New Year’s 2024 is approaching. It’s that time of year when we must decide what needs to change next year. Looking at our lives, what poor habits need to go? What simple changes can we make to vastly improve? For many, the answer is focused on general lifestyle and health decisions. Every year, thousands of people flood into their local fitness club and sign up for memberships with no plan for success. The reason for this is simple: it’s the easy choice. In addition, fitness clubs are often solo endeavors - you don’t need to sign up for a class and be held accountable. Nobody in the 20,000 square foot facility will know anything about you or your fitness goals. And if you quit, nobody will notice. Like I said, it’s the easy choice. So, why do so many fail in this environment? To start, let’s look at the basic activities most people engage in at the gym. Cardiovascular machines, free weights, and poorly run group fitness classes. Now, for most people, these activities are about as interesting as watching the movie Howard the Duck!
Cardiovascular machines, if one stays on them long enough while maintaining their proper target heart rate can be effective. The obvious downside is the mind-numbing nature of these machines. For those new to fitness, these machines will get old fast. Weight training, if done properly, can have great benefits. Once again, we run into problems when most newcomers try and do it themselves. For most, personal fitness coaches are not used when they join the typical large gym. Adding to the issues are lack of accountability. If you have not scheduled your session, it’s far too easy to find an excuse not to go.
The large group classes at most fitness studios are like eating at a cruise ship’s dining hall. Tons of options that all look good, however once you taste the food, you realize the sad truth. To make matters worse, they typically hire young inexperienced staff to cut costs.
So then, what is an alternative to this endless circus? Learn a challenging sport that happens to be a phenomenal workout. For example, if you go surfing in the afternoon, you can burn thousands of calories while enjoying a sport that hones in on a skill. Would you love to swim laps endlessly for 2-3 hours by comparison? Play soccer for 90 minutes, or run sprints at intervals for the same amount of time? The game is the activity, and it’s not only effective, but gratifying. The workout is the byproduct of these activities. Nobody says “I’m going to work out” when they go surfing. Studies have shown that older people who play golf and walk the course live 40% longer. Not shocking since walking the course can take 4-5 hours and covers up to 6.5 miles. So, we’ve determined that sports are a much more interesting choice. So, where does Boxing fit in?
The sport of boxing offers endless technical nuance and skill development making it interesting as a lifelong pursuit. In addition, boxing is a powerful self-defense skill that builds stamina, strength, stability, and athletic ability. For longevity, one needs to develop a high VO2 max. VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during intense all-out exercise. Remember, the heart is a muscle and can be strengthened like anything else.
Now, if you have ever sampled a VO2 max workout - 4-8 min at 85-95% of your Max heart rate - you would know how miserable they truly are. To make matters worse, improving this number requires you to engage in these activities 2-3 sessions each week. So, the type of workout you choose to engage in will have massive implications on this critically important number. Spoiler alert: hitting a bag with movement and constant effort will achieve this goal and the sport itself provides a useful distraction to the pain of the exercise. Even better would be engaging in skillful sparring in the ring, making the VO2 max workout effective yet exciting.
Archetype Boxing Club, running organized group boxing classes, provides the accountability aspect which is critical for long term success. In addition, you’re learning a skill, so daily growth is apparent vs losing weight and getting stronger which can take time. Our coaches will help you through the process, give you a push when you need it, and provide a fun environment to learn. Getting in shape is a painful process, boxing is a deeply satisfying sport to learn, which helps mask the pain of the exercise.
Boxing requires more of you. The sport is challenging in many ways, which will require growth across multiple areas. For example, the coordination required to punch and move in various directions is great for longevity. Foot work in boxing is the hardest aspect of the sport, one which we spend a lot of time learning at the gym. As difficult as this aspect is to master, it’s also a fun part of the sport that students enjoy.
Sparring, if you choose to learn it, is amazing for self-defense skills and building confidence. The idea is to train to a level where you are calm and under control while sparring. It’s not a normal thing to be relaxed while punches are flying at you, however with time and skills, this activity becomes routine. A key aspect to self-defense is confidence. This type of confidence cannot be manifested, it must be built over time step by step. If one starts out in group boxing classes, migrates to the ring class and learns to spar, and puts the time in over the years, the skills will be there for you when you need them.
In summary, I truly hope you make exercise and better health a key goal for 2024, it's important our society make some changes and prioritize physical and mental health. Just make sure, you take some time and find a sport/hobby to help make this resolution stick. If you are reading this email, that means you created an account at Archetype Boxing Club in the past. Now is the time to act, schedule your first class and stop procrastinating. If you are a current member, maybe reach out to some friends and invite them to join you for a class. If we want to see our community get healthier and stronger, which is good for all of us, it requires everyone’s participation. No more sitting on the sidelines, time for action begins with the new year.
