El Paso, TX (KFOX14/CBS4) — Six weeks of boxing training may do more than sharpen a jab — it can also lower blood pressure, according to a new study led by Dr. Al Gurovich, a professor at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Gurovich said the goal of the research was to test whether intermittent, high-intensity exercise in the form of boxing could improve cardiovascular health. “The idea was to show that intermittent and high intensity exercise, in the form of boxing, was good for the cardiovascular system in many levels,” he said.
The study had participants complete a six-week boxing training regimen that increased in intensity each week. The results showed the training camp decreased blood pressure and, according to the study summary shared in the segment, “actually did an even better job at decreasing blood pressure than medicine.”
Gurovich said the findings stood out because boxing is often viewed as too intense for general fitness programs. “We were very impressed and very happy with that, that an activity that especially here in El Paso is that is so community driven, can help even better than medicine if you do it by four, six weeks,” he said…