I’m often asked by people new to our program why it works so well. It is always so invigorating to share our results and explain it to others. However, it wasn’t until one of my current fighters asked, “Why is this helping me?”, that I realized sometimes we need to stop and revisit “why”, because it seems so counterintuitive to do something like boxing.
Boxers condition for optimal fitness in agility, speed, muscular endurance, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination, multi-directional footwork and overall strength to defend and overcome opponents. In comparison with other sports, boxing is the most physically demanding styles of training, according to a study conducted by ESPN and by people who box. In addition to being an intense, diverse form of training, boxing is also an incredible stress reliever, confidence booster, and it is FUN!
Think about all of the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s; slowness, small movements, feeling of weakness, problems with balance, foggy headedness, and depression. These symptoms are many of the same elements that boxers train to improve.
A Parkinson’s boxing program must be modified from a traditional boxing workout to be safe and specifically address the neurodegenerative process. There are certainly areas of boxing training which would be crazy to implement, such as full contact sparing, emphasizing flexion, and working a person who has past injuries and/or a few years behind them as though they were 20 years-old. The progression of PD causes an array of orthopedic concerns, and knowing how to counter that takes a highly-trained coach.
Published medical research has shown that forced, intense exercise can reduce, reverse, and delay Parkinson’s symptoms. We also know that a diversity of symptoms needs to be addressed simultaneously. This is why our workouts are not just boxing, but carefully designed adjunct drills to enhance results.
Various studies in the 1980s and 1990s supported rigorous exercise (emphasizing gross motor movement, balance, core strength, and rhythm) could favorably impact range of motion, flexibility, posture, gait, and the activities of daily living. More recent studies, most notably at Cleveland Clinic, focused on the concept of intense “forced” exercise and suggests that certain kinds of exercise may be neuro-protective, i.e., actually slowing disease progression.
So, when your coach corrects your form or says to pedal faster on the bike, we are showing you how to do this safely and effectively. We are trained to keep you from getting injured, while pushing you harder than you will push yourself.
So instead of saying, “That’s easy for you to say, you don’t have Parkinson’s!”, try asking, “How fast should I pedal, Coach? Is this faster?” “How hard should I hit?” “Am I stepping bigger?”
This workout is for you, your family, and your future! Work hard and sweat a lot. Your work-out is more important than the Championship. You are all athletes fighting for the greatest belt! Take Back Your Fight!
Coach, Kimberly
REFERENCES:
- Combs, Stephanie A., Diehl, M. Dyer, Staples, William H., Conn, Lindsay, Davis, Kendra, Lewis, Nicole, Schaneman, Katie. Boxing Training for Patients With Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Series. Physical Therapy, Vol. 91 – No. 1, pp.1-11, January 2011.
- Ahlskog, Ph.D. M.D. J. Eric. Does vigorous exercise have a neuroprotective effect in Parkinson disease? American Academy of Neurology, Neurology 2011, pp 288-294, July 27, 2011.
- Ridgel, Angela L., Vitek, Jerrold L., Alberts, Jay L. Forced, Not Voluntary, Exercise Improves Motor Function in Parkinson’s Disease Patients. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, vol. 23 – No. 6, pp 600-608, July/August, 2009.