If you’re looking to learn about one of the greatest martial arts in the world today, you’re at the right place. Why?
Because in today’s article we’re going to be looking at the many, and somewhat surprising benefits of kickboxing.
Remember how when you were a kid growing up, you’d idolize martial artists/action heroes such as Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee, Jean Claude Van Damme, Bolo Yeung, Steven Seagal, and plenty more besides?
Now, granted they didn’t all specialize in kickboxing, but kickboxing did indeed play a key role in their training, which is one reason why it became so popular.
Whereas when we were younger we fantasized about taking on multiple bad guys at once, knocking them out with roundhouses, and entering kickboxing tournaments ala Van Damme, as we grew older we likely saw that while real-life kickboxing is less glamorous, the benefits are more important than ever.
If you’re thinking of taking up a martial art and aren’t sure which one to focus on, may we be so bold as to suggest kickboxing?
Still not sure whether this martial art is right for you?
If so, then check out these awesome benefits and you’ll soon change your mind.
The Health Benefits Of Kickboxing Workout:
1. Kickboxing Will Give You Confidence
Confidence, not to be confused with arrogance, is a train that many deem highly desirable and highly beneficial.
Confidence will help you to believe in yourself, it will help you to take more risks in life, and it is something that will help you to become a better version of yourself in the process.
What does this have to do with kickboxing?
Well, basically, kickboxing is an activity that will help you to feel more confident and will help you to become more confident as a result.
The more you learn, the better you will look and feel, and the more confident you will be.
2. Kickboxing Is Fantastic For Fat Loss
Another amazing benefit that we need to look at today, is the fact that kickboxing is so beneficial for fat loss.
Kickboxing is a martial art that combines elements of boxing with elements from Muay Tai, Tae Kwon Do, and Karate so that you are essential to fighting and defending using your hands and feet.
Because it is so physically demanding, kickboxing burns off a lot of calories and is great for fat loss.
An hour of kickboxing can easily burn off 1000 calories or more with no problems whatsoever.
3. Kickboxing Teaches Self-defense
When talking about the benefits, we’d be remiss if we didn’t speak about the fact that kickboxing teaches self-defense.
In an ideal world, the skills and moves you learned at kickboxing would never need to be used in the outside world, but just in case, it’s always good to know how to fight and defend yourself.
Kickboxing teaches how to attack and how to defend using your hands and feet, so you could potentially protect yourself, or other people with the skills you picked up in class.
4. Kickboxing Is A Great Sport To Get Into
If you’re looking for a sport to get into and you aren’t sure which one to go for, kickboxing could be ideal.
Kickboxing is perfect as you get to hone your craft, learn a skill, get fit, get in shape, feel better, and potentially become a champ and pick up belts, medals, and trophies along the way.
Whether you’re just looking to enter a local tournament, perhaps become your nation’s champion or even represent your country at the Olympic games, kickboxing could allow you to do precisely that.
5. Kickboxing Teaches Self-control
If you’re an individual who struggles with self-control, kickboxing could be the perfect sport to get into.
With kickboxing, you need to be disciplined and controlled because the second you lose your temper, lose your cool, or rush into something, is the second your opponent sees his or her opening and makes you pay.
The patience and self-control you learn in kickboxing can then be applied in the outside world to all manner of different things.
6. Kickboxing Tones The Muscles In Your Body
Because of the fact that you are using muscles both in the upper and lower body, kickboxing is a great activity for people looking for a lean and defined physique.
Kickboxing helps to burn fat which will help you to look leaner, but with every punch and every kick you make, you’re working the muscles and in time this will help them to look a great deal leaner and ripped than when you first started.
7. Kickboxing Is For Everybody
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a fitness fanatic with a martial arts background and decades of experience or are a complete novice looking to burn fat, get fit, and learn a new skill, kickboxing is perfect.
Kickboxing can be taught to men, women, and children of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities from all walks of life.
8. Kickboxing Gets You Out Of The House
After 2020, it’s safe to say that all of us have spent more time indoors than we anticipated, which is why kickboxing is such an awesome sport to get into.
If you’re looking for things to do to pass the time when you’re stuck indoors with nothing to do, kickboxing is ideal.
Not only will it get you out of the house, but it will also help get you fitter and healthier in the process.
9. Kickboxing Beats Boring Workouts
If you simply find yourself going to the gym to exercise simply because of the fact you know you should be, kickboxing could be worth considering.
You see, a lot of people find themselves going to the gym and going through boring workouts just for the sake of it, and in time they either throw in the towel or resent working out and never actually look forward to it.
Another of the amazing benefits we’re going to highlight today is the fact that kickboxing helps to beat boring workouts.
A one-hour kickboxing class will be a lot more exciting than one hour on a treadmill, and as an added bonus it will almost certainly result in you burning off considerably more calories in the process.
