A Personal Trainer will provide you with Motivation to train and Accountability to stick to your goal. However, there are other very important reasons a Personal Trainer is beneficial whether you are a newbie to exercise or even a seasoned veteran. These are SAFETY and TECHNIQUE.

It is important that early in your progression from non-exerciser to fitness fanatic that you are taught the correct technique in all exercises. This will help prevent injuries (which can  lead to lengthy time off), it will ensure you are getting the most out of your exercise and educate you on how to look for correct form.

Training with bad technique can lead to imbalances in your posture, niggling or even serious injury and can lead to a plateau in your results. A good Personal Trainer should always assess and correct your technique in all exercises including the “easy ones”.

SAFETY is something a Personal Trainer can ensure during a workout for people of all fitness levels. Whether you are lifting heavy weights or using the treadmill for the first time. Exercising with someone who is knows how to “spot” your lifts and ensure you’re training environment is free of hazards allows you to free your mind, put your trust in them and just concentrate on the exercise.

If you are interested in learning more of the benefits of Personal Training feel free to call 1300 NEWLEVEL to talk to a trainer, or fill out our 3 FREE Session offer on this website.

At New Level Personal Training our trainers often use boxing as an alternative cardio workout to the more common treadmill and exercise bike. Boxing is a fantastic cardio workout and the routine variations provide enjoyable sessions for our clients.

As mentioned boxing is great for cardio fitness, but also has the added benefit of upper body toning, specifically the upper back, shoulders and arms. Many clients enjoy the boxing component of their PT session as it provides some much needed stress release.

It is important to get your boxing technique correct before you add it into your workout routine. Correct technique will ensure your punches are effecient and powerful and of course will prevent injury.

There are 4 basic punches in boxing:

• Jab
• Cross
• Hook
• Uppercut

Today we will focus on the first two, the jab and cross. These two punches form the basis for lots of boxing routines used for boxing fitness.

Before throwing any punch it is important to get your stance correct.

The Stance:

For an orthodox boxer (right handed) the left foot is forward and the toes are facing the direction you are punching. The back foot is slightly to the side and the heel is off the ground. It is important to be soft through the knees and hips.

The Guard Position:

The guard position is a great starting position for a beginner as it teaches the boxer to keep their arms up and provides a good starting position for throwing the jab and cross punches.

To prepare the guard you need to take the correct stance, tuck your elbows into your ribs and bring your thumbs into your cheeks.

The Jab:

For an orthodox boxer the jab is performed with the left hand. From the guard position extend the arm all the way out and turn the shoulder slightly with the punch. This is a quick straight movement and used as a fend off punch. Once extended you need to pull back to the guard position as fast of possible, ready for the next punch.

The Cross:

For an orthodox boxer the cross is performed with the right hand. The cross is a powerful punch and that power comes from performing a pivot of the back foot. It is important to keep a slight bend in the elbow upon impact to save hyperextention of the joint given the power in the punch.

Easy Combination:

A great beginner combination is a simple LEFT – RIGHT.  This can be repeated serveral times always concentrating on the basics like, fast retraction of your punches, correct stance, pivot and high hands guard position.

Once you have mastered this combination and these punches they can be worked into a varied boxing routine with your trainer. When ready your trainer will teach you the other punches to add further variations to your boxing session.

Check out the video above for a demonstration on the correct boxing technique. If you are interested in learning more about boxing training call 1300 NEWLEVEL or fill out our 3 FREE Session offer on this website.