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Abdominal Exercises for Boxers

20 of the Best Abs Exercises for Boxers

What are the best abs exercises for boxers? Well, there’s a long list depending on what your preferences are, what your experience level is, and what kind of equipment you’re working with. Don’t worry though, no matter where you fall into the spectrum, we have you covered right here.

Broken down into four different categories, we have 20 of the best abs exercises for boxers. Bookmark the page, print it up and post it on the wall, whatever you have to do to get it done and get that rock solid, cut midsection that not only looks great, but keeps you fighting strong when you need to the most.

—> Check out the rest of our boxing training section for more training tutorials, how-tos, tips, and everything you need to know to hit the gym.

5 Best Basic Abs Exercises for Boxers

Everyone needs to start somewhere. These exercises are great introductions when you need to get into shape and build up some strength, and can still be incorporated into more advanced training sessions down the line.



  • Incline Ab Board: An incline abdominal board is a staple of every boxing gym. It allows you to do all variations of sit-ups at different angles, raising the difficulty level and also enabling these exercises to target a more complete range of your midsection, making them more effective.
  • Ab Roller: The Ab Roller used to get a bad rap as an infomercial product and not an effective workout tool. However, it’s actually a great tool to have on hand, and can be used to great affect for a boxer looking to strengthen his abs. You’ll get full extension, target the harder to reach lower abs, and train your abdominals in the way they were meant to be trained: stabilization.
  • Bird Dogs: Bird dogs are actually a yoga move, and they’re great for targeting your core, including your lower back and your obliques. Get down on your hands on knees. Lift your right arm straight in front of your care and your left leg straight behind you. Hold for 10 seconds, lower and then switch sides. Do several repetitions and sets.
  • Bicycle Crunches: Standard sit-ups and crunches aren’t very effective, but bicycle crunches add an extra element to them to raise the quality of the movement. In a standard crunch position, bring you knee forward and twist your body up to touch the opposite elbow to the knee. Continue alternating in this fashion.
  • Leg Lifts: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides and your legs straight in front of your body. Keeping your back on the floor and your legs straight, lift your legs until they are straight up, at a 90 degree angle. Slowly lower your legs until they are several inches off the floor, and then repeat. For added difficulty, hold your legs in the final position several inches off the floor for as long as possible at the final repetition of every set.

5 Plank Variations for Boxers

Planks are extremely effective for targeting your entire midsection, and you don’t need any equipment to perform them. Take a look at 5 different versions of this great exercise.

  • Standard Push-up Plank: Planks are a super effective way to for boxers to target their abs. It’s all about stabilization and support, which is how those muscles were designed to work. Get in up phase of a standard push-up position, but support your weight on your forearms, not your hands. Tighten your core and hold the position without moving for 30-60 seconds, rest, and repeat.
  • Incline Plank: Same concept as the standard push-up plank, but this time rest your feet on an elevated position. The higher the incline, the more difficulty.
  • Side Plank: Lie on the floor, resting on one side of your body, supporting yourself with one forearm. Raise your body off the floor and keep your body in a straight line, and tighten your core. Hold the position for 30 seconds, switch sides and repeat.
  • Side Plank with Elbow Touch: Instead of holding the side plank pose, once you’re all set, put your other hand behind your head, and twist your body so that your elbow touches the floor, and repeat for a complete set. Then switch sides and get the other half of your body.
  • Plank Walk-Outs: Get into a normal push-up position and keep your abs tight, then move one hand several inches in front of the other. Take a small “step” with the next hand, and keep on alternating in this fashion until your core is as stretched as possible and you won’t be able to support it at a greater distance. Bring your feet forward to regain a normal push-up position, and repeat.

5 Medicine Ball Exercises for Boxers



The medicine ball is one of the standard tools of the trade for boxing training. It can be used in many different ways, and here are a few great examples of abs exercises you can perform with them.

  • Russian Twists: Sit down with your knees bent in front of you, holding a medicine ball with both hands. Lift your feet off the ground and lean back at a 45 degree angle. Swing the medicine ball to one side of your body as far as you can go while maintaining your lean and keeping your feet suspended, and then swing the ball around to the other side of your body and repeat.
  • Rocky Solos: Sit down holding a medicine ball with your legs straight in front of you. Reach behind one side of your body and drop the medicine ball. Turn to the other side, grab the medicine ball, and swing it back around to where you originally dropped it. After doing several repetitions, switch sides and repeat.
  • Toe Touches: Lie down on your back holding a medicine ball, and bring your legs straight into the air at a 90 degree angle. Hold the medicine ball with your arms straight behind your head, then keeping your arms straight and your legs still, reach up and touch your toes with the medicine ball. Slowly lower the medicine ball and repeat.
  • Medicine Ball Situps (Single & Two-Person): You can perform standard sit-ups with the added weight of a medicine ball. But even better is if you have a training partner. Each of you can get into a situp position, facing one another with your feet almost touching. Hold the medicine ball, and when you sit all the way up, throw it to your partner, who will catch it, go down and throw it back on his way up.
  • Medicine Ball Reverse Crunches: Sit on the floor with your knees up, and place a medicine ball in between the bottom half of your legs, keeping it firmly in place. Lie back and then raise your legs up towards your chest to complete a reverse crunch while maintaining grasp of the medicine ball.

5 Best Advanced Abs Exercises for Boxers



When you’re ready to kick things up a notch and really put your abs and core to the test, start trying out these more advanced and difficult abs exercises for boxers, all of which will pay huge dividends.

  • Kettlebell Turkish Get-Ups: Lie down on your back with your legs straight out in front of you, and a kettlebell by your head. Grab the kettlebell in one hand, and hold it straight above your head. Begin sitting up and then with the support of your other hand, getting into a squatting position. Continue standing all the way until you’re straight up, still with the kettlebell extended over head. Lower yourself all the way back to the starting position, keeping your arm locked and your abs tight the entire time. Hold the kettlebell with your other hand for the next set.
  • Hanging Leg Raises: Using a doorway pullup bar, hang in a standard pullup position. Keeping your back straight and looking straight ahead, raise your knees towards your chest so that your shins end up parallel to the floor. Slowly lower and repeat.
  • Hanging Pikes: Begin the same way as the hanging leg raise, but as you raise your knees and bring them into your chest, push your feet straight up towards the ceiling in the angle of a ‘V’.
  • Swiss Ball Jackknifes: Get into an incline pushup position on a Swiss ball, and get your core muscles tight while resting your feet on the ball. Roll the ball forward with your feet and ankles and bring your knees all the way forward into your chest. Roll the ball back out and repeat.
  • Kettlebell Figure-8s: Standing up, hold a kettlebell in one hand. Bend your knees and keeping your back straight, bend forward. Swing the kettlebell in between your legs from front to back, standing straight up as you do so. Behind your body, switch hands, and swing the kettlebell around your body and back to the front. Swing the kettlebell back with the other hand this team and repeat.

There you have it! 20 of the best abs exercises for boxers across all different categories, equipment types and difficulty levels. Put these to work and let the results speak for themselves.