11 Boxing Class Ideas to Supercharge Your Sessions

Incorporating some creative boxing class ideas into your sessions is a great way of ensuring that your class members are engaged, and that they want to keep coming back for more. In this article, we’ll run through 11 fun boxing class ideas that you can implement to keep your members motivated to move.

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11 Unique Boxing Class Workout Ideas

#1 - Pyramid Jab Drills Are One Of The Best Boxing Class Ideas For Building Upper Body Strength

First up on our list of fun boxing class ideas are pyramid jab drills. This is a progressive drill that aims to build up the number of jabs thrown with each 1-2 combination; here's how you can incorporate them into your boxing classes:

1. Ask participants to begin by performing 1 jab, followed by 1 cross.
2. They should then perform 2 jabs, followed by 1 cross, and then 3 jabs, followed by 1 cross.
3. Participants should keep following this pattern until they’ve reached 10 jabs, followed by 1 cross.
4. Then, they should work their way back down the “pyramid”, throwing 9 jabs and a cross, followed by 8 jabs etc.

The repetitive and progressive nature of these drills will raise the heart rate and get the arms heated up! 

The fast movement requires engaging the shoulders to both hold up the arms and repeatedly extend and retract them. This is how it targets the shoulder muscles. 

Firing lots of jabs requires boxers to keep their arms up, without becoming fatigued. The more your members practise these drills, the greater their muscular endurance and stamina will be.

Pyramid jabs can be performed either:

• In pairs, using a pad 
• On a bag
• By shadowboxing 

#2 - Integrate Progressive Intervals Into Your Boxing Classes

If you’re looking for a fun way of getting your members’ hearts pumping, then using progressive intervals is one of the best cardio boxing class ideas.

Progressive intervals work by adding a movement onto the drill as you progress through the rounds. As the rounds get more intense you’re increasing class members’ endurance.

The benefits of this are similar to the benefits of HIIT training. By increasing the intervals steadily by intensity, the short, repetitive bursts are a great way of building stamina as well as shredding fat. 

Below is an example of how you could combine several boxing movements together to form your own progressive intervals: 

Below is an example of these boxing class ideas that you could include as your own sequence:

• Round 1: One-two jab, Cross
• Round 2: One-two jab, Cross, Right Hook
• Round 3: One-two jab, Cross, Right Hook, Left Hook
• Round 4: One-two jab, Cross, Right Hook, Left Hook, Right Uppercut

Class members should complete this drill in pairs, spending 2 minutes on each round, with 30 seconds rest once completed. Ask participants to use this time to swap their gloves and pads.

Each person should complete each round, before the pair moves onto the next one.

#3 - Using AMRAP Training is Another One of Our Fun Boxing Class Ideas

As a form of HIIT training, AMRAP stands for ‘As Many Rounds as Possible’. This means getting your class members to do as many rounds of an exercise cycle as they possibly can, seeing if they can improve each time you teach the class!

This is one of the best boxing class workout ideas because they’re easy for tracking progress and have all the benefits of interval training for your class members’ cardiovascular health.

In fact, participants’ heart rates will rise massively to approximately 85 to 90% of their maximum meaning this is a great aerobic exercise for heart health, burning fat and maintaining weight loss!

They’ll also continue burning calories for hours after the class, as their bodies require more oxygen to keep working and to replace the energy deficit caused by high intensity exercise.

You can choose any drills for these boxing class ideas but you should mix punches with other exercises. 

This way you’ll be targeting several muscle groups whilst also boosting them to become cardio boxing class ideas.

For example:

• 20 right jab, left cross, right hook
• 20 jumping jacks
• 20 left jac, right cross, left hook
• 20 box jumps

Class members should see how many rounds they can do in 10 minutes.

You won’t have set intervals for rest so invite your class members to take these when they feel they really need it and take plenty of water breaks during classes that include these boxing class ideas. 

You can change this up each time or retain this as an exercise you have within the class, seeing people improve each time!

#4 - The ‘Domino Effect’ Drill is Another One of the Best Group Boxing Class Ideas

Next on our list of fun boxing class ideas that you could implement is the ‘domino effect’ drill. 

This allows class members to work on their agility and coordination, by helping to improve their footwork. 

Good footwork is a crucial skill for successful boxers, and by incorporating fast movements and speed challenges into your boxing class you’ll be helping to develop these skills.

As well as being one of the best bicep exercises, they also target the triceps and delts. Maintaining the punching movement for the entire round also tests the cardiovascular fitness of your participants.

The more that they practice this drill, the faster they’ll be able to perform it, and the longer they’ll be able to sustain punching movements when up against an opponent.

