Push Ups to Help Your Punches
- Master Keith Mazza, Sr.
- Jul 22
- 1 min read
Push-ups can be an excellent exercise to enhance your punching power and overall upper body strength. Here's how they help:
1. Upper Body Strength: Push-ups primarily target the chest, shoulders, and triceps, which are crucial muscles used when throwing punches. Strengthening these muscles can improve your punching power.
2. Core Stability: A strong core is essential for effective punching. Push-ups engage your core muscles, helping you develop better stability and balance, which translates to more powerful punches.
3. Endurance: Increased push-up repetitions build muscular endurance in the upper body, allowing you to maintain power and speed during longer training sessions or fights.
4. Explosiveness: Incorporating variations like explosive push-ups (where you push off the ground with enough force to lift your hands) can enhance your fast-twitch muscle fibers, improving your speed and explosiveness in punches.
5. Functional Movement: Push-ups mimic the movement pattern of punching, making them a functional exercise that directly contributes to your boxing skills.
To incorporate push-ups effectively into your training routine, try different variations (standard, incline, decline, or clapping push-ups) and gradually increase the number of reps or sets as you progress. Combining them with other exercises, like shadowboxing or heavy bag work, can optimize your punching performance.
