Mirror Friendly & Friends – An Institution of Fitness Boxing – Andy Dumas

Hello! Tanya speaking 🙂

For those of you Mirror Friendly followers who have been reading my posts, you know that boxing is one of my favourite workouts. It provides a good mix of high intensity cardio activity with body weight to produce a super effective, very intense workout.

I’ve been boxing for over 7 years now, and in that time I’ve developed a good friendship with my boxing instructor and fellow fitness enthusiast Andy Dumas. With 4 best-selling boxing books under his belt, a fifth one recently released in Europe (to be released in North America this month), and several TV appearances, Andy Dumas is a highly sought after and well respected expert in the boxing and fitness community.

In this article, I sit down with Andy and chat with him about boxing and his recently released boxing book. If you are a boxing enthusiast or are curious to learn more about a boxing workout, then check out this interview!

Andy, what got you into boxing?

I’d have to say my father started my passion for boxing. He was a professional boxer and an incredible athlete, and although his fighting days were done when I came along, he stayed in such incredible shape. I was fascinated by how he kept himself so fit. He continued to do a boxers workout, such as hitting the heavy bag, skipping etc.. and it became my favorite workout. Here’s how my dad looked at 68… God Bless!

Who would you say boxing is for?

Fitness boxing is for those who want to experience the type of training a boxer goes through to get into top shape.

What do you love about boxing?

There is something pure about boxing.

The sweat equity these athletes put into their sport, the early morning runs, gruelling sparring sessions, focus mitt drills and bag work will demonstrate their incredible passion for boxing. Then they have to step into the ring and face an equally talented opponent. It requires an inner desire and dedication to build the skill, agility, power, and conditioning to compete in the sport.

One of my favorite boxers is champion Sergio Martinez and he said “I am not satisfied with ‘good enough’. I am the person you’ll see everyday training when everyone else has left the gym. Every time I compete, I try harder to improve on my last performance and give my very best effort”.

Please walk our followers through what a typical 1 hour boxing workout would be like?

Boxing is a total body workout. Fitness boxing replicates the most beneficial elements of a boxer’s workout, to maximize results in the shortest amount of time. It is a fun, effective, and dynamic routine that includes all aspects of boxing training.

A typical class would include:

a) Shadow boxing: Shadow boxing allows you to incorporate all elements of boxing movement. It is performed without a bag or a partner. The punches, footwork, and defensive moves are all combined to create a smooth routine.

b) Jump rope: Skipping or jump rope for several rounds, usually 3 to 4 minute rounds. Jump rope training is one of the best total body workouts and engages almost every muscle in the body.

c) Heavy bag drills: There is a great spontaneous creativity involved in hitting the heavy bag, with an endless number of punch combinations available. It is an exceptional workout that challenges your aerobic, anaerobic, and musculature systems. This would involve several 3 minute rounds of bag work plus punching sprints. Participants also have an opportunity to work on the speed bags and double-end bags.

d) Focus Mitts: We would also incorporate partner drills using Focus Mitts. Focus Mitt training is dynamic and is the closest thing to replicating a sparring session.

d) Medicine balls: Medicine ball drills are used to condition the abdominal muscles. After a proper cardio cool down, multiple drills are performed to condition the core muscles.

What would you tell someone who is new to boxing or is just contemplating starting? Either to do it competitively or for fitness like myself.

Fitness boxing provides an exhilarating and fun workout to help you achieve maximum results in the most efficient way possible. Improvements in muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, flexibility, and body composition can be achieved with the fitness boxing workout. By choosing a workout with a wide variety of fitness training options, setting realistic goals for yourself, making physical activity a priority in your everyday life, and adopting a healthy diet, you can acquire a superior overall physical conditioning and well-being.

For most, fitness boxing is enough. Hitting the heavy bag, working the speed bag and jumping rope provide a challenging, creative way to stay fit and release stress. Some, however, may want to take it a step further and participate in controlled sparring. If you are ready for the next challenge, find a serious boxing club, start to work with a trainer and get prepared to step into the ring.

How have things changed in the fitness boxing world? 

To me, the fitness world has finally caught up to boxing training. What I mean by that is, look at some of the most popular classes in North America. Classes such as HITT, Crossfit, and Bootcamp. What do they all have in common? They are interval classes. Short burst of high intensity intervals followed by short breaks. Boxing is the original interval workout.

Why create a workout routine based on a boxer’s training regimen? It is simple: because boxers are the best-conditioned athletes in the world. Boxers need the endurance to go the distance. As well, anaerobic conditioning is required for explosive bursts of speed and power. Superb coordination, muscular strength, power, foot speed, agility, aerobic endurance, and intense anaerobic bursts are the key elements of a successful boxer. At the highest level, boxers must be in superb physical condition and exhibit mental commitment and drive.

Tell me a little about your latest book and what was the inspiration behind writing it?

My newest book, Fitness Boxing: The Ultimate Workout, comes off the heels of Successful Boxing — The Ultimate Training Manual which was released in 2013.

I put everything into Successful Boxing, which is a book aimed at people that want to compete in the boxing ring. We had some incredible photography and several world champions contributing to it. I thought if that was the last book I ever I did, I would have been happy with that.

Our publisher surprised us about a month after we sent all the material out and said we love this, we’re looking to do some more titles, would you like to do a fitness boxing book aimed towards people who want to train like a boxer, but don’t necessarily want to get in the ring?

The result is Fitness Boxing: The Ultimate Workout which is an instruction manual on all of the fundamentals to training like a boxer, such as how to use speed bags, heavy bags and other equipment, how to train with focus mitts and move like a boxer.

I wanted the workouts, the descriptions and the photography to be the best because why do something if you’re just going to repeat yourself again?

With so many things on the go I don’t imagine you ever sitting still – so what’s next for you? 

There are two book projects I’m developing. One is another boxing book and the other one will be a manual on the fundamentals of tennis, which is another passion of mine. I’ve also been developing a fitness boxing programme that we can bring to gyms all over the world!

Thank you Andy for taking the time to share your passion for boxing with us. Whilst wishing you the best to luck I look forward to the release of your new book and fitness boxing programme.

To fitness with love,

Tanya