There is no denying that boxing is a sport that requires a lot of fitness. To be able to stay up right throughout each round, defend yourself and also attack your opponent, you need to have a lot of skill.
But you also need to be able to breathe easily throughout the fight. No matter what level of boxing you are participating in.
Due to the different weight categories, it can be confusing to know whether, or not, boxing builds muscle. There are undeniably some professional boxers with an outstanding physique, take Anthony Joshua or Mike Tyson in his hay-day.
But there are also some professional boxers who do not look quite as muscular – so you might find yourself questioning whether boxing builds muscle.
In short, yes it does. In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at why boxing builds muscle, and what muscles this sport can help you develop. So if you want to find out more, keep on reading!
What Is Boxing?
First things first, let’s take a look at what boxing is. Well, as you are probably aware, boxing is a type of sport. It is a very physical sport that is often considered one of the more “violent” options as it requires physical interaction with your opponent.
Typically, boxing will take place between two individuals of similar weight categories and experience levels.
The fight will be a fair fight, and lots of precautions are taken to ensure that both individuals remain safe at all times. Boxing requires a lot of practice, skill and fitness, and it is by no means an easy sport.
As a professional sport, boxing attracts huge crowds. People often pay exclusively for access to watch a fight between professional boxers, and many fights can gather millions of viewers worldwide.
Professional boxing fights usually take place fairly late at night, even if they are hosted in your own country, and there is a huge build-up to the main event. The build-up will usually consist of multiple fights by other boxers, and lead up to the ring walk that takes place before the fight.
Boxing at an amateur level is fairly different, but the discipline of the fight is actually pretty similar. There are lots of rules and regulations to ensure the safety of each individual, and a referee monitors the fight from within the ring. But does boxing build muscle? Let’s find out.
Does Boxing Build Muscle?
If you are reading this guide, then it is likely that you want to know whether, or not, boxing builds muscle. As we said earlier, you only need to look at some of the boxing greats to see how muscular some professional boxers are. However, the muscle of some boxers isn’t always that obvious.
Take heavyweight boxing for example. Often, it is very normal for heavyweight boxers not to look as “ripped” as you might expect. Some heavyweight boxers, take Tyson Fury for example, do not immediately look as muscular as you might expect.
But just because you cannot see their muscles at first glance, doesn’t mean that these individuals are not muscular. In order to do boxing of any level, you will have a decent amount of muscle in your body, however this doesn’t mean that boxing builds muscle.
While you engage multiple muscles when boxing, we’ll take a look at these later, this doesn’t mean that you are building muscle. In order for muscle to be built, you must have mechanical tension and metabolic stress.
These two mechanisms are key in the development of muscle, and you do not have them when you are boxing. So, no, boxing does not build muscle.
What Muscles Are Involved in Boxing?
Even though you do not build muscles through boxing, you are utilizing a number of different muscles at any one time in this sport.
While boxing predominantly involves your arms, it is not only the muscles in your arms that you use while you box. In fact there are a number of other muscles that you use too. These include the following.
Arms And Shoulders
For obvious reasons, you will utilize your arm and shoulder muscles while you box. A huge part of boxing includes punching, and in order to do this, you will need to engage your arm and shoulder muscles.
Core And Back
You will also utilize your core and back muscles a lot when you are boxing. This is why a huge amount of “ripped” boxers will have impressive ab muscles. Posture is crucial when you are boxing, and you engage your core and back muscles in order to get good posture.
Hips, Legs And Calves
Finally, you will also utilize your hips, legs and calf muscles when you box. In order to box, you need to be light on your feet and constantly moving and muscle is required for this.
Strength in your punches will also travel from the leg muscles all the way up to your arms, which is why many boxers build their leg muscles as part of their training regime.
Is Boxing Good For Muscle Growth?
While boxing doesn’t build muscle, it does engage a lot of different muscles, which is why it is a great sport for muscle strengthening. Your muscles will only continue to exist as long as you train and use them, and boxing allows you to engage a lot of different muscles all at the same time.
Boxing is an endurance sport, and this can really help to tone your muscles. It is a sport that can help develop lots of different skills, including hand-eye coordination, agility, power, endurance, and strength. So it is easy to see why so many people choose to take part in boxing.
Summary
In short, boxing doesn’t actually build muscle as it doesn’t have metabolic stress or mechanical tension. However, boxing does allow you to utilize a lot of muscles, and this can help to tone your body and make your muscles look more defined.
Thanks for reading!
