How To Build a Workout In 6 Easy Steps (Boxer's Guide)
Hey, Ninjas! My name is Aaron Swenson, and I have been training people from all walks of life for the last 15 years. I have trained everyone from professional athletes and fighters, to grandmothers and children.
While the intensity of the workout changes a lot from person to person depending upon their experience and fitness level, the format always stays the same.
In this article, I am going to break down how to design a workout for anyone in 6 easy steps. Let’s get started!
STEP 1: ACTIVE WARM-UP
Start your workout with an active warm-up.
Examples: Running drills, jump rope, or anything to get the heart pumping.
STEP 2: ACTIVE STRETCH
Go into an active stretch.
Examples: Leg swings, downward-facing dog, runners lunge, etc.
This is a step that most people forget, but it is a step that will help to prevent injury. Active stretching will stimulate and prepare your body for the workout.
STEP 3: HYPERTROPHY TRAINING
Pick up the tempo with some hypertrophy training (increasing muscle size)
Examples: Bodyweight or light weight training, push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, etc.
Think high repetitions (10-15 reps).
STEP 4: WORKOUT EMPHASIS
Once your body is ready, you can go into the core of the workout. The core of your workout depends on what your focus is that day.
If it is strength and conditioning, I recommend focusing on heavier weights with fewer reps.
Examples: Deadlifts, bench press, squats, etc. (6-10 reps).
If your focus is martial arts or boxing, this is when you’ll get 4-10 rounds in on the heavy bag, focus mitts, or sparring.
STEP 5: ACCESSORY WORK
You should be exhausted by now, so let's go into a little accessory work.
Examples: 5-8 minutes of abs, glutes, or anything that you would like to focus on personally.
STEP 6: COOL DOWN
You did it! Now let’s cool down with a little static stretching. This is when we hold our stretches and focus on flexibility and slowing down the heart rate.
Examples: Middle splits, sit and reach, and child's pose.
There you have it! This is a general outline of how to design your workouts. If you don’t know movements to use for each section, there are plenty of resources on YouTube. I recommend checking out the FightCamp YouTube channel as well!
Happy Training!
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The Author: Aaron Swenson, aka ‘Speedy,’ began his Martial Arts journey under his father’s guidance in the family’s dojo in Chicago. By 2013, Aaron was an accomplished fighter with two National Kickboxing titles and a USA National Kickboxing Team spot and fought for the prestigious GLORY Kickboxing organization. Since then, Aaron has become a sought after trainer in LA known for his technical approach to teaching, fancy pad-work, and utilizing music to make the workout fun and engaging. Aaron is a Founding Coach at FightCamp, where he leads boxing and kickboxing workouts and plans to make his return to the ring. Aaron is also USA Boxing Coach certified.