Shadow Boxing Cardio Workouts to Level-Up Your Skills

To stay at the top of the boxing sport, it is essential to keep on leveling up your skills and increase your endurance. Shadowboxing cardio workouts are found effective for both aspects. They not only help you improve your techniques and skills but also enhance your cardiovascular health and stamina.

Shadowboxing is a full-body workout that improves coordination and balance among the upper body, lower body, and right and left sides. Here is a comprehensive guide for you to level up your skills with shadow boxing cardio workouts.

Take Your Position

The best stance to start shadow boxing workouts is standing with feet a hip-width apart while keeping your dominant side’s leg back and soft knees. Bring your fists in front of your face by keeping your elbows close to your body and your boxing gloves front of your face.

1.1. Jab

Breathe out while extending your lead arm and turn your fist to angle the knuckles downward. In the meantime, your rear hand must be in front of your face. When performing a jab, your lead shoulder should round inward in order to create protection for your face. After throwing a jab, be in your starting stance quickly.

Read More: Top 7 Boxing Punching Combinations with Tips and Mistakes

1.2. Cross

For throwing a cross effectively while shadow boxing, rotate forward on the balls of your rear foot. Exhale when you rotate your torso forward while extending your rear arm. In the course of throwing a cross, you must turn your fist down to make your wrist straight. Also, keep your lead hand by face and be in original stance after the completion of a cross.

1.3. Lead Hook

To be in the stance to throw a lead hook, plant your back foot and come up on your lead foot’s balls. Then, rotate your torso and bring out your lead arm in a semicircular strike. While performing a lead hook, keep your fist in front of your chest and your palms should face the chest. Also, keep your rear hand in front of your face. Return to your starting stance immediately after throwing a perfect hook.

2. What Else You Can Add to your Shadow Boxing Cardio Workout Routine?

As you make your shadowboxing cardio workout routine more intensive, the better you can get results. You can make your workout routine more intensive and fruitful by adding the following shadow boxing circuits.

Related Reading: Top Shadow Boxing Workouts for Beginners

2.1. Shadow Boxing Circuit

The shadow boxing circuit comprises boxing basics and two of the common bodyweight boxer workouts moves such as pushups and rope jumping. Repeat this shadow boxing circuit three times with 30-second rest between rounds.

• Perform Jab-Cross-Hook (1-2-3) combination with your dominant leg in rear position for 60 seconds.
• Jump rope for 60 seconds.
• Perform 1-2-3 combination with the dominant leg in the lead position for 60 seconds.
• Perform push-ups for 30 seconds.

2.2. Bonus Shadowboxing Circuit

You can alter the boxing combinations as well as workout moves in this shadow boxing circuit. Repeat it three times with 30-second rest after each round.

• Perform Cross-Hook-Cross (2-3-2) with your dominant leg while being in rear position for 60 seconds.
• Perform high knees for an interval of 30 seconds.
• Again, perform a 2-3-2 combination with your dominant leg but in your lead position this time for 60 seconds.
• Perform sprawls for 30 seconds.

3. The Workout

Here is a perfect shadow boxing cardio workout that you can include in your training routine for improving your skill level as well as strengthening your body and increasing endurance.

3.1. Warm-Up

To prepare your body for a shadow boxing cardio workout, it is essential to warm up. For the warm-up, you can perform the following exercises.

• Start with jogging for 1 minute.
• Perform push-ups for 30 seconds.
• Perform jumping jacks for 60 seconds to loosen up your arms for punching time.
• Perform mountain climbers for 30 seconds.
• Do walking lunge for 60 seconds.
• Squat jumping for 30 seconds can help you create a huge explosion.
• Rest for 30 seconds.
• Repeat this warm-up program by increasing its intensity level.

Read More: Here are the Best Cardio Boxing Workouts to Get You in Serious Shape

3.2. The Fight

Assuming yourself in an actual fight, you should perform two-minute rounds of the following exercises.

Shadow Boxing

Perform non-stop punches including jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts as well as defensive rolls and slips. While doing so, stay light on your feet and use non-stop motion.

Running

Run hard for two minutes using 75-90% of your maximum effort.

ShadowBoxing

Again, shadow boxing for 2 minutes. However, this time you will be performing four-punch combinations while pivoting after each, improving speed, and focusing on your foot movements.

Rest

Now take a rest for a minute to catch your breath and prepare yourself for the second round. In your second round, you should try to make your punches cleaner and snap quicker than in round 1.

Repeat

Using this sequence, you should try to go right into the next exercise after shadow boxing. However, if your body requires, take 30 seconds and a sip of water to keep it hydrated.

3.3. Final Workout Round

In the final round of this shadow boxing workout, perform the following exercise for 60 seconds each.

Broad Jump

To perform broad jumps, stand on a flat surface and keep your feet a shoulder apart. Raise both of your hand’s straight overhead. Be on the balls of your feet. Swing your arm back behind the torso, bend your knees, and press off the ground to jump forward as far as possible. You must land in an athletic position.

Burpees

The burpees are push-ups that are followed by jump squats. You can start it from being in a squat position, perform a pushup by keeping your body straight from head to heels, do a frog kick, and jump back into the starting position.

Alternating Lateral Lunge

Perform alternating lateral lunges for 60 seconds by keeping one leg straight while lunging it out to the side. Also, keep knees, toes, and hips in line and chest up.

Sprint Punches

Throw the mix of the jabs and crosses with speed for 1-minute.

Rest

Rest for one minute before starting with the next round of this shadow boxing cardio workout.

Repeat

You can repeat this workout as many times as you can for maximum benefit.

Cool-Down

For cooldown, you can perform light stretches.

4. Takeway

The discussed shadow boxing workouts for weight loss and cardio always help you not only in improving your skills like accurate and powerful punching and footwork but also in building stamina to last all rounds in the ring. These workouts are designed to make trainees sweat more, improve their breath control, and increase their boxing skill level.

Read More: The Ultimate Guide: Boxing Workouts for Beginners