To perform this drill:

1. Split the class into two lines facing each other, boxers on one side and pad holders standing opposite them
2. The boxers should perform 10 straight punches on the pad holder opposite them, then move to the right to the next pad holder
3. The boxer on the farthest right of the line should then peel back and sprint back to the first pad holder on the opposite end.
4. Repeat this until the original pairings are in front of each other again, or for 2-minute rounds if your group is smaller.
5. Have a 1-minute rest, then swap boxers and pad holders.

#5 - Use Resistance Bands To Add Difficulty To Boxing Class Workout Ideas

Another thing you can do for more fun boxing class ideas is use the best resistance bands to add difficulty!

They work by making simple movements, like a basic jab or uppercut, tougher, thanks to the additional level of resistance the muscles need to push through to complete the action.

There are a few different ways that resistance bands can be incorporated into your class:

Shadow Boxing Class Workout Ideas

This can then be used to work on their punching motion, with the added resistance helping to improve how fast and forcefully they can punch as their strength improves over time.

Using resistance bands for shadowboxing will also help participants to develop their defensive skills, as the range of motion encourages them to keep their arms and elbows in tight.

If you choose to use resistance bands for shadow boxing, ask participants to wrap the band around their upper back and hook it underneath the arms, whilst gripping a handle in each hand.

Try Focus Mitts Boxing Class Ideas Whilst Using a Resistance Band

The next step up is using focus mitts at the same time as resistance bands. This is where class members would work with a partner who wears focus mitts and hits whilst wearing the resistance bands.

Using resistance bands helps to improve explosive movements and is a massive test of strength whilst using focus mitts increases agility.

Using focus mitts and resistance bands together will also help your class members develop:

• Speed
• Defence skills
• Hand-eye coordination
• Punching technique

To implement these boxing class ideas, class members should have the resistance bands around their shoulders and stretch the band as they punch. 

You should split your class into two and make sure everybody has a turn at holding the mitts and using the bands.

#6 - Playing Boxing Musical Chairs is One of the Most Fun Ideas for Boxing Classes

Musical chairs may sound like a children’s party game, but it’s also one of the most fun and highly effective group boxing class ideas.

You would divide the group into two and when the music stops, rather than sitting down, boxers have to find a class member with a pad and start freestyle punching.

This is a great activity to include in your warm up, as it helps to increase heart rates, whilst warming up muscles within the arms, shoulders, and legs for the main boxing session.

This activity is particularly ideal if you have an uneven number of participants in your class, which can make it difficult to perform the usual types of partner drills.

To begin:

1. Divide the group into two, with one half being the boxers and the other half the pad holders. Ask the pad holders to stand in a circle facing outwards.
2. As you start the music, boxers should run around the outside of the circle. When the music stops, they should then find a pad holder and start freestyle punching.
3. The boxer who is left out should go into the middle of the circle and perform burpees until the music starts again, before rejoining the group.
4. After a few rounds, swap the boxers and pad holders over.

Be sure to keep the music paused for only 20 to 30 seconds, so that rest periods are short, and participants can really get their hearts pumping.

Fun ideas like this can help you stand out as a PT or instructor. For more tips of being a better fitness professional, check out our other articles below:

• What Makes a Good Fitness Instructor?
• 47 of the Most Useful Personal Trainer Software
• Personal Trainer Marketing Strategies and Tips

#7 - Saturation Drills Are An Easy Way To Include Cardio in Your Boxing Class Ideas

In terms of ideas for boxing classes, pace is a huge factor so you need to find the right drills that harness both speed and precision. Saturation drills strike the perfect balance.

This is interval training made up of fast-paced partner drills which will put both the cardiovascular fitness and coordination of your participants to the test.

There should be light, quick movements to exhaust muscles within the:

• Arms
• Shoulders
• Core

Training to failure means going to the point where a class member cannot complete any more reps with proper form.

This massively helps to build muscle strength and density over time and is a great way to push class members to the limit!

We’d recommend choosing 3 boxing drills, which class members will perform for 60 to 90 seconds, with 30 seconds rest in between each drill.

The partners will then swap gloves and pads, and repeat. Here are some examples of saturation drills that you could incorporate into your boxing classes:

• Crunch and Punch- One boxer stands with pads, whilst the other lies down on the floor, then crunches up and punches the pads. Begin with 2 punches and 2 crunches, then 4 punches and 2 crunches, up until they reach 10.
• Jab and Hook- Perform a jab, cross, and left hook, then pause, and perform a cross, jab, and right hook, before repeating. 

