person.