By Bryanna Fissori

Ok, let’s be real for a minute. If you are taking a fitness boxing class, you are probably primarily hitting things that aren’t hitting back. There is nothing wrong with that at all, but you may be tempted to slack on your defensive technique. We at BoxingInsider.com strongly urge you to make a conscious effort to keep your hands up regardless of if someone is punching back or not and here is why:

Arm Strength and Tone

Returning your glove back to your face can simulate a lot of movements that are crucial to building epic muscle tone in the upper body. Pulling the arm back from a jab or cross simulates the act of standing row workouts. Bringing the arm back up from a body shot or uppercut is much like a bicep curl.

The extra 8-16 ounces that the gloves carry may not feel like much, but that weight is serving as added resistance to your workout routine. The various angles from which to retrieve your punch can mimic resistance training in numerous ways, rounding out your overall physique. If you don’t bring your glove back to your face, you are letting the glove beat you. You are better than that! Show those gloves who’s boss.

Building Natural Defensive Reactions

Heaven forbid that you may actually ever be in a physical confrontation where you are required to defend yourself. If that does occur, having the natural reaction to place your hands correctly to avoid taking damage could be crucial. Even without the gloves on, protecting yourself with your hands and arms is an important part of self-defense. Instinct can be learned, even from fitness boxing. Train yourself to be ready at all times.

You Look Goofy

No one wants to be that person that is obviously just there for a sweat. Fitness boxing is great, but it is an immediate give away that you are either non-competitive or untrained if you cannot return your hands to your face. You can hit the bag as hard as you want, but without putting your toys (gloves) back where you got them, you are going to be noticeably awkward amongst others also hitting the heavy bag. Seriously, we are just trying to help. Don’t be that person.

See the difference when hands are down?

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