Imagine moving like Mayweather, jabbing like Klitschko, even developing a terrifying Tyson-like scowl while at the same time getting ripped like Amir Khan. Sorry, those first three won’t happen. However, it’s still possible to improve your fight game—even without the use of any boxing equipment such as gloves, a heavy bag, or the risk of getting knocked out—and burn enough fat to give yourself a world-championship physique.

Shadow boxing is a staple for fighters—it’s also a sneaky killer cardio workout. While burning upward of 400 calories per hour, shadow boxing also helps you develop foot speed, hand-eye coordination, and technique. And best of all, it can be done anywhere, anytime for a quick and heart-pumping fight session.

“Shadow boxing is a great full-body workout with minimal impact,” boxing instructor Cole Williams says. “Every punch is like a pulley system, working your hips, core, and shoulders—just shredding your body.“

Of course, Williams, one of the coaches at L.A.’s newly-launched BoxUnion studio, would much prefer if you’d sign up for one of his signature high-impact, higher-energy boxing classes. But if SoCal isn’t your locale, there’s no reason why you can’t make the beach, your office, virtually anywhere your ring with Williams’ 30-minute, full-body shadow boxing workout.

For half an hour, you’ll be throwing hooks and jabs, running all-out quick sprints, even dropping for a few burpees, leaving your arms and legs trembling, lungs gasping, and heart rate elevated to full fat-burning mode.

“This workout can be done at home, in the backyard, park, gym, and hotel room,” Williams says. “The only thing you need is an open mind! No equipment necessary. Just have fun!”

Just make sure to hydrate, because you will sweat, Williams says. Pick a good playlist (Williams suggests G-Eazy’s “Good Life” as a good intro). Then get punchin’.

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The Warmup

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The Main Event */

FINAL ROUND: Perform each exercise in 60-second intervals)

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Cool Down

Catch your breath and perform a light stretch. “Take a moment to appreciate your ability to move the way you just did,” Williams says.

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People lift for a variety of reasons, whether it’s to increase mass, strength, power or some other factor. And the way they go about achieving their fitness goals is the source of debate across internet forums. Everything from ideal training splits, sets, reps, and even rest intervals are sources of debate. Despite these differences in details, one underlying principle unites these lifters – an understanding that programming matters. Poorly designed programming can leave you in a suboptimal state, which will impact your ability to reach your goals, or worse leave you susceptible to injury.

One concept that lifters should take into account when assessing their program is that they’re addressing the following fundamental movement patterns:

• Hinge
• Squat
• Push
• Pull
• Lunge
• Carry

While you don’t have to incorporate each movement pattern into all of your workouts, it would be wise to assess whether you’re performing a sufficient amount of each movement at some point over the course of your training program.

Failure to address each movement pattern can lead to muscle imbalances and a higher susceptibility to injury down the line. In addition to that, because the muscles operate as groups, if you have a weakness somewhere in your “chain,” your overall strength goals will suffer.

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Lifters may overlook one of the fundamental movement patterns for a variety of reasons. Often, lifters choose to abandon an entire movement because they experience discomfort performing a specific exercise. Exercises make up movement patterns, but they’re not the stand alone movement pattern.

If a certain exercise gives you trouble for whatever reason rather than abandoning exercises from that movement find ways to incorporate other user-friendly exercises from that movement pattern.

Another common reason is tunnel vision on improving a specific lift when designing a program. While specificity and overload are necessities for training progress, you don’t want to totally neglect the other movements.

Lastly, some lifters do make an effort to address each of these movements in their programs but it might not be in a balanced fashion. We have a tendency to gravitate towards movements we excel at rather than ones we have more difficulty with. In addition to this, we have to consider what movements/postures we utilize throughout the course of our day not just in a gym.

This is why it’s common for many trainers as an example to recommend 2:1 pull to push ratios to provide some balance from slouching in front of a computer for 8 hours. Some ways you could go about evaluating your program is comparing strength ratios across movements, total reps performed of each movement or an honest assessment of movement quality for each movement.

Here are some strategies to ensure you address any of the fundamental movement patterns that you might be underutilizing in your program.