10. Kickboxing Looks Cool
Whereas you should never take up a sport simply to show off and try and look cool, it doesn’t hurt to show off now and then.
If you remember some of the 80s martial arts classics such as ‘Kickboxer’ and ‘Bloodsport’ you’ll remember how cool good old JCVD looked as he finished off his opponents in slow motion with his trademark 360 spin kick.
If you want to get some awesome snaps and vids for social media, kickboxing will certainly help you to do precisely that.
11. Kickboxing Improves Physical Fitness
If you’re looking for ways of increasing your stamina and endurance, kickboxing is ideal.
This largely aerobic exercise adds elements of resistance training with high-intensity interval training elements thrown in for good measure, including exercises such as jumping rope with a weighted vest, sit-ups, wall sits, and more.
The end result is vastly improved lung capacity and greater levels of stamina and endurance.
Put simply, kickboxing will get you fitter so that you can exercise for longer durations of time before fatigue sets in.
12. Kickboxing Is Great For The Heart
The heart is one of the body’s most important organs, which is why we need to look after it.
Heart disease is the world’s biggest killer, and with cases of heart disease and cardiovascular conditions on the rise, we need to act fast.
Kickboxing is the ultimate cardiovascular workout which makes it perfect for promoting optimal heart health.
Kickboxing helps to increase circulation and improve blood flow, it strengthens the walls of the heart, it strengthens the heart so that it can pump more blood around the body, plus it helps to reduce body fat which in turn can reduce LDL cholesterol levels.
Put simply, one of many key benefits is the fact that it is so great for the heart.
13. Kickboxing Increases Your Metabolism
Do you find that you often feel tired and lethargic and that you often struggle to lose weight?
If so, it could be your metabolism that’s to blame.
A slow metabolism can make you feel sluggish, it can leave you fatigued, and it can leave you lacking energy and susceptible to weight gain.
The good news is that there are ways of naturally increasing the metabolism, and exercise such as kickboxing is the perfect way to help you do precisely that.
Training at high-intensity overtime will ramp up your metabolism and allow you to burn off more calories and generate more energy, even while in a rested state.
The more kickboxing you do, the faster and more efficient your metabolism is likely to become.
14. Kickboxing Will Increase Your Reactions
When people speak of the various benefits, another often overlooked benefit is the fact that kickboxing has been found to help increase reactions and reflexes.
When you train in kickboxing, you’re working on muscles responsible for your reactions, plus you’re also training your brain and your central nervous system.
The more kickboxing you perform, the faster your reactions and your reflexes will become.
15. Kickboxing Is Fun
If you want to take up an exercise that allows you to have fun and get incredibly fit and healthy in the process, kickboxing is perfect.
Kickboxing is ideal as it offers you a fantastic form of exercise that also happens to be fun.
Think about it, how often do you get to kick and punch people for fun?
Not only that, but you’ll also learn different kicks, punches, blocks, and combinations so each class you take will be something different.
16. Kickboxing Helps You To Meet New People
Another of the great and highly undervalued benefits is the fact that it allows you to meet new people.
If you want to make new friends, or simply socialize more, go ahead and look for kickboxing classes nearby, join up, head down there, and you’ll almost certainly have one heck of a good time.
The good thing about taking kickboxing classes is the fact that everybody is there for the same reason so right from the off there’s common ground, so you’ve got something in common.
After a while, you’ll get to know the regulars in your class, along with your instructor/instructors and you’ll likely form strong friendships.
17. Kickboxing Is Great For Relieving Stress
If you find yourself feeling stressed and wound up, kickboxing is the ultimate physical activity to help beat stress.
When you’re feeling stressed and wound up, why not throw on your pads and go ahead and beat the heck out of a bag or pads, and really release some of that pent-up aggression and emotion.
Stress can kill, especially if you leave it pent up rather than venting.
One of the best things about kickboxing is the fact that it allows you to vent and release this pent-up anger, aggression, and stress, sort of like a pressure release valve.
It may sound dramatic, but if you fail to release this pressure, it could potentially be fatal.
18. Kickboxing Improves Your Mood
Not only does kickboxing help to beat stress, but other examples of the benefits include the fact that it can also improve your mental health.
Kickboxing helps you to produce endorphins which make you feel good, it helps you to sleep better at night, it helps improve your mood, it can improve your physique, and much more besides
With mental health issues now being a real cause for concern, kickboxing, and exercise in general, should not be overlooked.
Final Thoughts:
And with that, we’ll roundhouse kick our way to a conclusion.
As you can see, the benefits of kickboxing are plentiful, and if you want to learn a skill, learn to fight, and be the best version of yourself that you can be, this is the perfect martial art for you.
Whereas we can’t guarantee you’ll be a national champ or action movie star, we can guarantee that your health, mind, body, and soul will all improve noticeably if you take up kickboxing.
