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Old June 26th, 2006, 03:52 AM posted to alt.support.diet
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Default How To Perform Cardio-Boxing For Super Fitness

Ever wondered why most sports scientists agree that cardio-boxing is one of
the best forms of exercise, well it is because it conditions the total body
and provides a complete workout for your cardiovascular and endurance
systems.

Lets have a look at the benefits:

The major benefits of cardio-boxing include:

* Increased Stamina
* Increased Strength
* Increased Speed
* Increased Coordination

Cardio-boxing also promotes a person's well being by strengthening their
self-discipline and combined with strength training it's well and truly the
total package for self-defence and fitness and usually consists of:

* Adjusted heart rate work
* Actual boxing techniques

The usual workout consists of the age-adjusted heart rate work starting with
10 minutes for beginners and leading up to 20 minutes for the more advanced.
For the second part of the workout, you'll need to perform and practice 20
minutes of actual boxing techniques.

Cardio

The best way to measure the effects of an exercise program on your body is
to check your pulse.

The easiest way to check the pulse is to place your index and middle fingers
on your carotid artery or the wrist. Immediately after the exercise, count
your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by 4.

You can also check your pulse during the exercise but with safety as a first
priority. To get a more precise reading of your pulse rate, purchase an
electronic device from any sports store.

Now you have your exercising pulse rate or heartbeats per minute. We'll be
concentrating at the upper end of your pulse region: the 50% - 70% ranges.

To figure this out, deduct your age from 220. Suppose your age is 40, deduct
this from 220 and you get 180.

50% of 180 is 90 beats a minute,
60% of 180 is 108 beats a minute,
70% of 180 is 126 beats a minute and so on.

Don't jump into 70% work straight away. Start with 50% and slowly work your
way up to the 70% upper limit.

Start with no more than 10 minutes, and work up to 20 minutes. Once you're
comfortable with working out for 20 minutes at 70% then try to increase the
heart rate up to 80%.

Mix up your cardiovascular activities in the gym. Use the treadmill,
skipping, rower, climber, and bike and other equipment that might be
available to you.

Boxing

The boxing stance is the posture a boxer takes before and after every action
depending on whether you are left or right handed. We'll be dealing with the
most common; right-handed. For left-handed people, just reverse the
instructions.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your left foot in front of
your right foot. Your right heel should be slightly raised with your left
foot flat on the floor and toes pointing ahead.

Bend your knees a little and balance your weight comfortably and evenly.

Place your elbows close to your body with your left fist held at head height
and in a position that corresponds to your left foot.

The right fist should be at head height also and guarding the chin, with
both elbows protecting your body and both fists protecting your chin.

This is your defensive and offensive position after throwing punches, so
please practice this before going any further. When moving forward in this
boxing stance the left foot moves forward first and then the right follows.

When moving back, the right moves back and then the left follows. When
moving sideward to the right, the right foot moves first followed by the
left. When moving sideward to the left, the left foot moves first followed
by the right.

Practice this moving forward, back and sideward in the boxer's stance until
it is done smoothly and quickly. Remember to keep your guard up and elbows
tucked in to your sides.

Keep your head at eye level with your upper body leaning forward slightly.
In boxing it is important that punches are thrown quickly and then bought
back quickly to assume a defensive posture.

Punching

A left jab has many uses, it can be used for both offensive and
Defensive actions. From the set stance the left arm is pushed quickly and
forcefully forward, the weight is shifted to the front foot. The fist moves
in a straight line and straight back again for defence.

At the moment of impact the back of the hand and the lower arm are in a
straight line. Keep the right fist in the defensive position and elbow
tucked into the body during the movement.

The straight right is also known as the punching hand and can be thrown with
considerable force. The arm moves straightforward from the chin, the body
weight is shifted to the front foot with the ball of the foot of the back
leg pushing into the floor for more power.

The back of the hand is straight and pointing up at the moment of impact.
The arm is then immediately pulled back for protection after the hit.

The left hook to the head and body is an effective punch for closer range
work. From the set stance turn your left shoulder quickly and move your
elbow up to shoulder height. The fist moves in a circular motion to the
target, with the elbow bent.

Rotate your hip and body whilst pressing your front left down keeping the
back of your fist pointing up and in a straight line with the lower arm. The
left hook to the body is similar to the above but increases the rotation of
the body

The right uppercut is also carried out at close range. Drop the lower part
of your punching arm until the lower and upper arm is at right angles to
each other. The back of your hand should be pointing away from you, now
thrust your arm forward and upward to your target.

Shift your body weight to your front leg and rotate your hip and shoulder on
the same side. Remember to keep your left fist guarding your chin during the
entire movement. Now practice all your punches until they are done quickly
and smoothly.

To develop speed and endurance, try punching straight left and right
combinations into the heavy bag. The duration of the exercise period is the
same as the rest period i.e. 10 seconds exercise, 10 seconds rest, 20
seconds exercise, 20 seconds rest, and so on. Move up higher as your
condition improves.

Believe me after you start applying Cardio-Boxing to your regular fitness
workouts your cardiovascular and endurance systems will thank you for it.
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