Getting fit can be boring, following the same routines day in day out can make you become unmotivated. Boxing exercises can work the whole body, giving you a range of fun exercises to do to work the parts of the body you want to work on, mixing weights with cardio exercises. Learn how to get the most from your workout by making your daily routine more exciting, we will give you a step by step guide on boxing exercises which will help you burn fat, tone up and improve your overall fitness. We will give you the knowledge and understanding of how to use the equipment to get the most for your money, giving you the best chance to reach your goals.
Easy to get started
All you need is a space that is your arms width, the most fun about boxing exercises is throwing the punches. Shadow boxing is a simple exercise where you can do your own thing, throwing jab, hooks and upper cuts. If you are unsure don’t worry, here is former boxer Tony Jeffries to show you how its done. This is all about the intensity, creating your own combinations and having fun. Breaking into a sweat is easy with shadow boxing as you are always on the move, you will be able to feel the fat burning.
Add equipment, Step it up
With boxing the equipment is at the lower end of the price scale, adding simple equipment to your home workout can step you up to the next level, making your goals more achievable. We want to add resistance to the workout, pushing your body to burn fat and tone the upper body. You can use hand warps or gloves with the equipment, whatever makes you feel comfortable
The equipment
Dumbbells upto 5kg – simply hold them in your hands while you do your shadow boxing, this will make you work harder to hold your hands up when you are throw your punches
Heavy boxing bag – this will give you a target to hit and motivate you to put more power into your punches
Relax punch bag – this will get you moving and increasing your punching speed, increasing your energy out put
What you need to know
Introducing boxing into your workout is great for your overall fitness and health, it will help you tone your arms and burn fat, find out more here. Taking up boxing doesn’t just have a positive impact on your physical heath but it will have help with your mental well-being. You need to know what not to do, its important to make sure you avoid making mistakes when starting something new. Technique is key to making sure you get the most from your workout and you avoid injury, find out more here. The equipment is essential for pushing your workout to the next level, giving you the best chance at achieving the goals you have set out for yourself.
Have you ever wondered about building your own home gym? Imagine how convenient, time efficient and accessible a workout place in the home would be. If you’re keen to get fit, build muscle and exercise but worried about the ongoing, monthly cost of a gym membership, have a shortage of time or feel self conscious stepping into the gym, then allow us to introduce to you to the multi gym.
At excercise.co.uk, we understand the ever growing demand for fitness equipment in the home, subsequently, basic equipment like dumbbells are frequently sold out. That’s why, we believe the multi gym is a staple piece of equipment and is truly worthy of investment. Why, you might ask? Take a look at our information below.
The cost factor: multi gym price vs a gym membership
We have a multi gym to suit most budgets, with prices starting from £349 and ranging up to £2,199. We also offer 0% finance payment plans across all of our products over £399, so you could secure your multi gym with as little as a 10% deposit and spread the cost over 12 months!
To put it into perspective, the average gym membership is £40 per month making the average year long membership £480, more expensive than our starting range of multi gyms! Why not invest into a lifelong machine, for less? Ultimately, the multi gym is a financial investment and a money saving machine.
With one machine, workout the full body!
The multi gym can work out every muscle you target in the gym, whether you’re looking to build strength, muscle or tone up – the multi gym can do it. Check out our blog on the 10 best multi gym exercises to achieve your fitness goals.
From beginner to professional
Did you know a third of under 35’s are too self conscious to join a gym? The multi gym is the perfect way to battle these feelings. With the multi gym, you can work out in the comfort of your own home, try new exercises and discover a passion for fitness without the pressure or anxiety of a busy gym.
Social Media consultant, Lisa Williams, recently told the BBC she will not be returning to the gym after the pandemic, because home workouts fit perfectly around her family and work commitments. The multi gym is the ideal way to upgrade your home gym so you can workout anytime without sacrificing the gym-style, professional equipment.
I never really fancy exercising at home because I believe the body is an art and to create the perfect art you need to make the sacrifice to commute to a professional art studio, an environment created to enhance creativity, that forces you to be focused and mentally ready, a quiet and peaceful place with abundant tools and materials needed to create the perfect art.
