Kick Off 2020 Right With This Total Body Boxing-Inspired Workout
Don’t overcompensate for the holidays by pushing your body too far in January. Prime your muscles for the rest of 2020.
Begin the year with a total-body circuit. You’ll fire up your back, hamstrings, and glutes, then dive into bodyweight moves infused with boxing flavor. Do this workout three times a week, resting at least 1 day between sessions. On your off days, go for a 20-minute run.
Featured Trainer: Ngo Okafor is a two-time Golden Gloves boxing champ and the owner/founder of Iconoclast Fitness Studio in Manhattan. He constructs workouts around classic bodybuilding moves, with occasional dashes of boxing spice, as you’ll see in the burpee below.
The Warmup
Start with 30 seconds of jumping jacks, then do 30 seconds of high knees, running in place while driving your knees upward. Then do 1 Spider-Man T-spine stretch on each side. Rest 30 seconds. Repeat twice.
Spider-Man T-Spine Stretch
Start in pushup position. Step your left foot to your left hand. Keep your right leg straight; squeeze your right glute hard. Press your left arm into your left leg. Reach your right arm toward the ceiling, feeling the stretch in your back and abs. Step your left foot back to pushup position. That’s 1 rep.
The Workout
Do this workout as a circuit, resting 30 seconds between exercises. Rest 2 minutes between rounds. Do 4 rounds. Use dumbbells that you can handle comfortably.
1. Bent-Over Row
Stand holding dumbbells at your sides, core tight. Hinge forward at the waist and push your butt back until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Let the dumbbells hang naturally. This is the start. Keeping your core tight, row the dumbbells toward your rib cage. Pause, then return to the start. That’s 1 rep; do 20.
2. Romanian Deadlift
Start standing, and hold dumbbells at your sides, core tight, shoulder blades squeezed, and feet hip-width apart. Hinge forward at the waist and push your butt back, lowering your torso. Lower until your torso is parallel to the floor or you feel your hamstrings tighten—whichever comes first. Pause, then straighten up, squeezing your glutes. That’s 1 rep; do 20.
3. Reverse Lunge to Overhead Press
Start standing with a dumbbell at your left shoulder and core tight. Step back with your right leg and lower into a reverse lunge, keeping your chest up. Once your left thigh is parallel to the floor, pause, stand, and then press the dumbbell overhead. Return the weight to your shoulder. That’s 1 rep; do 10 per side.
Eb says: “Stop lowering before your back knee touches the floor. Doing so will challenge your leg muscles to continue firing.”
4. Pushup
Start in pushup position, core tight and glutes squeezed, hands directly below your shoulders. Bend at the elbows and shoulders, lowering your torso until your chest is an inch from the floor. Pause, then push back up. That’s 1 rep; do 20.
5. Burpee to Punch Combo
Start standing. In one motion, place your hands on the floor, get in pushup position, and do a pushup. Stand quickly and throw 6 punches at the air. Start with 2 jabs and 2 hooks. Finish by throwing 2 uppercuts. That’s 1 rep; repeat reps for 60 seconds.
Eb says: “Think of each punch as an opportunity to strengthen your abs. Rotate through your hips and be powerful.”
6. Mountain Climber
Start in pushup position, core and glutes tight, eyes on the floor directly below. Keeping your core tight, lift your right foot, driving your right knee to your chest. Return your right foot back to the floor and quickly repeat on the left. Continue alternating, picking up speed as you go. Repeat for 60 seconds.
Eb says: “It’s convenient to let your butt ride up high when you get fatigued during mountain climbers. Resist that urge and keep your butt below (or on the same level as) your shoulders.”
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