Here's Why Running and Boxing Go Hand in Hand

Confused about why people and trainers are telling you that you need to box and run? 

You’re probably either a fitness freak who is looking for the perfect regimen to become fit and shredded or an athlete wondering whether you actually have to box and run when you originally wanted to go for just one of the two. 

In any case, the answer is yes, the perfect regimen for an athlete is boxing and running. And the same goes for those who’re just looking to lose weight quickly or maintain an active lifestyle. 

You can double your efficiency in almost all fitness regimens by incorporating boxing and running since both of these regimens incorporate proven whole-body workouts that are very effective. 

The concept boils down to the concept of aerobic and anaerobic exercises, both of which are necessary for the body to remain in ideal shape. 

Aerobic vs Anaerobic Exercises

Aerobic Exercises 

These are the exercises that require the presence of oxygen throughout the exercise. The way this works is that when you’re running, which is a strictly aerobic exercise, you breathe continuously to pump your heart and get the energy flowing through your body. 

Another word for aerobic exercises is endurance because these workouts help you retain strength, stamina and carry on for longer durations as opposed to intense short bursts as we’ll discuss below. 

Common aerobic exercises include: 

● Cycling

● Running

● Jogging / Walking

● Swimming

Anaerobic Exercises

Anaerobic exercises are categorized in contrast to aerobic exercises as they involve intense bursts of physical activity for short durations rather than the long-term energy-burning workout. 

Strength training, weight lifting, and bodyweight training exercises that involve holding your breath to complete reps. Because you’re not spending that much oxygen, the energy produced is broken down from glucose stores in your body in the absence of oxygen. 

This leads to the buildup of lactic acid in the muscles. While this buildup can cause a bit of soreness and pain, it comes naturally and will eventually subside sooner than you can get out for another day’s workout. 

Compared to aerobic exercises, think of anaerobic exercises to be the workouts that focus on the short-term intense energy expenditure. Packing more power in a punch and sprinting for longer durations instead of lasting more rounds and going for medium-paced longer runs respectively are examples of anaerobic vs aerobic exercises. 

While aerobic exercises help you increase your overall stamina, which is the duration for which you are able to exert energy, aerobic exercises will help you increase your maximum energy output in short durations. 

Examples of common anaerobic exercises include:

● HIIT (High-intensity interval training)

● Weight Lifting

● Circuit Training

● Pilates and more

Why is Running Important for Boxers? 

When it comes to boxing, there’s a lot that an athlete needs other than just the will to go on. While many who start boxing believe they’ll be knocking their opponents out cold in the beginning rounds, the truth remains that you need stamina and must focus on lasting the whole 12-round bout. 

Running, being an aerobic exercise, helps boxers last longer in the ring as exhaustion leads to being knocked out. Those crucial last 30 seconds of every round that can turn the tide in favor of any boxer are what matters the most. 

You can be sure that you will regret not working out for stamina if you enter the ring with just sheer strength training. 

Boxing workouts will involve a wide variety and significant proportions of cardio exercises that will basically be incorporating aerobic activities that will get your heart rate going. This is why boxers are often famous for running long durations and distances and using a jump rope more often than makes sense for a boxer. 

Why is Boxing Important for Runners? 

Running can be done for simple fitness goals as well as for competitive purposes. Regardless, you need to make sure that your whole body is staying fit and not just a specific portion of it. 

Obviously, whenever we look at running as an exercise, we always think that it’s primarily for the legs. Since it doesn’t really involve moving or lifting weights with our arms and shoulders, it must only be for the lower body. 

However, as simple as that might sound, it’s not exactly true. Running might seem to be working just the lower body but your core, back, chest, arms and shoulders are all involved to some extent in the exercise. 

Even if the specific organs and their muscles aren’t working directly to achieve the state of running, the musculoskeletal system they’re a part of is aiding the process. This will eventually help the body work its upper half as well. 

Moreover, since fat loss occurs when our body burns fat from all around, you can rely on running workouts to be your secret to getting leaner. That is to say, running will inevitably also work your upper body, or at least help you tone it in shape. 

Benefits of Boxing 

Boxing is not only idealistic for the whole body, it’s also for any and everyone. There are thousands of proven benefits of boxing that include but are certainly not limited to: 

● Improving posture

● Improving balance

● Boosting endurance

● Increasing alertness and awareness

● Relieves stress

● Improves muscular and physical coordination.

In terms of running, boxing can play an important role in maintaining your core by engaging the muscles in the region to get a shredded physique. There’s no doubt about the fact that all boxers are lean and regardless of their physique, they can pack a lot of power. 

This power comes from years of aerobic and anaerobic exercises that allow them to have more control and strength and let it out in intense bursts while retaining their overall stamina to last the entire match. 

While your primary focus probably isn’t to become the world champion, you still need to move in the same direction and at a relatively fast pace in order to meet your fitness goals. 

Boxing will provide you with a lot of fun opportunities to try and mix up various fun exercises that will not only relieve stress but will also cheer you up. 

Benefits of Running 

Running is a great workout for everyday fitness. For athletes, it’s referred to as roadwork, a necessary element to any and every kind of fitness regime. It doesn’t matter what sort of martial art or training you’re going for, you will need to run. 

Whether you’re incorporating HIIT in your workouts or going for steady cardio, you are bound to see results so long as you’re regular with your routine. HIIT running will involve intense sprints in between steady-state cardio running to keep a healthy mix of anaerobic and aerobic burnout. 

Above all, both boxing and running involve more workouts than just punching and running. You can expect to do the following exercises with both: 

● Jump Rope

● Mountain Climbers

● Burpees (with alternations)

● Push-ups

● Elliptical running or hill running

● Jumping Jacks and a hundred other cardio exercises

Conclusion

The verdict remains in favor of combining both boxing and running workouts to make sure that you take advantage of their mutual benefits. You’ll be compromising on the efficiency of either of the workouts by giving up on the other one. 

Whereas, incorporating HIIT boxing and running workouts will be a sure way to have increased endurance, stamina, strength and an overall physique. So, get your boxing gloves and your running shoes on. 

Take the time outdoors to get done with your running while having a punching bag indoors for the rainy days.