There are more fitness class options these days than it is possible to count, from yoga to calisthenics, and from Zumba to spinning. However, there are some fitness activities that also give you muscle memory and skills that can help you in situations outside of the gym, as well as giving you a great muscle and cardio workout.
Kickboxing has long been the basis for contemporary training programs, from the fad for ‘Thai-bo’ in the early 2000’s through to people simply learning kickboxing style martial arts in their traditional form. Now, a new fitness program called 9Round brings kickboxing style workouts back into the fore. But what is it about this combat sport that makes it so effective for fitness and weight loss?
Exceptional Cardio Training
While steady state cardio like running or doing an aerobics class offer some great health benefits, for weight loss and overall fitness it is actually better to do a circuit style of training with intervals. This is because in normal steady state cardio, you get into a moderate heart rate zone which you can stay at for long periods of time while you work out (hence why you can run or do a Zumba class for an hour or more without too much trouble when you reach a fairly moderate level of fitness). Nobody, even the very fittest people, can stay at their maximum for long.
Circuit training, such as doing rounds of drills or sparring in kickboxing style classes, will push you closer to your peak heart rate, but then give you time to recover before doing it again. Even 30 seconds at your peak has powerful effects on your metabolism for up to 24 hours. This means that workouts that push you to your limits can be much shorter, but still much more effective than hours on cardio machines in a moderate heart rate zone.
It’s a Great Stress Buster
Fitness classes designed around kickboxing, such as you’ll find at 9Round are not true kickboxing classes like MMA fighters do where you have to actually fight people and risk getting hurt or hurting other people. While this is also a great option for fitness as the adrenaline of a real sparring match adds to the cardio effects, you don’t need it to get in shape, and working on bags or pads can be a great stress reliever as well as meaning you don’t have to actually fight.
It Is Empowering
You may never get into a real fight or be attacked, but knowing you have good punches and kicks will be a boon if it ever happens to you Of course, the only way to really prepare for a fight is by doing full contact training with other people. However, non-combat kickboxing based fitness classes will make you feel stronger and more confident.
Kickboxing is a great sport in itself, but if the fighting element isn’t for you, there are classes where you can use higher impact cardio to get the same benefits without risking getting a punch in the face!
