3 Excellent Weight Loss Exercises To Try

boxing for weight loss

Cardio And Weight Loss.  

Cardiovascular exercise, or ‘cardio’ is any kind of physical activity that elevates your heart rate for a sustained period of time. Put simply; cardio involves getting out of breath. So if you want to do swimming, you can – Boxing for weight loss? Absolutely 

Many people respond to the slightest mention of cardio with a hurl of disgust, shortly followed by a long list of transparent excuses. If you’re the same, worry not, I promise that your fate is not sealed – you’re just doing it wrong!  

“Wrong? How could I possibly be getting out of breath ‘wrong’?” 

If you hate every moment of cardio and have started avoiding it at all costs, then what you’ve got wrong is your choice of cardio. That's right… choice. The beauty of exercise is diversity, creativity, and ultimately choice. 

Why is cardio sometimes seen in such bad light? 

The reason why a lot of people hate (or think they hate) cardio, is because they believe that it either involves hours on a treadmill, or 45 minutes in an overly intense spin class

Fortunately for all, this is not the case! 

“Cardiovascular exercise or ‘cardio’ is any kind of physical activity that elevates your heart rate for a sustained period of time.”  

Extra emphasis to be made on the ‘any,’ I really do mean it, anything that elevates your heart rate, is cardio.  

The relationship between cardio and weight loss.  

When it comes to weight loss, calories are king. In order to lose body fat, it is essential that you consume fewer calories then what is burnt off, or burn off more calories then what is consumed.

This is called achieving a calorie deficit.  

When you are in a calorie deficit, your body turns to other sources of energy in order to maintain function and keep up with the body's demands; This energy source is usually body fat.  

Below are some fantastic cardio exercises that you can try to make your weight loss more enjoyable.   


Boxing is a popular combat sport that is homage to some of the most physically fit athletes in the world. Professional boxers have to be lean, fit, and powerful. 

To emulate boxer's training methods and achieve similar fitness levels, there is no take on full contact sparring sessions or even step onto a ring.

weight loss exercise

There are plenty of boxing-inspired circuits that you can do that are incredibly effective forms of cardio, and along with a good diet, will lead to weight loss.  

Boxing exercises for weight loss (circuit)

  1. Shadowboxing
  2. Bodyweight squats
  3. Heavy bag
  4. Burpees
  5. Skipping
  6. Kettlebell swings
  7. Push-ups
  8. Heavy bag 

Perform each exercise for 1 minute, rest 30 seconds between sets, and go through all of the exercises 3 times for an intense HIIT workout. 


Sometimes seen as boring and too 'leisurely' to be a good form of cardio, jogging is, in fact, an incredibly effective weight loss exercise.  

The calories burned jogging for 30 minutes is around 270, although, this number is heavily dependant on your body weight and jogging pace.  

calories burned jogging

To increase the calorie burn and weight loss effectiveness, try running off-road; cross country and trail running make jogs just that extra little bit more effective. 

Tabata Workouts.

'Tabata' is a form of high-intensity interval training that can help you to lose weight, build muscle, and improve flexibility.  

The basics of Tabata's workouts are that each exercise is only performed for a maximum of 4 minutes.

  • 20-seconds working intensely
  • 10 seconds rest
  • 8 rounds of each exercise

The beauty of Tabata training is that it can be done with any sequence of exercises.

The best Tabata exercises for weight loss.  

  1. Push-ups
  2. Bodyweight squats
  3. Sprints
  4. Burpees

4 really simple exercises that when performed in the Tabata method, can be incredibly effective for cardio and weight loss.  

best tabata exercises for weight loss

A note to leave with.  

Cardio is one of the most effective tools that anybody can use on their weight loss journey.

The most important thing to consider is what cardio do you enjoy, and how can you make it as effective as possible.

What is so great about cardio is that you can adjust the intensity to suit your mood, and it will always be effective as long as you put enough effort in.  

Boxing for weight loss isn't the first thing that comes to mind, but it sure is effective! Tabata training sound too complicated? Just give it a go, you'll get the hang of it in no time. 

As for jogging– what could be better than a steady run through the great outdoors.

Eat well, keep active, and stay positive – results are sure to follow!