Kick Butt in 15 Minutes

Here is a quick 15 minute workout to compliment any training program and a few tips on how to stay healthy while hitting the bag or shadows. Put on your favorite tunes and repeat the whole series twice for a 30 minute workout. Follow your workout with stretching the arms and shoulders.

Warm Up with arm circles, leg swings and knee circles. Follow this with 3 minutes of jumping rope. Next start your shadow box routine.

Jab, Jab, Jab Cross – combination 1

Jab, Cross, Hook, Squat – combination 2

Upper Cuts to the middle – combination 3

Perform each combination with the right side lead for 1 minute than add 3 minutes of jump rope. Follow up with the left side lead for 1 minute of each combination and 3 minutes of jump rope. You may repeat the entire routine for a complete 30 minute workout.

Jab:

Split stance with feet wide and one foot in front. Punch the lead leg arm forward keeping elbow down, shoulders relaxed, and slight rotation of the wrist on punch forward. After the reach pull the elbow towards the ribs and hand returns under chin. Common mistakes include: elbow rotates out to side and torques the head of the shoulder.

Cross:

Split stance with feet wide and one foot in front. Punch the back leg arm forward keeping elbow down, shoulders relaxed, and slight rotation of the wrist on punch forward and hip rotation. After the reach pull the elbow towards the ribs and hand returns under chin. Common mistakes include: elbow rotates out to side and torques the head of the shoulder and feet stay in a straight line instead of wide position.

Hook:

Split stance with feet wide and one foot in front. Rear arm lifts to the side with elbow parallel to the floor and rotates around toward the front with slight rotation of the wrist and hip rotation. After the reach pull the elbow towards the ribs and hand returns under chin. Common mistakes include: winding up the hooking hand behind the body.

Upper Cut:

Star in a wide athletic stance with palms facing each other. Dip rib cage down to hip with elbow and press upward to center. Alternate sides and rotate palm towards body as you lift upwards. Common mistakes include: Using only the arms and not engaging the legs or core into the movement.

Jumping rope:

Twirl the rope from the wrists, not the forearms and keep your jumps low to the ground.

Andrea Metcalf is a certified Kickboxing Instructor through the ISCA and has trained fitness instructors throughout the Midwest with the ISCA Kickboxing certification.