As you may or may not know, people with Parkinson’s benefit from boxing exercise. The most well-known Parkinson’s oriented boxing program is Rock Steady Boxing, which is offered at gyms worldwide. The program focuses on symptoms like balance, stiffness, tremors, coordination, and soft voice syndrome. Here’s an article from a few years back about boxing and Parkinson’s.
Admittedly, I have not tried Rock Steady. It is not offered at my gym, and, quite frankly, I don’t want to spend any additional money on gyms right now. With that in mind, I sought out to find a boxing program that I could do for free at home. Off to YouTube I went.
In searching YouTube for programs, I found Nate Bower. Here’s a link to his YouTube channel. I have not received any compensation for this review.
Bower offers a variety of workouts, boxing and fitness in general, for free. He also has a paid membership that gives you access to additional workouts. I have been using the free ones for three months.
Before I say more, I have to tell you that I have been weight training for 30 years, and I have over a decade of experience in Martial Arts, including 10 years of Muay Thai kickboxing. Obviously, that means following a challenging YouTube workout on my own comes fairly easily. However, Bower has differing levels of workouts and instructional videos that teach the basics of boxing. More importantly, no matter how hard the workout is, you can go at your own pace.
The workouts are excellent. If you keep up with Bower, they are some of the hardest boxing workouts I have ever done. Bower employs real boxing combinations, defensive techniques, and footwork. Some workouts include additional non-boxing exercises as well.
Don’t worry if you don’t have gloves and a heavy bag. You can do the workouts just the same by shadowboxing, which is what I do. I assure you that you will still be drenched in sweat, and extremely proud of yourself after completing a workout.
I don’t have any data to share regarding how the workouts have or have not affected my symptoms. What I can tell you is that I enjoy them, and my boxing speed, balance, and technique have remained the same since before my Parkinson’s diagnosis. So, if you’re looking for a boxing workout, and can safely do it on your own at home, I’d recommend giving Nate Bower a try.