Million Dollar Baby: The chronicles of my boxing workouts

Though I workout with a personal trainer 3 times a week, I still make it a point to show my face in LA Fitness on my off days. At least twice a week I try to take a class (spin, yoga, etc) or get in a run on the treadmill. The Scottsdale location has a Thursday night Club Boxing class that I was eager to try. Since I've had boxing incorporated into my workouts the past 2 months I've really developed a love of the sport for fitness purposes. I was curious to see what this class was all about but within minutes of arriving I knew I was in for a shock. Turns out my trainer has been spoiling me by wrapping my hands. I guess everywhere else in the world you're taught how to wrap your own hands.

*crickets*

I was able to freestyle a bit, but I could easily tell the difference between having a professional wrap and my bootleg job. Luckily, my trainer made a video on how he wraps hands and I wanted to share! For anyone that is looking for a secure, snug, yet still comfortable hand-wrapping technique check out this video:

Million Dollar Baby: The chronicles of my boxing workouts

Boxing. Many people think it's a sport for meat heads or inner city kids, but boxing is one of the top total body workouts you can do. Back in July I started training with former boxer and personal trainer Chris Terry (owner of 1on1 Boxing Fitness) and quickly became a fan of the sport for fitness purposes.

When I learned that jumping rope would be a part of my daily warm-up I smiled thinking I had this in the bag. Boy oh boy, was I wrong! That first month jumping rope proved to be one of the biggest obstacles I faced. Years spent jumping rope on the playground or double dutch in the middle of the street with my cousins (though I turned "double handed" so they didn't want me to play -- whatever "double handed" means lol) did not prepare me for that first month. Jumping rope like a boxer is not an easy task, but what took me a month to figure out can take you 5 minutes (and some practice).

The key to jumping rope is being light on your feet. I used to think the faster I turned the rope, the harder the workout would be... but it's just the opposite. Being quick with the rope and light on your feet makes it easier on your calves. As someone with flat feet this also eased the strain on my nonexistent arches. Realizing this was like having the heavens part and the workout Gods shine down on me.

Another thing I quickly learned was that the rope you use does matter. Before I would grab the lightweight ropes with basic handles thinking it would work the same, but that's not the case. Through trial and error I discovered that the heavier plastic ropes with trigger like handles work the best ------>

I used to go in the gym and see other ladies jumping rope like freaking pros! It was very intimidating and I thought I'd never master it. I kept at my steady pace, struggling along the way, until one day I grabbed the ropes they were using and told myself I wasn't going to stop jumping until I could go fast. Well, guess what... I finally got it. I was thrilled when I was breezing thru my workouts and it really made a world of difference.

Jumping rope really is one of the BEST cardio workouts you can do. The typical 150 lb person can burn up to 10.5 calories per minute (yes... per minute) or 630 calories per hour. Even if you can't afford personal training or a gym membership, a jump rope is something you should own. Turn on your iPod and jump away the excess pounds.

Below are 2 videos that can help you get started.