#8 - Include Agility Ladders in Your Boxing Class Ideas

Another one of the best boxing class ideas is to include agility ladders. These can be used with punching or just to develop footwork of class members. 

Doing these quick precise movements are great cardio for warm-ups but they can also help to improve:

• Balance
• Coordination
• Speed

As well as being used for performing effective cardio drills, moving between the rungs of an agility ladder can improve speed, coordination, and balance.

By forcing them to move more quickly, this also helps participants to improve their footwork, which is crucial for maintaining a strong defence.

You should spend around 30 seconds to one minute on each exercise, or even combine them as part of some of the other drills on our list!

Below are some moves you could incorporate into a routine for these boxing class ideas.

• Moving laterally- Put the right foot forward, with a slight bend. Then, ask participants to jump side to side across the ladder, switching direction when they reach the end.
• 2 steps forward, 1 step back- This involves working up and down the ladder. Keep one leg in front with a slight bend, then ask members to jump two steps forward, before taking up a defensive position by taking one step back.

#9 - Try Using a Slipping Chord for Boxing Class Ideas for Coordination

This style of drill involves your class members moving back and forth down a slipping chord for one minute, whilst throwing a combination of punches simultaneously.

You should attach it around chest height so that class members have to duck below it and be coordinated whilst punching.

This is one of the best boxing class ideas for practicing defensive skills such as ducking and dodging, as well as for improving reaction times.

It also teaches members how to synchronise the following, which improves coordination and agility:

• Head
• Hands
• Feet

Also, class members will have to engage the main leg muscles to get under the line. This means you’ll be targeting:

• Quadriceps
• Glutes
• Hamstrings

To perform drills using slipping line you could do something like the following:

1. Begin on the left-hand side of the line
2. To move across to the right, ask participants to step onto the right foot, bend the knees, and duck, to bring their bodies under the line.
3. Once they’ve reached the right-hand side, they should then throw a cross with the right arm.
4. Repeat on the left-hand side.

This drill should be performed for a minute and repeated at least 5 times, with a short period of rest in between each round.

#10 - Ladder Circles Are Another Good Drill For Group Boxing Classes

Ladder circles are another of our cardio boxing class ideas. Similar to musical chairs, there’s a circle of class members wearing pads each paired with a boxer.

The boxers punch a certain number of times before running round the circle and you can scale this up and then down again.

The repetitive punching movement involved in this drill puts a large demand on the biceps and triceps, as well as muscles such as the deltoids within the shoulders.

This means that the more your members practice this drill, the greater their muscular endurance will be, the stronger their arms will become, and the more effective their punches will be!

To set up this activity, split the group into two halves, with one half being the boxers, and the other half being pad holders. 

Ask the pad holders to stand in a circle facing outwards, and then:

1. Boxers should perform 50 punches with their pad holder, then run clockwise round the outside of the circle until they are back with their partner.
2. Perform the same movement for 40 reps, all the way down to 10, running round the circle in between. 
3. Once participants have reached 10, they should work their way back up again.
4. Stop when the slowest pair finishes 10 reps, then swap boxers and pad holders over.

#11 - Combine Several of These for Boxing Circuit Class Ideas

The final option on our list of creative boxing class ideas is to combine several drills to form a circuit.

This is a great way of creating a full body workout for your class members, which targets all of the key muscle groups.

The continuous movement that is required during circuit-style boxing training will help your class members to increase their cardiovascular and muscular endurance levels.

As circuit training involves performing a high number of reps for each exercise, this recruits slow-twitch muscle fibres, which allow you to sustain exercise for longer.

Over time, particularly if you integrate circuit training into your sessions frequently, participants will be able to exercise for longer without feeling fatigued.

We’d recommend putting 8 to 10 exercises together, which could be a mixture of boxing drills and more traditional strength and conditioning exercises.

Some boxing circuit class ideas that you could include are:

• Shadow boxing
• 2 steps forward, 1 step back
• Burpees
• Skipping
• Crunch and punch

Once you’ve chosen the exercises, set the stations up in a circle. Ask members to work in pairs, one with pads and one with gloves.

Each pair should complete an entire round of the circuit, before swapping pads and gloves and completing the circuit again.

Before You Go!

You should now have all of the inspiration that you need to implement some fun boxing class ideas into your sessions!

Don’t forget that the best way to develop as a class instructor is to complete a Level 3 personal trainer course. In doing so, you can begin training clients on a one-to-one basis, offering beneficial insight on how they can improve their technique.

More information on this course can be found by downloading our free course prospectus here.