Boxing is a truly unique and complete workout: at once fun, therapeutic, strategic and exhausting. It engages your whole body, because a good punch starts at the feet and ends at the fist, and gets all your major muscle groups working in harmony.
The sweet science can help you enhance your cardio, strength, explosiveness, balance and coordination. What’s more, it can be enjoyed with minimal equipment, and either by yourself or with a friend, which makes it a fantastic home workout option.
But minimal equipment doesn’t mean no equipment (with apologies to any bare knuckle boxers out there). So what boxing gear do you need to make the most of this type of home workout?
Read on to find out.
How boxing enhances fitness and coordination
Boxing is an excellent full-body workout that can improve your fitness, strength, coordination and more.
This high-intensity cardio activity burns serious calories, so it can be a great way to lose excess weight. It enhances your fitness and endurance while also helping you to build power, speed and strength.
Delivering a single punch engages the whole body. You begin by creating a solid base with your feet, which is where the punch begins. Momentum is built by moving your legs, core, shoulders and arms in harmony, sending a buildup of energy out through your fist as you punch.
Boxing also enhances hand-eye coordination and reaction time. Hitting a moving target, like a speed bag or focus mitts, trains your brain to work better with your extremities. Rhythmic combinations of punches help you develop better timing and focus, and the constant movement involved in boxing—footwork, ducking and weaving—improves agility and balance.
On top of all that, boxing can be an incredible emotional outlet – an activity where pent-up stresses and frustrations can be purged in a perfectly healthy way.
Essential boxing gear for home workouts
The boxing equipment you need for your home gym will depend on the specific workouts you plan to do. Here’s a list of boxing gear that is essential for a few of the more common boxing exercises:
- Boxing gloves: A good pair of boxing gloves will protect your hands while allowing you to punch with more power.
- Hand wraps: Worn under gloves, hand wraps support and stabilise your wrists and knuckles.
- Boxing bag: Great for solo workouts, a boxing bag is an opponent that never tires out (and never punches back).
- Speed ball/bag: These training tools are moving targets that are ideal for building speed and coordination.
- Skipping rope: The simplest of training equipment, a skipping rope enhances your cardio, footwork and coordination.
- Focus pads: If you plan to train with a partner, focus pads help to develop your punching power and accuracy while ensuring no one gets hurt.
- Boxing shoes: Any boxing action begins with a stable base, which boxing boots are purpose-built to offer.
- Headgear and mouth guard: If you plan to spar with a partner, headgear and a mouthguard are non-negotiables.
Choosing the right boxing gloves and pads
The hands are where the action happens in boxing, so no matter whether you’re throwing punches or catching them, you need to ensure that your paws are protected, as injuries can put a stop to your training for weeks or months at a time.
It’s important that your boxing gloves and boxing pads are the right size for your hand – the fit should be firm, but not uncomfortably so, and your fingers should reach near the end of the mitt without hitting it. If you plan to wear hand wraps, remember to wrap yourself before trying gloves on.
- For boxing gloves, look for solid wrist support in the form of a thick and robust strap. It’s wise to start with a lighter glove as you hone your technique, then slowly work up to a heavier, more padded glove as your focus turns to power. Gloves can also be purpose-built for specific training, such as bag work or sparring.
- For boxing pads, your choice is essentially between weight and shock absorption. Lighter pads are more comfortable and easier to manoeuvre, while heavier pads are better for taking harder hits.
Leather gloves and pads are more durable and can be more comfortable, but synthetic options are lighter and more cost-effective.
Selecting the best boxing bag for home
The best boxing bag for home use will depend on your fitness goals and the boxing training you’ll undertake to achieve them. Options include:
- Heavy bags: When someone says ‘boxing bag’, this is the equipment that will probably pop up in your mind’s eye. A heavy cylinder that is hung from the ceiling or a stand, heavy bags are built to absorb punches. They come in a variety of sizes and weights for boxers with different levels of skill and power. At GymQuip, for example, we have light 3ft bags, mid-range 4ft and 5ft bags, and heavyweight 6ft bags.
- Freestanding bags: Requiring no setup, and able to be easily moved and placed anywhere, freestanding bags are a super flexible option. They do however take up a little more space due to their larger bases.
- Speed bags: Speed bags/speed balls can seriously enhance your speed and hand-eye coordination. They’re generally treated as a complementary piece of equipment, pairing well with the power-based workouts provided by heavy bags.
Enjoy boxing at home with GymQuip
Between the full-body exercise and the chance to let your hands do the talking, it’s hard to think of a more satisfying workout than boxing. And with help from GymQuip, you can set up a purpose-built gym, featuring all your favourite boxing workouts, right in your own home.
As the home of Australia’s largest fitness showroom, and with an even larger product range available through our online store, at GymQuip we have everything you need to place your perfect boxing workout in your shed, garage or home fitness studio.
From gloves to guards, bags to balls, we can help you create everything from a basic boxing station to a home gym that a heavyweight champ would be proud of.
And if you’re not sure exactly what boxing equipment you need, no problem! Our friendly team of fitness experts are always ready to help – get in touch today.