One of the most frequent questions we get at our boxing gym in Vaughan is: “how often should I train?”. And our answer is 4-5 times a week or every other day! But there is more to it! It is not so simple. You should stretch or do “something” every day! What do we mean by something? In today’s newsletter we are going to discuss exactly just that. But, before we get to clarifying what we mean by doing something, let’s go back to how we came up with the 4-5 times a week training advice when it comes to the perspective of the sport of Boxing.

Especially when you first start boxing, your body will need some time to heal. Indeed, it can get intense when you are training. This is when we strongly advice you to skip a day after your first training session. Later on, when your body is used to all the workouts, you can box everyday if you like! If you do it properly and listen to your body, you can definitely do boxing- not weights- everyday. Doing weights everyday heavily won’t allow your muscles to heal properly. Boxing on the other hand, once you’re used to it, can be done each and everyday; specifically if you want to compete, then by all means give it your best! Nonetheless, we still advice you to take breaks in between, preferably a day of rest would be good.

Every other day sounds hard, but once you’re into it, you’ll forget about how hard it was. That is if you happen to stop training, then it is all back to square one all over again! So if you are in the sequence of training every other day, we strongly urge you to maintain your schedule so that it won’t feel like a drag to get back into the gym ever again. The next question we get is: “ok, everyday other day, but for how long (my sessions should be)?”. The answer to that question is: do not exceed an hour and a half (1.5 hrs), we end our training after a full hour is completed. But, our members sometimes stay to do a little more cardio or abs, but they usually finish after 15 mins or sometimes they finish their whole work out after an hour. Indeed, it is tough to go past the hour and at our gym we make sure that you are careful with your training. Our head coach Alex has a special eye for ineffective training and he will adjust your training techniques as you progress. It’s important to take it easy and to make sure that you have a cool-down period after your training.

Now, let’s go back to what we mean by doing “something” everyday. In the bare minimum terms, we mean stretching at least 20 minutes everyday. You will have to do so because your new muscle growth will produce stiffness and by you stretching will get rid of that stiff, heavy feelings that you get in the areas that you worked-out. But, you do not have to limit yourself to just stretching. Going for a run + stretching is also is great, especially if it is nice outside. That sweat which works like lubricant for your muscles will definitely help build up your endurance. You can also play sports, meditate and eat healthy while you wait for your next boxing session. That’s right, some boxing fans get that much into the sport: they can’t wait to get back into the ring!

Keeping in mind the principles of boxing and a healthy life style also will help you until your next time training. What does that mean, the “principles of boxing”? It means always being interested in boxing and what’s good for it & what is not like eating well and not smoking. Talking about this sport with others also helps. Like when is the next big fight and comparing yourself to other boxers are also great approaches when it comes to waiting for your training. The most important part is that you are listening to the science behind your body and acting on what your body is saying to you. If your body says “I want to stretch”, don’t waste anymore time thinking about it: do it!

Eating, breathing, and living boxing & fitness is what we are about at our boxing gym in Vaughan. We like to make it easier for you to get into shape and get the boxing skills that you can use over here. We are open to anybody who wishes to better their lives. That’s right, boxing will positively change your life. It doesn’t necessary mean sparring. Our coach makes sure that it is done properly. When boxing is done correctly, there is nothing but benefits from it. We make sure that we maintain a serious but at the same time positive attitude at our sports club and we would like to share with YOU. Our #1 champ. So if you would like to get in touch, please feel free to get a hold of us TODAY!

Stay tuned for more boxing related info and more newsletters about our findings! All the best from the GGF team.