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Cardio · Body Weight
Diagonal Punch
Diagonal Punch is an intermediate compound cardio exercise that works the cardiovascular system (cardio), with the arms assisting. It needs no equipment beyond your own body weight. A typical prescription is 1-3 rounds of 30-60 seconds, and it burns about 8.6 calories per minute.
- Target
- Cardiovascular System
- Body part
- Cardio
- Equipment
- Body Weight
- Category
- Cardio
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Push
- Sets × reps
- 1-3 × 30-60 sec
- Calories / min
- ≈ 8.6 kcal
Primary muscles
- Chest · Pectoralis Major
- Shoulders · Deltoids
Secondary muscles
- Arms · Biceps Brachii, Triceps Brachii
How to do Diagonal Punch
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hands in a guard position near your face.
- Rotate your torso to the right, and extend your right arm in a diagonal punch across your body.
- Return your right hand to the starting position as you rotate your torso back to center.
- Repeat the motion with your left arm, rotating your torso to the left to execute a diagonal punch across your body.
Form tips
- Keep your hands up and elbows slightly bent when not punching to protect your face and maintain balance.
- Rotate your hips and shoulders fully with each punch to maximize power and engage your core muscles.
- Practice the punches slowly at first to ensure proper technique before increasing speed and power.
- Exhale sharply with each punch to increase force and stabilize your core.
Diagonal Punch alternatives
More cardiovascular system exercises
Diagonal Punch FAQ
What muscles does Diagonal Punch work?
Diagonal Punch mainly works the cardiovascular system in the cardio (Pectoralis Major and Deltoids). The arms work as secondary muscles.
What equipment do you need for Diagonal Punch?
None. Diagonal Punch is a body weight exercise, so you can do it at home or anywhere with enough space.
How many sets and reps of Diagonal Punch should I do?
Start with 1-3 rounds of 30-60 seconds. Pick a load or variation where the last one or two reps are hard but your form stays clean.
Is Diagonal Punch good for beginners?
It's rated intermediate. Beginners can work up to it once they control simpler cardio exercises.
How many calories does Diagonal Punch burn?
About 8.6 calories per minute for a person of around 70 kg, based on a MET value of 7. Ten minutes of work is roughly 86 calories; heavier people burn more.
What is a good alternative to Diagonal Punch?
Other exercises for the cardiovascular system include Stationary Exercise Bike, Battle Rope Alternating Arm Waves, Treadmill Running and Dumbell Burpee.
For developers
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Get this exercise and 1,900+ others from the WorkoutX API: 720p MP4 animations at 30 fps without the watermark, male and female models, muscles, instructions and form tips in 7 languages.
# One request returns the exercise and its 720p media links curl "https://api.workoutxapp.com/v2/exercises/ex_BO7WV2" \ -H "X-WorkoutX-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" { "id": "ex_BO7WV2", "name": "Diagonal Punch", "model": "male", "target": "Cardiovascular System", "equipment": "Body Weight", "media": { "mp4": "https://…/ex_BO7WV2/mp4-720.mp4?…", "poster": "https://…/ex_BO7WV2/poster.jpg?…" } }