For the body the professional art studio is the gym, the energy-filled environment motivates you, the sight of other gym members encourages you and reminds you why you decided to be fit in the first place and you also get to interact with them making you less likely to get bored compared to working out at home and the vast and large range of equipment available to you just screams perfection.
Oh, I miss the gym I cannot wait for everything to be back to normal and the pandemic is finally gone so I can go to the gym with zero fears or worries and get to sweat, get dirty, get my heart rate up, and most importantly for me design my body to look like the perfect art ready for summer so I look and feel good and also for the show-off.
“I don’t sweat, I sparkle!”
Fall of the fitness industry
The fitness industry was highly affected by the pandemic because of their sudden closure in most countries, the 2020 IHRSA report estimated that US gyms lost $13.9 billion between March and August 2020 as gym membership continuously declined.
Statistics like this make it feel like the home gym is here to stay as several people are now working out from home using fitness applications but against all odds, I personally have a huge feeling that when the pandemic is over gym membership will skyrocket.
Unlike the home gym, there are days when I feel tired, ready to go home not reaching my fitness goal for the day and then I look behind me to see my mate out there hitting a milestone, going hard it inspires me to take a deep breath and dive back into it. You can never get this feeling when working out at home.
“I’m not stopping until I’m proud of myself”
Realisation
I must confess it’s not always like that you know, I remember one time I saw a lad go four hours cycling, I was amazed but most importantly inspired. I really love cycling and on some days when the weather is perfect, with light winds and clear skies I cycle to work and I enjoy the commute so I believed I could also do it, I took up the challenge. The next day with just 150 pounds I bought an indoor cycle bike and started practising, it took me a while but this indoor practice made me really good at cycling as I could get on my ride at any time and most importantly scream my lungs out at home but I act really shy in the gym around people. The next time I went to the gym after several practices at home I came in and beat his record.
“You don’t always get what you wish for, but you always get what you work for”
My indoor gym
It was not all so easy you know, just like I said before I take the environment where I gym very personal but because I wanted to achieve my goal I was self-inspired and determined to make sure the next time I hit the gym I was going to break his record so started my small home gym.
We have a large room in the basement no one uses so I used it for my set up. Just somewhere quiet and comfortable for me to workout.
But as time passed by, I started to buy other gym equipment like my dumbbell, abdominal slant bench, starter weight bench and others all from the website I posted below, it was all spaced across the room because I love my space but if you do not have a large space to set up your indoor gym like me, you can read about Setting Up a Home Gym When You Have No Space here.
“Find your feel good”
Can I work out effectively at home?
After my experience, my perspective towards home gym changed I realised I could achieve my gym goals without leaving my house if I am determined and ready. Doing this without having to care about how I look when working out, I can make my loud noises, get wild and express myself anyway I can without feeling shy was exciting, I started enjoying working out at home.
“It’s easier to wake up early and work out than it is to look in the mirror each day and not like what you see”
Are you ready?
Here are the ways to gym from home effectively :
Try to make it fun – Getting fit from home could get really boring, but there are certain things you could to do add flavour to the process by playing music and having a playlist of your favourite songs to work out to, you can also get yourself a gym buddy.
Motivate yourself – It could get hard to motivate yourself when at home, so you need to make conscious efforts to stay motivated, by setting goals and ensuring you reach them.
Fitness applications – This is also really effective as serves as using these applications serves guidance and also motivates you during your workout sessions. You can also read more on fitness applications that can make exercising from home easier to determine the most suitable application for you.
Use a routine – Having a workout routine is also effective as this gives you a sense of seriousness and forces you to work out in a more organised manner.
Don’t restrict to a particular area – When working out from home, you do not have to restrict yourself to a particular room, you can leave your indoor treadmill and go outside for a jog or ditch your slant bench and do you sit up outside or the sitting room. Just try to move around and have fun while getting fit.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, home workouts have been paramount in providing a sense of normality, routine and enjoyment. Home workouts have become a new trend, flourishing amongst social media platforms and providing people with a way to occupy their increased free time due to the furlough scheme, or working or studying from home. Creating fitness and well-being goals have provided a healthy distraction during these seemingly never ending national lockdowns. Progressive Overload can be applied to training regimes to help people improve health and fitness by gradually increasing the demand on the body and muscles.
