Punching and avoiding getting punched requires reflex, coordination and strength. So boxing is a great workout in itself, but if you're serious about boxing, you don't fight to train; you train to fight. Dumbbells allow for the performance of a greater variety of exercises and exercises with a greater range of motion compared to barbells and machines, allowing you to get your muscles into the best shape possible for performing the very taxing and sudden movements of boxing.
Shoulders
Although some people punch holding small dumbbells, this applies resistance in a direction different from that of normal punching and can be hard on your joints. Instead, shoulder exercises should focus on building strength and conditioning. The best dumbbell exercise for building strength through your shoulders' full range of motion is the Arnold press, invented by Arnold Schwarzenegger. As he explains in "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," it works your shoulders through the range of motion of a dumbbell lateral and an overhead press. Sit and hold dumbbells to your chest with a palms-in grip. Rotate your arms out and press the dumbbells up until your arms are straight overhead with your palms facing forward.
When sparring, you will throw dozens of punches wearing gloves that weigh up to a pound each. If not properly conditioned, your shoulders will fatigue quickly, making your punches slow and causing your hands to drop away from your jaw. To condition them, perform side and front laterals with very light weight for three minutes at a time. Rest for one minute, then lift for another three. Slowly build the number of rounds you can perform, then begin to use heavier dumbbells.
Chest
The upper pectorals are the primary chest muscle used during boxing. They aid the deltoids during the jab and cross, and lock the arm in place during hooks. The best exercise for hitting the upper pectorals are shoulder presses and inclined bench presses. The classic pushup is also excellent for building both the strength and conditioning of the pectorals. To emphasize the upper pectorals, perform pushups with your feet elevated on a step or bench.
Back
Being able to retract punches is at least as important as being able to throw them. Many punches miss, and unless you want to be hit with a counter-punch, it's important to get quickly back into your defensive stance. In addition to large deltoids, boxers' most developed muscles are the teres major, which sit above the latissimus dorsi and form the back of the armpit. More than the lats, they are responsible for retracting the arms when held forward. Also aiding in this are the rhomboids and lower traps, which retract the shoulder blades. One of the best exercises for these muscles is the dumbbell row. Stand with a slight bend in your knees and bend at the hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Let the weights hang at arms-length. Pull the dumbbells up until they are almost against your body. Slowly let them down again.
Core
The true strength of the punch comes from the core, as does your ability to quickly shift direction to avoid being punched. Hold a dumbbell against your chest to perform weighted crunches and bicycle crunches to build the thickness of the rectus abdominis and the external obliques. This is essential for protecting your internal organs from body shots. But to build the core strength required to slip and throw devastating punches, try dumbbell squats. "Strength Training Anatomy" explains that squats build core strength better than ab-specific exercises because it causes an effect called abdominal blocking. During a dumbbell squat, all of the muscles of your core activate, creating internal pressure that prevents your spine from folding forward. This trains your core to activate all at once, which is essential for throwing core driven punches like the hook.
References
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1998
- "Strength Training Anatomy, 3rd Ed."; Frederic Delavier; 2010
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