THE WHITE COLLAR CONTENDER TRIBAL ALLEGIANCE

03 High-end boxing gyms are the reigning champs of combat fitness, transforming spreadsheet number-crunchers into serious contenders – unfortunately, often at the expense of back problems. To keep flexibility in your corner, you need to box clever

After a hard day at the coalface, taking your tension out on 50kg of sand-filled leather is appealing. And hitting and being hit by another human is even better. The endorphin rush is instant, the stress relief satisfying, and the fat-searing calorie consumption – up to 730kcal per hour – in a different class. According to Harvard Medical School it also KOS your risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. And fighting, let’s be honest, is still cool. But your ring-ready physique may belie a crippling vulnerability.

Boxers often have terrible postural problems. “Flexibility issues begin with your stance,” says boxerturned-mobility specialist Adam Husler (@adamhusler). “Amateur boxers spend nearly all of their time closed up, trying to defend the front of the body. Their shoulders move up toward their ears and everything gets hunched up. Because we spend all day hunched over desks and iphones, our lower backs are already weak. The boxer’s asymmetrical stance, with one foot forward, exacerbates this.”

A quick warm-up will hit upper-body tension hard. “Spend at least some time doing the opposite,” advises Husler. “Stretching out your shoulders and lower back will not only stabilise your posture, but allow you to throw your arm out more freely and punch harder.”

So there you have it, office champs. Unfurling your ‘Raging Bull’ posture will ultimately only improve your performance in the ring. You can still be a contender.