Whether you have a home gym that you train fighters out of or one that is solely dedicated to your own personal use, there are numerous ways you can maximize your space to meet every boxing need.
Build your personal, but professional, boxing gym from the ground up...
Let’s start with flooring. It’s important, in any scenario, to have some type of padding. It can be actual foam mats or something as simple as low pile carpeting, but you need some shock-absorbing material as your foundation. Without that, you or your fighters could suffer from knee injuries and shin splints.
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Maximize your space and fully utilize every corner you have to work with...
Survey your space and, not only determine how much you can dedicate to the workout area, but also what you’re capable of doing in it.
If you’re in an apartment, a rental or just don’t have ceilings you can mount into, you will have to focus on outfitting your gym with all sorts of freestanding bags and resistance-oriented equipment. The good thing about that is there is a free-standing option for nearly every piece of equipment you need.
Next, let's JUMP right into it...
One of the simplest, oldest and most affordable forms of exercise is the jump rope.
You can take it virtually anywhere, skip in any fairly small space, outdoors, indoors, plus several studies have shown that ten minutes on the rope is the equivalent to thirty minutes of jogging. It also strengthens your calves, glutes and is a great tool for building the high level of endurance you need for boxing.
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Break free from being forced to mount from the ceiling with free-standing heavy bags...
Traditional hanging heavy bags are easy to replace with units that have bases you can fill with sand or water. These types of bags are also good, because they can be easily moved to the side when not in use. Without any mounting, you can still get the benefits of banging-away on a big bag, with a full 360 degrees of movement all around it and putting everything you’ve got into it.
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Incorporate double end and reflex bags:
Standard Double End Bags require mounting into a ceiling, which makes them impractical for most home gym set-ups. There are some fantastic alternatives that will still allow you to work on your head movement, reflexes, timing and precision punching. Cobra Reflex Bags are among the most popular, in both home gym and commercial gym settings because of their unique action and demanding nature. The spring in the center provides a life-like feel because it bends in the same location that an opponent would, at the waist. They are also unpredictable and intense, which makes them both challenging and fun.
Other Double End Bag varieties that are also compatible for home use are Horizontal Balls. While both ends of these still have to be “attached” to something, most homes, garages or workout areas have something that can be creatively used to accommodate them. Most basements have support beams, an unused squat rack, even two trees in the backyard that you can attach each end of the cord to. In any case, these style of bags provide the perfect action for developing hand speed, head movement, slipping/ducking for defense and enhanced eye/hand coordination.
The same approach is required for the TITLE Boxing Quick Puncher. It is like a miniature Double End Bag that comes complete with a pre-weighted base and only requires a small, single, eye bolt that screws into the ceiling. It comes complete with everything, but hand speed. THAT is sold separately and can only be paid for with practice, persistence and sweat.
Get defensive and become elusive...
Along the same lines as Horizontal Balls and the Quick Puncher are slipping cords. These tools are primarily used for practicing defense and head movement, not power punching, so they don't need to be able to withstand much impact. They're great for a home gym because the set up can be as simple as fastening an eye/bolt into the walls on opposite sides of the room. They are minimally invasive so can be easily covered up and repaired when, or if, the workout area needs to be moved. Check out one of our favorite slipping cords here.
Pick-it-up and punch with it...
The final step to completing a comprehensive home gym is outfitting yourself. There are a wide variety of equipment pieces that are designed for personal use. These are items that you can quickly slip on and off that help you practice technique, gain speed or provide resistance for building strength.
In ANY gym setting, practice makes perfect and you can’t revisit the basics too often. Never stop focusing on the fundamentals that require the execution of sound boxing techniques. Pieces of equipment that help you develop proper form, like keeping your elbows close or making a solid fist, not only perfect technique, but will also improve your focus. Exercises that create good habits can be repetitive or may seem mundane, so they are often overlooked. However, when incorporated frequently and diligently, you will quickly gain an appreciation for how difficult, demanding and beneficial they can be for your workout.
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Make the simple tasks harder to get the most from every minute of every round...
Weighted gear, like medicine balls, weighted gloves and power balls are all fantastic methods to make a variety of simple exercises, much harder. A basic task, like shadow boxing, becomes exponentially more difficult with the addition of weighted gloves. The added weight also forces you to concentrate harder to maintain good form and make it through the rounds at the same pace as you would without them.
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Resist and Persist...
Resistance can come in the form of adding weight or the use of resistance bands. Again, the best part is that most can be used anywhere and require no mounting, yet still provide a myriad of strength, cardiovascular and conditioning benefits. Resistance bands that secure around your back, between your feet or around your hips will build speed and strength from head to toe. Most come in varying levels of resistance or can be adjusted to give you the ideal amount of tension.
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Whether your home gym consists of the three feet between you and a mirror, an entire basement, one side of a two-car garage or your own backyard, there really are a lot of options for getting your rounds in. In many cases, getting fighting fit is more about discipline, hard work and the ability to adapt. Even the most high tech gym, with every amenity imaginable, won’t give you what you aren’t willing to work for.
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