Kickbox Body Transformation – Introduction
What results can you expect from a kickboxing body transformation?
When it comes to getting fit, losing weight, and even building muscle, there are loads of different workouts to try.
And while fitness experts love to debate (or argue!) over the merits of one workout versus another, the truth is that they all work.
The key to any successful body transformation is finding something you enjoy and can do consistently.
Working out regularly in a sport or activity that you like is the way to achieve your fitness goals.
Ultimately, even a poorly designed workout will produce some results if you do it often enough.
In contrast, the best program in the world won’t do a thing if you don’t actually do it!
But, if you commit to a well-designed workout routine, look at how many different workout opportunities you have to get fit:
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With all that in mind, this article takes a look at the benefits and effects of kickboxing, so you can decide if it’s the right workout for you.
What is Kickboxing, Anyway?
Kickboxing is a generic term that describes martial arts where you can kick and punch your opponent.
Examples of kickboxing include Muay Thai, American Kickboxing, and Freestyle Karate.
Kickboxing does not usually include ground fighting, throws, or joint locks; instead, the focus is on striking.
Like all martial arts, kickboxing is all about fighting, and kickboxers train for a variety of reasons, including competition and self-defense.
There are also types of kickboxing that focus more on fitness than actual combat, such as Thai Bo and Body Combat.
Kickboxers use techniques from Western boxing as well as other martial arts.
Some, like Muay Thai, allow you to strike with your elbows, knees, and even your head.
Others only permit hand and foot strikes.
Regardless of the exact style of kickboxing you practice, they all provide an effective and usually intense full-body workout.
Body Transformation with Kickboxing
The Benefits of Kickboxing
Not sure if kickboxing is the right body transformation workout for you?
Consider these benefits and then decide!
A full-body workout
Kickboxing involves all your major muscles, both upper and lower body.
Kicking, punching, and blocking/defending are big movements that require a lot of muscle power.
Throwing a powerful punch starts at your feet and ends at your fist, with everything in between getting in on the action.
Develop your flexibility and mobility
While kicks to the head are impractical in a street fight, they’re a common feature in kickboxing.
High kicks will test and develop your flexibility and mobility.
It’s no coincidence that most kickboxers are very flexible and supple.
Kickboxing often involves a lot of stretching.
You can train anywhere and anytime
While you could join a kickboxing gym, which is helpful when learning the basic skills and techniques, you can practice many of the elements of kickboxing anywhere and anytime.
Shadow sparring, jump rope, and calisthenics require no special equipment; you only need gloves and pads for sparring.
A punching bag is a good idea if you want to practice striking at home, and they’re readily available, pretty cheap, and easy to hang in your spare room, garage, or even your yard.
Burn a lot of calories
Using so many muscles at once and with so much effort will use a lot of energy.
While the number of calories you burn per hour of kickboxing will depend on your weight, age, gender, and how hard you’re working, it’s safe to say that your energy expenditure will be pretty high, and 500-600 calories per hour would not be unusual.
Improved self-confidence
Knowing you can handle yourself in a physical altercation could make you a more positive, confident person outside of the training hall.
After all, if you can muster the courage needed to step into the ring to spar or fight, asking your boss for a pay rise should be pretty easy!
Kickbox Body Transformation Results You Can See in Only 1 Month
How Kickboxing Changes Your Body
Commit to kickboxing regularly, and these are the ways you can expect your body to change:
#1. Build muscle
While not as effective for building muscle as strength training, kickboxing can result in increased muscle size and strength, especially in the arms, shoulders, core, hips, and legs.
Punches and kicks are delivered with plenty of force, putting stress on your muscles.
In addition, many kickboxing workouts involve calisthenic exercises such as push-ups and squats, which are effective muscle builders.
Either way, you can expect to build some extra muscle mass through kickboxing.
#2. Get lean
Kickboxing has the potential to burn a lot of calories.
Sparring, hitting the bag and striking pads, and calisthenic strength training are very energetic activities.
Kickboxers tend to do a lot of their training in rounds, e.g., three minutes of work and one minute of rest.
