Sophia Bush sees herself as a role model for teenage girls everywhere. The actress is most known from her role in the CW series One Tree Hill – a show that skews to a large teenage girl demographic. Bush is not a fan of crazy weight loss methods and instead focuses on living a healthy lifestyle. That healthy lifestyle is achieved through one of her passions – Boxing!

Bush and her personal trainers Jason Walsh and Harley Pasternak work together around four times a week. The boxing exercise regimen is composed of exercises such as heavy-bag training. The heavy bag is of course one of the major tools used by boxers in preparation for fights to develop punching power. It is a stuffed bag weighing between 40 to 100 pounds. The weight makes punching the bag a very strenuous exercise!

It’s not all about punching, though. Footwork is a critical component to any boxer’s arsenal. It allows the boxer to evade punches and get into position to deliver a punishing blow. Circling the heavy bag while delivering a combination of punches will develop that skill. For regular joes, it serves as a great full-body cardiovascular exercise. Coordination and core stability are also developed.

Perhaps another benefit to punching a heavy bag is the opportunity to unload some stress! After a taxing day at the office, it might just be time to unwind by unloading all the pressure you’ve accumulated on a willing target in the heavy bag. Just remember to observe proper technique and safety precautions. Warm up with light punches before going all out. Punching too hard too much will lead to hand injuries!

It is also a good idea to enlist the help of trainers just at Bush does. They will show the proper form and technique to achieve maximum results. Punching with the proper form minimizes the risk for injury and also aids in developing coordination. You’ll be floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee in no time at all!