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With growing fitness culture, more and more ways of working out have sprouted up to make exercising fun and engaging. Some of the fitness activities that have soared in popularity include combat sports like kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Since combat sports involve intense, full-body movements, they’re an excellent cardio workout that can help in weight loss, build muscle and increase strength.
In this blog, let’s look at the fitness phenomenon of kickboxing, how beneficial it is, and how you can incorporate it into your fitness routine.
What is Kickboxing?
Kickboxing is a full-contact martial art that involves kicking and boxing with an opponent until one of them yields or is overpowered. It combines elements of boxing and karate. It is practised in a boxing ring with gloves and bare feet to facilitate kicking.
Kickboxing started out as a competitive sport, but then it evolved into an activity that many could practise to increase muscle strength, endurance and overall fitness. Kickboxing may also be learned as a self-defence technique.
Health Benefits of Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a highly aerobic activity that gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing. The combination of punches, kicks, knee strikes, and footwork creates an intense workout that targets multiple muscle groups simultaneously.
Engaging in kickboxing regularly helps to improve cardiovascular endurance, strengthening the heart and lungs. This increased cardiovascular fitness results in enhanced oxygen circulation, boosting energy levels and stamina in your daily life.
Unlike many other cardio exercises, a kickboxing workout engages the entire body. It targets muscles in the arms, shoulders, core, back, legs, and glutes. With all the punches, jabs, hooks, and uppercuts, your upper body muscles are effectively toned and strengthened. Kicks and knee strikes engage the lower body, promoting muscular endurance and flexibility.
The constant movement and intricate footwork involved in kickboxing also work your core muscles, helping to improve balance and stability.
Kickboxing is an excellent calorie burner, making it an effective workout for weight loss. The combination of high-intensity movements increases your metabolic rate, allowing you to burn calories long after your workout is over. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), a person can burn approximately 350-450 calories after an hour of kickboxing. Consistent kickboxing training, combined with a healthy diet, can help you immensely in weight management.
By practising at kickboxing classes near you, you can not only achieve fitness of the body but of the mind too. Kickboxing offers significant mental health benefits. The repeated punching and kicking can be a great stress reliever, allowing you to release built-up tension and frustration. The release of endorphins during the high-intensity workout also boosts your mood.
Additionally, the self-defence aspect of kickboxing can boost self-confidence and provide a sense of empowerment, helping to reduce anxiety and improve overall well-being.
Kickboxing requires good coordination and quick reflexes, as you’re constantly on the move with arms and legs moving in tandem. Through regular practice, kickboxing benefits hand-eye coordination, balance, and agility. These skills are not only valuable in the kickboxing ring but also in everyday life, improving your motor skills and reducing the risk of falls and injuries.
Having some self-defence moves in your arsenal can get you out of harm’s way. Learning kickboxing can significantly up your self-defence game and ensure that you’re able to protect yourself and your loved ones should a potentially volatile situation arise.
It can give you the confidence needed to get into position and administer just enough strikes to give you the time to flee. Many kickboxing centres offer sessions especially aimed at self-defence. Along with karate and jujitsu, kickboxing can also be a great self-defence tool.
Thus, kickboxing can be an amazing full-body workout that has plenty of health benefits. If you want to start practising this unique sport, then download the FITPASS app today. Not only can you find the best kickboxing classes in Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai and other metro cities, but also be able to easily locate top-rated fitness studios near you.
