Video: A Quick Shadow Boxing Warmup Drill at the Gym

Walk straight from the locker room to the bag and your first round ends up being your warmup, with cold shoulders and stiff hips taking the impact. The Shadow Boxing App is a boxing workout app that calls out punches and combos while you shadow box or hit the bag, which makes it an easy way to get moving before the real work starts. This short clip shows a quick shadow boxing drill at the gym, with the app calling out short combos like the 1-2-3.

Shadow boxing suits a warmup because you’re rehearsing the movements you’re about to use, with nothing to hit. Your shoulders and hips go through the whole punch at low speed, and your wrists don’t take any impact until they’re ready. It’s also the last step of our warmup routine, after mobility and a bit of cardio.

To do this yourself, keep it easy: about half speed and half power, no combo longer than three punches, and as much attention on your feet as on your hands. You should finish loose and ready to work. If you’d rather have it planned for you, the app has a 5-minute Quick warmup. The app is free to try, so download it and run that before your next session.