Why Do Boxers Punch Their Abs? 4 Benefits [Must Read]

Body punch is one of the most effective weapons in boxing training. If you’re wondering why boxers practice taking punches in their stomach, How does it help them? Does it increase their punch resistance or is there any other benefit?

That’s exactly what I’m going to cover in this article. So, Why Do Boxers Punch Their Abs?

Generally, Boxers punch their abs to strengthen them for harder pain while developing a solid neural control. Flexing upon impacts and taking a punch is one of the essential aspects of professional boxing, and normal abs workouts don’t train for that very well.

4 Key Benefits of Taking Punches in the Stomach

Many boxers have their own opinions about whether or not one should punch their abs. But, here are some of the most common benefits of hitting your abs:

Let me dig into each of these factors and explain to you the different benefits in detail:

1. Strengthens Abs

Taking hard punches in the stomach is not an easy thing for a body. Along with the flexing, here boxers are actually catching the force by their abdominal bracing.

Such kind of punch training forces their body to perform isometric contractions, which does give strength to their abs. Many boxers just want to get used to the blows and don’t want to shock their body when their opponent throws a hard punch at them.

Basically, hitting your abs does not make them stronger or bigger directly but allows you to get used to them and perform the required contraction to create stronger muscle fiber.

It not only improves their core strength but also makes the internal muscles stronger and tones them further in a healthy way which becomes very beneficial for them in the ring.

2. Pain Conditioning

Our body generally tries to adapt to the pressure we’re trying to put on it. When boxers start getting hit in their stomach more often, their body will automatically develop a higher tolerance to it.

why do boxers punch their abs

Many boxers also appreciate this kind of training because it conditioned them to react to body shots without flinching so much, especially when boxers return back to their training after a long break.

Practicing repeated punching on their abs gets them used to the sensation of taking a punch and prepares their mind to take a hit no matter where it is.

Many of my mates do this type of training too! Some of them even use sticks to hit their abs.

They said it helps them to tense their abs and keep the breathing pattern as normal as possible in order to deal with the sudden pain of getting directly hit in the stomach.

Also Read: Can You Do Boxing with Braces?

3. Develop Better Neural Control

Punching in the abs may not provide any pleasure to many fighters but believe me, it’s one of the great ways to train the mind-response and get mentally prepared, especially in a fighting sport like boxing.

Personally, I think, this workout prepares boxers for the actual fight. When they start training their stomach and include such a workout in their weekly routine, it helps them to stay calm during a fight.

They just want their brain to learn to ignore the “Oh, I just got punched!” kind of pain and keep their focus on the opponent.

Because no one wants to surprise their brain during a match and such training essentially teaches them about timing, breathing, and coordination of contracting those muscles to take the punch in a much better way.

4. Burn Fat Faster

Many of my seniors in the gym believe that drawing blood towards the area you want to work out actually helps to burn fat faster and build muscles in that area. That’s why they used to slap on the muscle group before starting to work on it.

Punching your abs does not burn fats directly but does allow you to burn calories while maintaining the muscles. It is an excellent workout to effectively engage your core, condition your body for unexpected shots, and ultimately trigger fat loss.

The same thing applies to the boxers too! They punch their abs to engage their core in the workout and to burn fat relatively quickly while strengthening the muscles in that area.


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Does Punching Your Stomach Get You Abs?

When you lightly punch in your stomach or poke your abs muscles, it activates the reflex muscles present in your abdominal area and helps you to involve your core in the regiments.

When you put pressure on any of your muscles, eventually your body starts to repair it in such a way that it will bear that pain the next time.

That’s why when you do punch your stomach, not only helps you with pain conditioning but also increases the overall tolerance of your muscles by reducing the fats and making them even more robust.



Does Punching Your Abs Help Build Muscles

Punching your abs does help you to build muscle mass, especially if you’re targeting the core of your stomach. It is beneficial for developing strength externally and allows you to get better neural control and tone your internal organs.

You need to understand, after a certain point, that just because boxers start to feel less pain, it doesn’t mean it ‘deadens’ the nerves in that region. It just gives strength to your abdominal muscles and increases the process of getting curvy abs.

Final Thoughts

No doubt, it is great training for a fit athlete who intends to box regularly and wants to work on their punch resistance and core strengthening abilities.

But: If you’re not involved in any sort of martial arts and just want to strengthen your abs, there are other ways available that are more effective and less painful for you.

Though If you’re thinking about doing something like this, I would strictly advise you to perform it under the supervision of a qualified trainer or experienced coach. Because if you do it improperly, you may end up getting hurt your muscles in a very bad way.

References:

Priya Dorge | Cargofighter

Priya Dorge

Priya Dorge is a passionate boxer and author, dedicated to sharing her expertise in the world of combat sports. With her deep knowledge and experience in empowering individuals in their journey has garnered a loyal following, making her a trusted resource in the martial arts community.