First of all: Great site! That had to be said...

So I've been a real couch potato for too long, decided to change that and lose some pounds cause honestly, it's a burden in many ways...

Boxing caught my eye, never really been a fan of it but it seemed like a very good way to learn something that may be put to good use and also burn that damned fat. Here's where my problem begins, I'm 20, studying IT and I really don't have the time to go visit a gym due to my tight schedule and the fact that I'm a lazy person doesn't really help a bit. I've already been doing some basic exercises and I'm learning the boxing basics too. My idea was to get myself a punching bag and a pair of gloves for the start cause honestly I'm tired of throwing punches into the air. Maybe later get some more equipment and get my brother involved too. Any kind of feedback is more than welcome!

Thanks in advance.

I'm No Expert...I'm Hardly Even A Novice, But Personally I Would Think That Immediatly Starting out On A Bag isn't the Greatest idea Until You Have the Execution Of Each punch, Combo, Etc, Down As good As it Gets. I Go For Long Runs Before I Get into My Routine. Shadow Boxing Is All I've Been Doing, But I Use Handweights Each Time, Which is A Great Help. The only reason i suggest against a bag on the start (feel free to correct me on all this, this is just an opinion) but if you get used to slamming a bag and your form is not as good as it could be from just shadow boxing, then i would presume muscel memory kicks in and you don't gain the desired effect, and would also, in turn, become used to faulty execution of punches and footwork. The traditionals are always great. Long runs, jump rope...all that.

That's good advice. No sense in hitting a bag wildly, period. Punches should be controlled. If you must hit the bag now, don't throw hooks or upper-cuts until you feel you got the mechanics of those punches down. Stick to the jab and cross on the bag. Also, don't ever hit the bag without hand wraps AND gloves.

Thanks a lot, great advice.

So I guess I'll just do a more intense workout, focus on shadow boxing and get down with the basics.

One good place to find out about fighting-related training is on tmuscle.com. Just search the articles and you can find some good information on the kind of training and kind of muscle tissue you want to develop. For instance: I thought quick-twitch to slow-twitch muscle fiber ratio in our muscles was all genetic, but apparently over years of the right kind of training(largely anaerobic) you can increase your amount of either one and therefore get way stronger and way faster. So it seems that the limitations on a fighter are lessening the more we learn about the body. A lot of empowering stuff on that site.

You should have posted this under the links section.