If you want to work out and remain fit, you may think you only have a handful of fitness regimes that you could follow that included the usual weight-lifting, cardio and strength training. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Nowadays, people know that a normal gym workout may become mundane and boring over the long run. To make things interesting, people have taken up different combative sports like karate, boxing, mixed martial arts, kickboxing etc.
Even though these are combative sports, that doesn’t mean you can only use them for fighting. Many have started including these fighting styles in their fitness regime as a way to develop muscles, lose weight, and improve strength and agility. A great example of a niche sport that has gained traction in fitness circles recently is kickboxing. Kickboxing training is now offered in plenty of gyms and fitness centres in India.
But what exactly is kickboxing and what are its benefits in fitness? In this blog, we’ll delve into all these details so that you can also indulge in this fascinating sport.
What is Kickboxing?
Kickboxing, as the name suggests, is a combative fighting sport that involves kicking and boxing with an opponent. It takes place in a boxing ring and the participants wear boxing gloves, mouth guards and shorts, just like in regular boxing. Kickboxing is a standing-up fighting style, which means the opponents have to deliver strikes while standing up, as opposed to other styles like wrestling or grappling where opponents may also be flat on the ground.
Kickboxing is practised with bare feet to facilitate kicking. It is practised in many parts of the world as a form of fitness exercise, for recreation and in competitions.
Kickboxing Benefits
Kickboxing has plenty of benefits as far as body fitness and strength are concerned.
It’s a Full-Body Workout
Even though kickboxing mainly relies on kicking and boxing, it’s not just your legs and arms that get a workout. The entire body is responsible for those kicking and boxing moves. Your body twists and turns in order to generate those kickboxing moves. When you start delivering a kick, the strength comes through your core and passes on to your arms and legs.
Hene, kickboxing is usually considered an excellent full-body workout that burns many muscles throughout the body.
It Makes You Stronger
Kickboxing works on many muscles of the body like the arm muscles, leg muscles, glutes, back and core muscles. These muscles are toned, become leaner and hence develop better strength. The overall result is that your back, arms, legs and abs become much stronger. Research suggests that kickboxing increases upper and lower body strength by almost 7% over a course of 5 weeks.
It Burns Calories
Kickboxing is an excellent workout to burn calories and lose weight. It’s a quick, high-intensity sport that can burn as many as 400-450 calories per hour. If losing weight is your primary goal, you’re sure to benefit from adding kickboxing to your weight-loss routine.
It Improves Endurance, Speed and Agility
When practising kickboxing, you’re constantly on the move, delivering punches, kicks and moving your feet. This constant movement not only pumps your heart faster and improves your endurance, but also increases your speed. Over time you’ll see you can strike and defend faster. Also, your balance and agility are also bound to improve with regular kickboxing practice.
It Improves Body Coordination and Balance
Kickboxing also vastly improves body coordination and balance since you’re moving your limbs while saying on one or more feet, and twisting and turning a the same time. Regular kickboxing practice will vastly enhance your gait and coordination.
If you also want to start learning this awesome sport, then download FITPASS and begin your kickboxing journey today. With a FITPASS membership, you can easily book a training slot at
some of the best kickboxing classes near you. Walk into any gym or fitness centre near you and start your kickboxing training. It will not only serve as an excellent fitness workout but also train you in self-defence techniques.
FAQs
Can a beginner learn kickboxing?
Yes. Kickboxing exercises in gyms and fitness centres may be divided into different levels based on difficulty. Sign up for a beginner kickboxing class to learn the basics of the port from scratch.
What are the benefits of kickboxing?
Kickboxing has plenty of benefits for one’s fitness. It increases strength and agility, tones muscles, improves balance, helps lose weight, improves coordination and balance and many more.
Who cannot do kickboxing?
Kickboxing requires one to be physically fit. If you have a recent injury, pain or stiffness of your lower back or spine, then you may not be an ideal candidate to practice kickboxing. Talk to your doctor before signing up for a kickboxing class.
Helen Bradley is a health blogger and the founder of her own blog about fitness. She has been blogging for three years now and loves to share what she learns with others. Helen enjoys reading, cooking, and staying active outdoors.