Unless you’re Muhammad Ali, the idea of floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee can seem difficult to even comprehend, let alone put into action.
That’s because boxing—or, shadow boxing, if you’re without a bag or partner—is all about doing multiple things at the same time. You want to be grounded but light on your feet, in a rhythm but unpredictable, fast but still powerful.
Fear not: With the right coaching, you can do it. In this 20-minute cardio shadow boxing workout, Rumble trainer Beth Gold will help you unlock the key to putting power behind your jabs, uppercuts, and other punches.
Your base is where it all begins. Boxer stance is when you have one foot forward and your dominant foot stepped back. But you “don’t want to be on a tightrope.” Gold advises that you want to stay nice and grounded in that split stance. Make sure your knees have a soft bend, your weight is equally distributed between both feet, and you’re spreading evenly through all four corners of your feet.
Until, that is, it’s time to move. Gold walks you through how your body weight should be shifting, and the muscles besides just your arms that should be engaging when you’re throwing a punch—without letting the power of the punch throw you off your base.
“I’m not coming up to my toes, I’m staying low, staying grounded,” Gold explains.
This is how Gold articulates the sometimes invisible mechanics that make the difference between just thrusting your arms out there and cutting through the air (or, maybe eventually your opponent) with power.
“As you throw your jab, think about springing off your back foot, and rotate your shoulder down,” says Gold.
Gold has plenty more tips to be channeling your inner butterfly-slash-bee in this 20-minute workout that’s sure to get your heart pumping. It’s also low impact, which means “it’s going to be super easy on your joints, but you’re still going to get a really good sweat,” Gold says.
