Is there a difference for boxing workouts?

[lisa_la_machina]

In my never-ending effort to balance my "I must buy every fitness toy available" desire with my "I want to declutter my home" desire, I'm wondering the following: is there a true, measurable difference between wearing 1lb weighted gloves vs. wearing 12oz Everlast training gloves (the one's Cathe wears) during boxing workouts?

Let it all out! Either assure me that my current approach (1lb gloves) is just as good, or enable me to add to my fitness toy closet.

Thanks!

Lisa

 

[MeghanK]

Since you self-proclaim to have every fitness toy.. what are your top 3 MUST HAVEs!

 

[tlc93]

Depending on the workout and punching drills, I wear my 1lb weights and get really decent upper body and core work . If there's a lot of jumping jacks and such, NO weights. I've hit myself in the head , face.....embarrassing! If there's heavy bag, definitely wear the gloves.

 

[firemedic]

I've had shoulder issues in the past so I am very careful, so I prefer the heavy gloves. I use 16oz gloves and find that the weight is better with a larger glove than a hand one. It seems to make it easier on my shoulder joint when doing the punches, esp. hooks. Then I can also do the cardio with no problems.

 

[FiddleFit]

If you're going to punch a heavy bag, get the boxing gloves. Otherwise the 1lb weighted gloves are just fine for your conditioning, and I even prefer them as the boxing gloves are not ventilated and your hands get HOT and SWEATY, which becomes even worse when you're wearing them during the cardio boxing portions of her DVDs.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

Sorry Meghan, guess I wasn't clear. I don't have every fitness toy. I just have a primal desire to obtain every fitness toy, LOL! I do have quite a few of them. I can't really narrow them down to three, so I'll give you my top 5:
1) firewalker bands (I have extra boxes just waiting to be used)
2) stability ball
3) weighted gloves (the ones mentioned in my post--helpful for kickboxing but also weight training)
4) cardio club step (the newer version with the cushier top)
5) slide & glide discs/furniture movers/etc (since I workout on carpet and rags won't cut it)

tlc93, you're not alone. I've given myself some zingers with my weighted gloves. I guess that's the nice thing about working out at home--no one there to laugh at our bloopers!

Thanks firemedic. I don't have shoulder problems but I can see how the weight distribution of a bigger glove could be more joint-friendly, especially when whacking a heavy bag.

Sandra, I was worried about the sweat factor. I think that would be annoying and distracting to me.

Soooo, in the end ladies I am going to buy the Everlast boxing gloves but I'm not going to rush out to get them ASAP. I will put them on my birthday wishlist for my DH. It sounds like I would use them for heavy bag work mostly (which would be awesome!). Thanks again for all your thoughts!

Lisa

 

[tlc93]

I'm so glad you're getting the gloves! It's nice to have toys so you have options when working out. Last year my husband got me pink Everlast boxing gloves. I had been using simple wraps (like weight lifting gloves) and my knuckles were getting abused! The first wkout I did w/ the gloves.......I beat the crap out of my bag! Man that is fun! Cathe has a wkout where you wear the gloves during cardio and YES the sweat gets annoying BUT when you're wearing the gloves and go down for a burpee....it's kinda nice!! I have freakishly small wrists and need that extra cushion. There's something about having those gloves on...makes you feel strong when attacking a heavy bag! Have fun shopping!!

 

[112toGuru]

...
Soooo, in the end ladies I am going to buy the Everlast boxing gloves but I'm not going to rush out to get them ASAP. I will put them on my birthday wishlist for my DH. It sounds like I would use them for heavy bag work mostly (which would be awesome!). Thanks again for all your thoughts!
Lisa

Why wait when Valentines Day is right around the corner? I could see that, Pink gloves & maybe a slam ball or wall ball. I'm going to need a bag weight too, I have a hanging heavy bag. Oops, caught myself, you enabler you.

Just a suggestion & well, now that you brought that up, that would make for a great workout; ball slams and pink gloves on the heavy bag, and maybe a few burpees, just for fun. You should probably give DH a nudge about now.

If you're going to punch a heavy bag, get the boxing gloves. Otherwise the 1lb weighted gloves are just fine for your conditioning, and I even prefer them as the boxing gloves are not ventilated and your hands get HOT and SWEATY, which becomes even worse when you're wearing them during the cardio boxing portions of her DVDs.

Do you wear the gloves for Rockout Knockout? do you use any wrist support inside, I guess what I'm asking is do the gloves by themselves have enough support for, IIRC, the burpees she does in the the heavy bag segment? would you need wraps?

 

[AYLE09]

I like hand wraps for two reasons 1) they give extra stability and support to the wrists and knuckles while i'm wailing away at a heavy bag and 2) gloves get sweaty and the wraps absorb a little bit of that and extend the amount of time I can get out of a pair before I have to throw them away for stank factor! All that being said, I don't generally use them for non-heavy bag glove training because it takes a bit of time to wrap effectively and at the end of it you then have sweaty wraps to wash. If you're doing alot of heavy bag training then I would say yes, wrap. If it's more just the use of gloves as resistence then I would say it's more preference than necessity.