1. User Friendly Alternatives: we all have different biomechanics structures, past injury histories, and exercise competencies. Finding suitable alternatives for the different movements will vary among individuals, common alternatives include using things like: landmines, trap bars, resistance bands, altering grips, angles on exercises, and stances.
2. Bodyweight Warm Up Circuit: one easy way to ensure you address each of the fundamental movements is to start each warm up with a bodyweight mobility circuit where you utilize each movement. This serves as an effective way to increase the frequency that you preform underutilized movements
3. Use an overlooked movement as part of your conditioning session: Dedicating a conditioning session to loaded carries is an easy way to address that movement if it’s overlooked. But any of the other movements can easily be programmed in by using things like the rowing ergometer (pulls) or MetCons for thrusters (squat/push) or kettlebell swings (hinge).

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There’s something intensely satisfying about lifting with barbells. After all, there’s nothing like loading up a bunch of steel and conquering a new personal best in the deadlift. But when push comes to press, dumbbells offer a lot more versatility. They don’t need much space, and you can find them anywhere, from the dinkiest hotel fitness center to your uncle’s garage.

With just a few pairs of weights, this dumbbell-only routine will hit the major muscle groups in your body, and in only 30 minutes a day.

Why it works

Dumbbells allow you to train one side of your body at a time, which is great for curing any strength imbalances you’ve developed. And because each limb moves independently, your core has to brace harder to prevent you from tipping to one side. Hello, six-pack.

Directions

Frequency: Do this workout three times per week, in the following sequence, resting at least a day between each session.

How to do it: Perform as straight sets, completing all the prescribed sets for one exercise before moving on to the next. On all one-handed (or one-legged) moves, repeat with opposite limb. That’s one set.

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For generations of fitness enthusiasts, Muscle & Fitness Magazine has been the holy grail for all things fitness, strength, nutrition and physique transformation, along with the world’s fittest celebrities. Last month it was announced that Muscle & Fitness and the iconic Olympia Fitness & Performance event brand were sold to JW Media, an Arizona-based fitness media and events company.

Today, Muscle & Fitness is announcing the completion of phase one of a fully integrated digital strategy, a process that included staff transitioning, content expansion, original programming development, and an overall shift in visitor engagement.

Dan Solomon, Muscle & Fitness President and Chief Olympia Officer explains, “Our consolidation of high-profile media brands has put us in a powerful position to build an unmatched customer engagement program. We’ve created a fully digital, social media and event program unlike anything in the category. Utilizing our 4 brands, advertisers can now reach more than 17 million fitness minded social media followers, while our digital audience at MuscleandFitness.com includes nearly 3 million fit-focused monthly visitors.” Solomon adds, “We can also provide opportunities for companies to connect with their target customers at Olympia Weekend, an annual showcase of top brands and elite athletes attended by serious fitness enthusiasts.”

Home to the category’s most diverse content mix, Muscle & Fitness covers the biggest and fittest names in Hollywood along with star athletes in all major sports, anchored by its signature coverage of the bodybuilding and fitness lifestyle. Chief Content Officer Zack Zeigler shares, “With the world dealing with the current health crisis, we understand how important it is to provide our audience with enough engaging content to help get them through a challenging time.”

The portfolio of premium fitness properties acquired by new owner Jake Wood includes the prestigious OLYMPIA WEEKEND along with MUSCLE & FITNESS, FLEX and M&F HERS, a series of brands (formerly print publications) founded by bodybuilding and fitness pioneer Joe Weider.

Learn more about the new, one-of-a-kind fitness marketing and customer engagement opportunity with this 60-second program summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7r7yHWUQDI

About Muscle & Fitness and the Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend:
Muscle & Fitness, a flagship fitness media brand, is dedicated to covering the global fitness industry, regularly introducing visitors and followers to trends in training, nutrition, gear, technology and celebrity content. Powered by a digital and social media portfolio that also includes FLEX and M&F HERS, the combined multi-brand reach across all channels is among the largest in the category. — Created by bodybuilding and fitness pioneer Joe Weider, the Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend is a Las Vegas showcase event, home to the world championships of professional bodybuilding & fitness, and a business to consumer trade show destination for the fitness industry’s leading brands and enthusiasts. For more information visit MuscleandFitness.com and MrOlympia.com.