The Principles of Training acronym, referred to as ‘SPORID’, is a great way for people to both stay on track with their fitness regime and allow them to achieve their goals, potentially including mental wellbeing, improve toning, improve strength or overall physique. The components are: Specificity, Progressive Overload, Rest and Recovery, and Individual Differences.
Progressive Overload and Motivation
Progressive overload is a pivotal component in enhancing health and fitness and involves the continuous increase of difficulty or demand on the muscles by increasing the duration, weight or repetitions involved within the fitness program. This is an important factor in maintaining dedication and motivation to continue exercising, especially during the monotonous days during national lockdowns. Therefore, despite gyms closing, it is important to be able to apply progressive overload amongst home workouts to firstly achieve the desired outcome, but also remain committed to exercising. There are mental and physical benefits to exercising, suggested by the NHS, which are especially important during the difficult times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In relation to motivation, progressive overload is important to ensure the participant doesn’t plateau in their performance or improvements. Witnessing the improvements in fitness can instil motivation because repetitive exercises can be avoided and interesting variations can be included in the regime. Seeing the results acts as a driver for further change until the desired outcome is reached…whatever that may be!
Progressive Overload at Home
To effectively achieve progressive overload, the principles of Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type (“FITT”) must be implemented within the workout. It may be ideal to include a combination of these principles, or select one aspect and focus on this in the training regime.
‘Frequency‘ relates to the amount of times you perform the exercise or routine each week. Increasing the ‘intensity‘ refers to gradually moving from a form of an exercise, to a more difficult form. The ‘time‘ component refers to increasing the duration which you perform that exercise/ routine for, or could refer to the reduction in ‘rest time.’ Finally, ‘type‘ means the sort of activity which you are performing within the regime.
Progressive overload can be included in training regimes at home, and even without the gym equipment. The shutting of gyms and the national lockdowns increased the demand for home gym equipment. This demand could not be met by all manufacturers, meaning variations for at home workouts are important for keeping them exciting, new and effective.
Progressive Overload Demonstrations
The following videos demonstrate a simple workout plan for 3 different, at home exercises, requiring just minimal space. Each exercise has 3 different variations to offer examples on how to use progressive overload to change the ‘type’ of exercise. The range of exercises vary significantly, providing suitable alternatives to accommodate your needs, perhaps dependant on your age or ability.
Squats offer an option for lower body work, press ups concentrate on the upper body, and burpees offer a cardio option for your fitness plan. However, a limited variety of equipment, such as dumbbells, resistance bands and exercise balls can increase both the intensity and alter the type of exercise, thus recruiting a wider variety of muscles, improving overall fitness, and helping achieve goals and targets. This equipment is accessible by clicking here.
With hopes of national lockdowns being eased over the year of2021, and gyms reopening, a fourth variation of the exercises has been demonstrated to show how these can be further progressed with gym equipment.
There are various safety implications which must be considered when applying progressive overload. It is vital that you adopt the correct technique. Maybe practice the exercises involved for 2-3 weeks before applying progressive overload.
Also, you must focus on being “progressive” in order to avoid overtraining. Increasing the frequency, intensity, time or type individually could reduce your susceptibility to injury and allow the body to cope gradual increased demand.
Finally, rest and recovery must be prioritised within any exercise programmes – it is during this period that the body actually adapts its shape and form. Read more about the importance of recovery by clicking here.
As I found myself particularly unmotivated during lockdown, with no idea of what kind of exercise to do without access to the gym… I pretty much stopped exercising. I used to struggle to close my apple watch rings, watching as my friends overtook me every day, my Apple watch is supposed to track my fitness, not track whether I get off the sofa at all. Things were getting pretty dire until I saw that Apple were bringing out ‘Fitness+’, a £10 subscription that connects with your Apple watch and other devices to bring the classes from the gym, home to you.
