5 Easy Arm-Toning Boxing Moves
When we see our favorite supermodels and celebrities doing boxing as a workout, we can’t help but feel tempted to join on the bandwagon.
Let’s accept it: Boxing is the new bougie fitness activity. New boxing gyms like Overthrow and Shadowbox (opening later this year) have opened their shiny $30-something-a-class doors. But boxing is a legitimately great workout. Natalie Uhling, NBC Radius Sports Master Trainer and UnderArmour athlete, started kickboxing when she was 13 and builds the routine into her workout classes, praising it for enhancing agility and working your whole body, including the core. Here, she shows us a few beginner arm-toning moves.
Related: 5 Easy Workout Moves That Will Make You Stronger
Move One — the Jab Cross Lean. Start with your feet in boxer stance. Stand with your non-dominant foot flat and your dominant leg back, on tiptoe. Keep your feet wider than your shoulders. Resting stance for your hands are by your jawline, in fists. When doing the cross — which is a cross punch across the body — imagine you are hitting a pressure point. As you “lean” away, engage your obliques. Repeat this for 30 seconds with a 5-second recovery, three times.
Move Two
— the Block. Continuing to keep your feet in boxer stance, use your hands to block, throwing at roughly forehead height.
Related: 3 Easy Exercises to Strengthen Your Chest Muscles
Move Three — the Elbow Back to Block. Keep your feet in boxer stance and pivot each time to “block” with the elbow to an imaginary jaw (this may be a useful time to picture an ex-boyfriend who ate Combos in bed).
Related: How to Do a Two-Minute Cardio Workout Without Running
Move Four — the Jump Rope. Using an imaginary (or real) jump rope, keep your arms engaged as you jump and double-cross in front. This works your biceps and triceps.
Related: How to Burn More Fat During Your Workout
Move Five — the Speedbag. This is the classic move in any boxer training montage. Pretend you are hitting an imaginary speedbag. Now fly like a butterfly, sting like a beginner boxing bee.
Related: How to Work Out Your Whole Body in 20 Minutes
Uhling is wearing UnderArmour HeatGear Sports Bra ($24.99) and the HeatGear Novelty Capri ($39.99)
By Kathleen Hou
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