Strengthening the elbow and the muscles around it will helps a boxer develop the ability to throw punches with power, quickness and accuracy. Your ability to deliver hard punches with piston-like precision can be attributed in large part to how well your elbows function under the stressful conditions of a boxing match. Exercises can help you throw punches with greater consistency.
Heavy Bag
Most boxing fans are familiar with the heavy bag. It usually weighs between 75 and 100 pounds and hangs from a hook. When you hit the heavy bag, you must get your full body behind the punch to move the bag and develop your power punching. You will use your leg muscles, hips, core muscles, shoulders, elbows and fists while hitting the bag in three-minute increments. As you finish each punch, drive your fist "through" the bag with your elbows providing the final impetus for your fists. Take a one-minute break and then hit the heavy bag for another three minutes.
Bench Press
The bench press will help you build up your chest, shoulders, elbows and arms. Weight training has been a vital part of increasing strength for boxers since the 1980s. Boxers are not looking to set personal bests for one-lift maximums. Instead, take a weight that represents 50 percent to 60 percent of your maximum. Lift the weight 10 times, take a 30-second break and then repeat the set.
Pushups
Although most trainers understand the value of weight training for building strength, all trainers encourage body weight exercises like pushups to build functional strength in the ring. Doing standard pushups and weighted pushups -- wearing a weight vest -- will help increase your punching power. The up-and-down motion of the pushups will help you develop functional strength in your elbows, which translates into greater punching power.
Shadow Boxing
Shadow boxing will help you develop consistent technique in the ring, which includes snapping your left jab, throwing your left hook with speed and accuracy and throwing a hard right cross. All of the punching movements depend heavily on your elbows. When you shadow box, have another boxer or trainer watch you to pick out flaws in your form. If neither is available, videotape yourself shadow boxing or do it in front of a mirror.
Posted in: Boxing Exercises