 

[Tootles]

This is a little off-topic, but I wanted to comment on boxing gloves. I've done 3 years of Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and 3 years of Taekwondo, and I wouldn't recommend using those big gloves on the heavy bag like Cathe does if you're at all serious about learning decent boxing techniques. Of course if you just want a good workout, go for it!

The padding in those big boxing gloves makes it difficult to feel your fist position and maintain good wrist alignment. Wraps help with that a lot by supporting the wrist (and they absorb sweat so your gloves don't get so gross), but when you are just punching a heavy bag it's best to use bag gloves. Boxing gloves like those in Rockout Knockout are giant and padded because they are designed to protect your hands and also to protect your opponent from your punches. On the other hand, bag gloves are much thinner than boxing gloves since they're not doing double-duty. They're only padded enough to protect your knuckles from the (also padded) bag. Since they're thin, you can feel how your knuckles are making contact with the bag, hold a tighter fist, and maintain better wrist and finger alignment. We all know how important maintaining good form is to preventing injury, so that's why I wanted to bring this up!

If you're sticking to your big gloves, please be mindful of these three points: keep the back of your hand on a level plane with the back of your forearm, keep your thumb tucked outside of your fingers, and make contact with just the first two knuckles. Don't get into any bad habits that could cause injury later on down the road!

Thanks for reading my ramble.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

This is a little off-topic, but I wanted to comment on boxing gloves. I've done 3 years of Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and 3 years of Taekwondo, and I wouldn't recommend using those big gloves on the heavy bag like Cathe does if you're at all serious about learning decent boxing techniques. Of course if you just want a good workout, go for it!...

Thanks for reading my ramble.

Tootles, you know your stuff! I had no idea there were varieties of gloves out there. I am definitely not a serious boxing expert like you. Just looking for a good sweaty workout, and I like the point that others have brought up about how the Everlast gloves help with burpees, etc. I will, however, keep your form pointers in mind. Thank you for the handy tips!

Lisa

 

[Justinef]

I'm thinking of getting some just for burpees! I have a hand problem which means I can't place my hands flat on the floor - makes burpees really tricky! I'd never thought of gloves ( I do burpees with my hands over the edge of the high step topper at the moment).

 

[Just Jo]

I have gloves from karate that I never use, and I have the pretty pink boxing gloves like Cathe uses. I love my pink gloves!

And I'm dying to know--there's a cushier step? ???? Can you share a link, please? Thanks!

 

[Gibbee]

Justinef - I like to do things like burpees on my fists. Doing them with gloves on is nice also.

 

[desertambrosia]

Justinef - I like to do things like burpees on my fists. Doing them with gloves on is nice also.

I agree, gloves make a burpee so much easier. Highly recommend.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

And I'm dying to know--there's a cushier step? ???? Can you share a link, please? Thanks!

Hi Just Jo, I was referring to the Cardio Club Step that Cathe used to sell in conjuction with Altus. Here's the link on Shop Cathe, so it looks like you can still get it from Cathe's site (I got mine from Amazon but it doesn't seem to be available there anymore). Anyway, I personally felt a big difference between this step topper and the original step topper from years ago.

Lisa

 

[Gibbee]

Really? What is different? Do tell. I figured it was the same step.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

Really? What is different? Do tell. I figured it was the same step.

Gibbee, I'll be the first to admit that new and shiny things appeal to my brain, so the "improvements" I perceive could be in my head.

However, if you read the description of this particular step (which you can find on the Shop Cathe link I posted above), the claim from the manufacturer is that the Cardio Club Step has an improved rubberized top--specifically, that it is more securely attached. For lack of a better way to describe it, TO ME (and these are now my words, not the manufacturer's words) the top seems springier, the rubber seems softer (especially when laying directly on the step), and it feels more secure on the step itself.

Yeah, in the end it's more of a luxury/splurge purchase if you already happen to own a full-length step, but I wouldn't trade it for anything...even if it is all just in my (sweaty Cathlete) head! HTH.

Lisa

 

[Gibbee]

I see it is no longer stocked. Bummer! I've wanted a gray step to replace mine. And I know what you mean. Sometimes just a touch extra padding is just right to reduce fatigue.

 

[lisa_la_machina]

I see it is no longer stocked. Bummer! I've wanted a gray step to replace mine. And I know what you mean. Sometimes just a touch extra padding is just right to reduce fatigue.

Gibbee, bumping this thread because Soapmaker (in another thread) mentioned she found Cathe's Cardio Club Step available for purchase online if you are interested! Here's what Soapmaker said (just copying and pasting it here because that's easier and I'm lazy!)...

If you are still looking for Cathe's cardio step, you can find it at: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/aa/cardio-club-step.html

It is the only place I was able to find it recently. IMO, this step is a must for anybody who does a lot of step workouts. I think this company is selling what is left of the Altus equipment. The cardio step is very different than the regular step. The platform has a lot more give so there is less impact on the joint. If you do jump on and off the step, you need it. I would never do those workout on the old step again. The difference is night and day. Plus, the surface on top is a lot softer. I do all step workouts barefoot. Using the old step was not pleasant. I am very happy to have mine. I was thinking about getting a second one just in case.