In essence, this is a form of high-intensity interval training, which is one of the best fat-burning workouts around.
Providing your diet is dialed in, and you are in a calorie deficit, kickboxing workouts can help you lose fat and get lean.
#3. Get abs
Kickboxers do a lot of abs training.
There are a couple of reasons for this.
First of all, you need strong abs to protect you from body blows.
Strong stomach muscles can help save you from getting winded when you are punched or kicked in the midsection.
Second, every kick and punch comes from the abs, and the stronger your core is, the harder you’ll be able to strike your opponent.
Combined with the fat-burning effect of kickboxing, all this direct and indirect abs training could help you sculpt the perfect six-pack.
#4. Improved aerobic and anaerobic Fitness
Long-distance runners have high aerobic fitness, while sprinters and weightlifters have a high degree of anaerobic fitness.
Aerobic fitness means with oxygen, while anaerobic means without.
Think long and slow vs. short and fast.
Kickboxing requires and develops both types of fitness, making it a very time-efficient and effective way to work out.
So, if you want to be fit like a runner but powerful like a weightlifter, kickboxing could be the workout you’ve been looking for.
#5. Improved neuromuscular fitness
Neuromuscular fitness refers to the relationship between your muscles and the nervous system.
Components of neuromuscular fitness include balance, coordination, speed, and agility.
Kickboxing requires more than physical strength and cardiorespiratory fitness; it’s also a skill.
With practice, you’ll get better at kicking, punching, defending, and moving, all resulting from improved neuromuscular fitness.
#6. Less stress, better sleep
Kickboxing can be a great way to work off stress and frustration.
After all, you can hit and kick without getting into trouble with the law!
Stress can cause weight gain, reduce your energy levels, and otherwise impact your life negatively, and anything that lowers your stress levels is worth pursuing.
Regular exercise and less stress have also been shown to improve sleep quality and duration.
Getting more sleep will have a massive effect on almost every aspect of your life, from exercise performance to workplace productivity to relationships.
If you want to look, feel, and perform at your best, less stress and more sleep will help.
Kickboxing Drawbacks
There is no denying the value of kickboxing as a body transformation workout, sport, and method of self-defense, but there are a couple of things to consider before you lace up your gloves and step into the ring…
Getting hit hurts!
Unless you practice a non-contact form of kickboxing, you’ll need to get used to the idea of getting kicked and punched.
Protective gloves, foot coverings, and head guards help take the sting out of being hit, but it will still hurt.
If you have an aversion to being struck, kickboxing may not be the workout for you.
Injuries
Injuries are not uncommon in kickboxing.
They can range from cuts and bruises to pulled muscles to broken bones.
Kickboxing is a fast-moving activity, and anything done at high speeds can lead to injuries, such as releasing a high kick.
As such, kickboxing is best done in a supervised environment with knowledgeable coaches who can teach you how to kick, punch, defend, and move correctly.
Even then, because kickboxing is highly competitive, and you will probably want to push yourself beyond your limits, injuries can still happen.
Cost
While it will cost you nothing to do shadow kickboxing at home, joining a kickboxing gym may be expensive, and you’ll probably need to buy some equipment, too, such as boxing gloves, a groin or breast protector, and a head guard.
However, the actual equipment required will depend on the style of kickboxing you pursue.
If you decide to train at home, you’ll probably need to buy a punching/kicking bag.
Avoid wasting money by taking a few tester lessons to see if you enjoy kickboxing enough to justify the investment.
How Kickboxing Changes Your Body: One Year Before and After
Kickboxing Body Transformation – Closing Thoughts
Kickboxing might not be the first workout you think of for getting fit, losing weight, or building muscle, but it’s effective for achieving all these goals.
However, when practiced as a sport, there are inherent dangers you need to accept, and you’ll need to get used to the idea of getting punched, kicked, and potentially hurt.
That said, there are non-contact forms of kickboxing, and you can just train with a punching bag and never be on the receiving end of punches or kicks.
Regardless of how you do it, kickboxing has the potential to be an exciting and effective workout.
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