You don’t need a punching bag, hand weights or even a mat to get a great, full body burn with a shadow boxing workout! Shadow boxing, a training method that accompanies the martial arts, is mainly used to prepare the muscles before training them, but it can also be a great workout on its own. Fitness expert and founder of J METHOD, Jennifer Jacobs, walked HollywoodLife fans through a vigorous exercise session that was simple to do at home and had us all sweating in a matter of minutes. Here, the powerhouse trainer gives step-by-step instructions on how to do the workout at home, while also providing the many benefits that comes with shadow boxing!
“There were five rounds and each round consisted of three minutes of work followed by one minute of active recovery,” Jennifer explained the layout of the workout. “Each round incorporated a series of boxing punches to increase the heart rate paired with movements to strengthen the lower body.” In this workout, the 6 basic boxing punches used were the JAB CROSS HOOK AND UPPERCUT (a.k.a 1-2-3-4-5-6).
Round 1: Clock Squat
Balancing on one leg as the opposite foot reaches out to 12-3/9/6 o’clock on an imaginary clock to strengthen the hip, knee and ankle of the supporting leg.
Round 2: Reverse Lunge
Take a generous step backwards with your left foot. Bend your right knee until it’s at 90°, and lower your left knee towards the floor but not to the floor. Then push back up throughout the right leg to return to standing.
Round 3: Runner’s Lunge
Similar to a reverse lunge but when returning to standing drive the left knee up parallel to the floor flexing at the hip while extending at the left hip contracting the left glute.
Round 4: All Boxing Punches
30 sec of 1-2 punches
30 sec of 3-4 hooks
30 sec of 5-6 uppercuts
Repeat twice
Round 5: Bodyweight Ball Slams
Imagine bringing a heavy med ball up overhead rising up into the balls of your feet then explosively slam the “ball” down to the floor quickly returning it back overhead to repeat.
“You are working your hips, arms, shoulders, legs, and core. It burns calories and is a great way for beginners to build up some muscle mass. If you’re a little more advanced, you can perform your movements at a higher level to continue challenging your body,” Jennifer explained of shadow boxing as a full-body workout. “It’s a great form of cardio because you can perform it without equipment anytime anywhere. Unlike jogging which is mostly aerobic, shadowboxing is performed at a higher intensity. A three-minutes-on and one-minute-off routine constitutes a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout which is geared to improve both aerobic and anaerobic fitness.”
Jennifer’s J METHOD includes shadow boxing, as well as other exercises to “help you to resist your limits and unleash your best self.” “I developed my method of training from years of experience from Bodybuilding to Pilates. The J METHOD is rooted in functional strength training with an approach that less is more — training with a purpose to allow those with busy schedules to train effectively in a short amount of time and/or to avoid overtraining, which results in weight gain due to increased stress levels,” she told HL. “The mindset aspect came out of my own struggle to reach my fitness and lifestyle goals. Riddled with self-doubt and excess weight gain from having kids I needed a solution that would motivate and inspire myself to pursue better on a daily basis not only aesthetically but mentally.
She continued, “The J METHOD works because it meets everyone where they are currently at to improve the way you move, develop balance and redefine your strength.” Currently, you can workout with Jennifer on Ladder, and watch our two workouts on the HollywoodLife Instagram Live channel!
