Boxing Your Way To Bodacious

I love to eat. A lot. Especially if frijoles and tortillas are involved. Loving to eat has forced me to find a way to do so without suffering the inevitable side effects of an overly voluptuous figure. Which, if you’re anything like me, means you have to fight genes that love to pack on the pounds and, in the worst-case scenario, could lead to diabetes. Hands down the best workout I’ve found over the years is boxing.

Having tried Tae Kwon Do, MMA, Muay Thai, weightlifting and American Kenpo, boxing is consistently the workout that keeps me strongest and the most trim. Boxing doesn’t mean getting your face smashed in, but rather, doing a boxing workout. These gyms are all over the place and the monthly fees are often much lower than what you’d pay at a franchise gym. Usually a boxing workout consists of: Running/jumping rope, lots of abdominal work (bikini body!), some time on the speed bag, the double-end bag, the heavy bag and then working with mitts. This equipment is available in any standard boxing gym to varying degrees of quality and quantity. It also helps to have boxing coaches that are willing to work with you.

Often I’ve done the work on my own, however, a good coach can help guide you towards your goals with appropriate baby steps. My current coach, José “Joe” Jiménez of the Jiménez Old School Boxing Gym in Denton, Texas, is exemplary of what a boxing coach should be. Jiménez trains everyone from walk-in prepubescents to out-of-shape parents to tip-top shape professional boxers and says that boxing has something to offer everyone. “You’ll be in the best shape of your life. Mentally, you’ll be tough, plus, it builds you up. It grows your confidence,” he told me.  A former pro boxer himself, Jiménez has trained hundreds of people over several decades — both men and women — and has helped me go from and out-of-shape, winded bag of flesh to a much more toned, strong specimen with pretty good endurance.

It can be intimidating joining a boxing gym, as it does take some time to acquire the skills needed to use all of the equipment properly. Literally, it took me three months to learn how to skip rope, it also took me several months to learn how to use the bags and learn footwork. But that’s part of what makes boxing a great workout: You’re not just climbing a machine for 30 minutes, you’re learning, growing, improving and then once you get to the next level, you learn some more. Or, as Jiménez says, “What makes it unique is that it’s very hard to learn. If you accept the challenge, then the sky’s the limit.” Así que, ándale, get yourself to the nearest boxing gym and start working on turning those doughy arms into a bonafide gun show!

TIP LIST FOR FINDING A BOXING GYM

• Make sure it’s a convenient location so you’ll actually go.
• Maybe go for one free day and watch to see how much personal attention people get, ideally you’d want a little bit of personal attention at least once a week.
• Make sure there’s enough equipment for everyone to use, otherwise you’ll never get your workout in.
• Make sure the gym’s hours are convenient for you.
• Look around at the people in the gym: Do they look like they know what they’re doing? Are they fit? If not, you might want to try the next one.