This Thanksgiving I have to “give thanks” for the gym for saving me from a fate worse than death…a life with no exercise.

Trying to keep some semblance of a level of fitness as I enter my 5^th week of rehabilitation, I have to admit that I don’t know what I would do without that elliptical machine and Dianne – my personal (angel) trainer.  Yes, pumping that machine for 60 minutes with only 85% max hr to show for it can be discouraging – but it is helping me keep my weight down and in relatively good spirits.

Dianne has opened my cross training eyes wide open with a broad variety of moves that have gotten me off the circuit machines and into Pilates and plyometric band work.  But here’s the best thing of all…Dianne used to teach boxing.  Wednesday, she slipped the gloves on my hands and for the first time, I got to hit the bag!  This is the MOST fun…and it is extremely challenging.  

Over the last several weeks it had become (painfully) obvious to me that I should have been cross-training all along.  There are so many muscles, especially core and upper body groups that are relatively unused in running and yet, all-over strength and flexibility are key to running strong and preventing injury.  I loved running so much, I just didn’t want to give up any time on the road for other activities…but it turns out that I love boxing too…and boxing LOVES runners!

Endurance athletes like runners who must maintain fitness levels during injury; inclement weather or just periods of boredom need exercise alternatives that meet the following criteria:

Intensity - It must challenge both the aerobic and anaerobic systems. 


Strength gain - It must improve overall body strength. 


Injury free - It must provide intensity without battering muscles and joints. 


Calorie burn - It must help burn off any extra fat to help increase/maintain leanness. 


Variety - It must be challenging and non-boring. 


Mental toughness - It must help the athlete or fitness devotee learn to cope with difficult

challenges in their primary activity. 

Fitness Boxing like the routine that Dianne showed me on Wednesday is a whole body workout that meets the above criteria and more. With Fitness Boxing, you train like a boxer in everything but full contact sparring.   And, it’s definitely challenging! 

According to Mike Bresnahan of fitnessboxing.com, “Boxing works most of the human body’s physiological systems. The musculoskeletal system becomes stronger through specialized resistance exercises and boxing specific equipment drills. The cardio-respiratory and vascular systems become more efficient through workouts that are more than 60% anaerobic. The central nervous system is trained to respond faster and more efficiently to punching combination drills. 
Intensity is the trademark of a good Fitness Boxing workout.

“Many of the drills are made up of two or three minute rounds, with one minute recovery periods. You push through your current lactate threshold and improve it during the round, or anaerobic interval, by working at 85-90% of your maximum heart rate. During the one-minute rest period, you learn to more efficiently recover your oxygen debt while simultaneously stretching and reviewing proper technique.

“Strength gain is a natural byproduct of the Fitness Boxing workout. Boxers work with weights, specialized boxing equipment and plyometric devices in a manner that maximizes calorie burn to increase lean muscle mass. The Fitness Boxing workout focuses on improving speed, strength, explosiveness and lactate threshold management while simultaneously keeping body fat at minimal levels.” See what I mean?  This is GREAT for running!

Remaining injury free while improving total body fitness is one of the major benefits of a Fitness Boxing program.  Bresnahan says that “As a cross training alternative, it provides a break in routine and adds variety to your overall training program. It distributes the load of training across various body parts. For endurance athletes who do a lot of running, this means a break from pounding your knee and ankle joints, while still getting an intense training session. 

Mental toughness comes from learning to cope with the demands of a challenging workout. The more you work through a series of rounds that push you into your anaerobic zone, the better you will deal with intense endurance training or other demanding exercise routines. 

So, Fitness Boxing offers all these great cross training benefits.

“What does a typical workout look like? 

Most formal classes at boxing gyms or health clubs are 60 minutes in length. A typical session is broken down into several carefully designed components to ensure a total body workout:

Warm-up
A complete head to toe warm-up. Its purpose is to safely prepare your muscles and tendons for the rest of the  session. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes. 


Conditioning

This is typically a transition from the warm-up into some boxing specific strength and conditioning exercises. These are

resistance exercises that emphasize muscular strength and endurance, speed, tone and anaerobic conditioning. Typically

without weights. Approximately 10 minutes. 


Technique

One to two new techniques are introduced in each session. The objective is to build from the basics, such as fundamental

punches, to more complex combinations and defensive maneuvers. Approximately 5 minutes.



Hitting Drills - These are the heart of the workout. Timed rounds are employed in a circuit training format that works everything

from focus mitts to target shields to heavy bags and more. This is highly anaerobic, involving two or three-minute rounds (work

intervals) interspersed with one-minute active recovery periods. After a series of these rounds, you will be refreshingly

exhausted, de-stressed and invigorated. Approximately 35 minutes. 


Cool Down

This gets your heart rate down while you stretch out and improve your flexibility. It can also serve as a Q&A and planning

session with your instructor. Approximately 5 minutes.

In addition to formal classes, complementary strength, plyometric and medicine ball training are commonly utilized to improve overall conditioning as part of a Fitness Boxing program. Strength training employs resistance exercises involving weights that improve overall strength with a particular focus on speed strength, or the ability to activate fast-twitch muscle fibers for explosive punching power. Plyometric and medicine ball training consist of a series of exercises designed to enhance starting speed, acceleration and power. “

I got really lucky with Dianne, my trainer who works out of LA Private Trainers.  Personal trainers with prior boxing training experience can offer comprehensive Fitness Boxing workouts. Just make sure the trainer you select is certified by a nationally recognized certification organization and has the appropriate experience and personality to meet your needs. 



It’s really clear to me that I am going to continue Fitness Boxing even after my ITB has healed.  This is exactly the thing I have been looking for to mix in with my running and give me an alternative activity on non-running days that REALLY supports my distance training!  Yay!

Maybe this injury thing wasn’t such a disaster after all?

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Tags: cross training, polymetrics, kick-boxing, boxing, personal trainer, la private trainers, injury prevention, ITB, fitness boxing