After a day of meetings, errands or chores, your workout may be your only time to focus on you with no distractions.
This 25-minute lower-body boxing workout video, led by Justin Blackwell, master coach at Los Angeles-based fitness studio BoxUnion, is the perfect opportunity to home in on your movement, breath and heart rate, not your daily to-do list.
"Nothing outside of this space matters right now," Blackwell says. "This is where we start to get into our zone. This is where we level up a little bit."
Before you put your phone on Do Not Disturb and get into the zone, free up a few feet of space and throw on a stable pair of sneakers.
The Moves
You won't need any equipment for this quick lower-body boxing session — except maybe a bottle of water. Blackwell will take you through multiple combinations of the following punches, mixed with some lower-body exercises.
Follow along with his instructions, and if you get lost or want to take a break, don't worry, he says. "Just hop back in as soon as you're ready."
The Warm-Up
- Boxer Bounce: Get loose and find the beat of the music, focusing on your breathing.
- Jump Rope: Start incorporating your arms by swinging an imaginary jump rope.
- Jumping Jacks: Make this a big movement, Blackwell says, to warm up all over.
- Jab (1): Push through your back foot and punch straight out with your front arm, chin down, eyes up.
- Cross (2): Rotate your shoulders as you punch across your body.
- Front Hook (3): Drop your weight to your back foot and rotate off of your front foot.
- Rear Hook (4): This is your dominant hook. Keep your punches sharp and your elbow following your hand.
- Front Uppercut (5): Lift your rear arm up to protect yourself as you throw your front uppercut.
- Rear Uppercut (6): Keep your shoulders loose and your hips moving.
The Workout
- 8-Punch Freestyle With Lunge and Squat Combo: Throw eight punches of your choice, followed by a lunge on each leg and a squat.
- Fast Feet: Holding a quarter squat, tap your feet as fast as you can.
- 1, 6, 5, 6 Combo: After you throw the punches in this combo, shuffle from side to side.
- Pulse Squat: Hold a squat and pulse it out to the beat of the music.
- 1, 6, 5, 6, 3, 4 Combo: Add your two hooks to the previous combination.
- Pulse Lunge: Drive your lunge straight down and don't forget to switch sides.
- 1, 6, 5, 6, 3, 4, Roll, 3, 4 Combo: Add a roll forward and back, followed by two more hooks.
- Pogo Jump: Squat and jump side to side, swinging your arms for extra momentum.
- Two-Punch Combo: Throw any two punches with full force.
- Squat Tap: Lower into a wide squat and tap the ground with one hand, alternating arms with every pulse.
- High Knees: Drive your knees as high as you can, alternating legs to the beat.
Tip
To keep your muscles injury-free, run through a quick cool-down routine before heading to the shower.