Boxing
Boxing is one of the most physically demanding sports at all levels, due to the fact that the pace of the fight is often undetermined, you will only get a chance to rest during the minute breaks between rounds.
Injuries are more often associated with blows from the opponent, however the biceps and shoulders need to be well maintained, and also good care with the hands and wrists, as these are often damaged in either training or fighting.
The warm-up will generally be in two parts, firstly conditioning training, i.e. running and bodywork, and secondly bag work - sparring - drills. Running and conditioning training for serious boxers, normally will take place in the early hours, often when its cold, so aim to keep warm with suitable clothing, spend a minimum of 5 minutes light jogging prior to performining the quick stretch routine once you feel your body is warm. Any bag work or sparring should only be performed when the body is supple and warm, and for this reason an active / passive warm-up combining skipping and warm clothing is best recommended.
You will generally begin sweating before commencing the static warm-up stretches, remain warm throughout each stretch with suitable clothing and 1 minutes skipping after every fourth stretch. Combine these stretches with the following sports specific stretches.
Following your static stretches perform suitable dynamic stretches that mimic the movements associated with boxing, i.e. side bends, front, rear and side lunges and a complete array of upper body movements. Begin any bag work with punches at a closer range and reduced power than normal, slowly building up both power and distance.
It's important to take in fluid regularly throughout the warm-up and stretching phase, and also to keep stretching whilst in the workout / sparring period to help maintain a greater range of movement, and thus increase not only your reach, but also your defensive action and reaction times.
The cool down should consists again of light skipping for 10 minutes to allow the blood to re- circulate throughout the body, as the muscles particularly those of the biceps and shoulders will be contracted or bruised after being hit. Perform the static cool-down stretches, holding each stretch for 15+ seconds, before increasing the stretch (developmental) for a further 15 seconds. Remove any sweat regularly with a towel to prevent the muscles becoming cold and tight.