My pre-subscription performance compared to my friends.
At first, I was a bit overwhelmed, there were loads of workouts that I had never even thought of doing, so I decided to dip my toes in with a short yoga session, which I thought was an easy start and I only needed a yoga mat. Tip here, give yourself enough space, and place your iPhone or tablet at a level where you can see it stood up, or sat down, or connect to your Apple TV to watch. My lack of space was the main issue with this yoga session, but regardless, I still enjoyed it. Another thing I enjoyed about the yoga, was that within the group, one of the instructors would display an easier version of the yoga pose, so that beginners would be able to join in too. ‘Bird of Paradise’ was the final pose for my session, but I couldn’t manage that pose because it was so twisty, so I did the half version that was displayed for beginners. So if you want to learn a bit of yoga, Fitness+ is great for experts and beginners.
Fitness+ Front Page.
The next day, I decided to try the exercise bike classes on Fitness+, and don’t worry if you only have an old exercise bike, I attached my phone to the bike with blu tac for now, but I am going to buy a stand for my phone. The session was hard, you’re in charge of your own resistance, so it’s as hard as you want it to be, but when you have to go for it, it can be really hard. I decided to do my class with Sherica (one of the instructors), with the music being ‘latest hits’, but there was actually lots of options to choose from. After my intense 20 minutes on the bike, I was offered a mindful cooldown. The mindful cool down was actually really helpful too, with some stretches and breathing exercises to bring your heart rate back down, and properly stretch out your muscles.
Fitness+ Recap after your workout.
The ‘burn bar’ is a red bar displayed on the screen that allows you to see how you face up next to everyone else that have taken that class. I really liked this, because when I dropped down, I wanted to put more effort in to get back to the ‘front of the pack’ part of the burn bar. If competition isn’t your thing though, you can always turn it off. The instructor often mentions your burn burn, heart rate, and rings. When the instructor mentions these things they become highlighted and you get to see more details.
The mentioned ‘burn bar’ on the left, and my empty activity rings on the right.
All this doesn’t work without an Apple Watch, so if you haven’t got one, I’d recommend you go down the Fitbit route instead, or a Samsung smart watch. There are so many options for wearables now that if an Apple Watch is out of your budget, you can still track your fitness with a cheaper alternative, instead of spending £300 on an Apple Watch, some exercise gear and/or machines, and the £10 monthly subscription, but if Apple Watches are your thing and you already have some of their devices, the £10 a month is completely worth it.
Price comparison of Apple Watch and Samsung Watch.
The next day I decided to try a core workout, with the use of dumbbells. Just like the yoga, this was difficult due to my lack of Apple TV or iPad. It was enjoyable, and gave me a variety of workouts that I wouldn’t have thought of doing without Fitness+, but it’s very expensive to take full advantage of it, if you don’t already own the devices.
My core workout details.
The best thing about the watch and Fitness+ combination is the motivation and direction it gives you. I want to exercise, but with lack of direction, I’ll just carry-on watching Netflix. With the watch telling me that I need to do more exercise and close my rings, I can pick a workout of my choice from Apple’s offerings. The workouts always include a playlist as well, and if you have Apple Music, you can listen to all these playlists in your own time as well.
The Apple Watch face.
One thing I don’t like about this subscription, you can’t just log in on your laptop or cast to your tv. You can only view it on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Trying to watch on an iPhone is difficult because you have to keep moving it, and iPad would probably be quite good, but I’m not paying out even more money to be able to use it. An Apple TV costs around £150, and this would be the best device to have fitness plus on, as you could hook it up to any tv. You can connect to anyone’s Apple TV…so if you live with someone who owns one and likes you, you’ve saved some money. No one wants to pay even more just to exercise, so once again, Apple Fitness is great… as long as you’re already integrated with Apple devices.
Fitness+ on an Apple TV.
So all in all? If you already have an Apple watch ? Go for it, get the subscription. If you’re not an apple user? I’d just get a fitbit and try one of the many other workout subscriptions online, such as peleton or zwift, but it works for me, and it’s given me the motivation and push I need to exercise every single day.
