8 Ways Kickboxing Can Benefit Body and Mind

Kickboxing: The High-Energy Path to a Stronger, Healthier Life

Martial arts have always been considered a very strong exercise. A very widespread type of martial arts in recent years is kickboxing or muay Thai.

Kickboxing is actually a combative sport that combines boxing and kicks and appeals to men, women, even children. In recent years, kickboxing has evolved both into a sport of competition, but also as a mechanism of coaching and self-defense.

Regardless of what will push you into it, this drastic form of exercise can benefit your health and quality of life in many and important ways, as it essentially exercises the entire body by mobilizing many joints and large muscle groups.

The combination of even aerobics with kickboxing, cardio kickboxing, is a very good form of exercise and unlike simple kickboxing, cardio kickboxing does not require equipment. But let’s look at the 8 major benefits of kickboxing

TIP: Kickboxing is a very competitive and hard sport and it is better to be taught by an instructor who owns a kickboxing certification. One of the most reliable certifications on Kickboxing is the one from NESTA.

NESTA’s course – who certifies Muay Thai instructors – is created by Bryce Krause who has trained some of the best martial artists in the world including Rafael Dos Anjos (UFC Champion), Michael Bisping (UFC Champion), B.J. Penn (2 weight class UFC Champion) and Cris Cyborg UFC/Bellator/Invicta Champion.

Benefits Of Kickboxing

1. Relieves stress

Kickboxing can be used as a relaxation technique as it releases the hormone endorphin, the hormone that makes us feel good, relieves pain and helps reduce depression. The kickboxing athlete can “replace” the stressor in the bag and attack with kicks or punches in order to defuse it.

2. Improves body posture

Kickboxing will help you build your torso muscles, those in the abdomen and low back. The torso muscles respond best to exercises that require minimal load and prolonged intensity.

In kickboxing, the torso muscles work constantly. The abs work while twisting your body to throw a punch, raise your foot to give a kick and move to change direction. All this helps to improve your flexibility and attitude.

3. Acts as a self-defense mechanism

Like other martial arts, even cardio kickboxing or kickboxing in the gym can help in self-defense. Punches and kicks should be done with proper technique and timing.

4. Improves our coordination

If you can’t easily tune (nerve impulses from the brain and the movement of body parts) and you have limited reflexes in your body posture, then kickboxing can be the solution. It improves your body’s reflexes and offers coordination.

5. Contributes to integrated body exercise

The ideal is to train for the whole body, with aerobic exercises combined with endurance exercises. Kickboxing offers it all. No part of the body is excluded when performing this exercise.

With the simultaneous function of the muscles of the torso, the muscles of the thighs, hands and feet, you will have a full workout.

6. Improves stamina & strengthens the heart

Cardio kickboxing also benefits the heart. The movements that include help the heart pump blood faster and thus strengthen it, while your stamina will begin to increase.

In the long term, it also helps control blood pressure. Kickboxing has a positive impact on the cardiovascular as well as the respiratory system.

A 2020 study published in New Approaches in Sport Sciences found that 8 weeks of cardio kickboxing significantly improved cardiorespiratory endurance, reduced body fat, enhanced quality of life, and improved sleep quality in male university students living in dormitories, compared to a control group with no exercise intervention.

7. Helps in weight loss

Like other forms of exercise, kickboxing “burns” calories, stimulates and builds muscles and so can lead to weight loss. Depending on the type and intensity of exercise, the number of calories consumed varies.

According to research, with kickboxing, we can burn 350 to 450 calories in an hour, or even more if we combine movements of the upper and lower body. [1]

The American College of Sports Medicine suggests cardiorespiratory exercise, such as kickboxing for 30 minutes a day and five days a week, to achieve the best weight loss results. [2]

8. Improves balance

With its fast spins, kickboxing can improve your stability and balance. As we get older, our pace becomes less light and we are slowly losing our stability.

Fall rates are also increasing with age due to reduced stability. A good balance will help us prevent problems in our stability in the future, but also in the prevention of bone fractures.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy investigated a group kickboxing program’s effects on individuals with multiple sclerosis. The pilot study found that participating improved participants’ balance, mobility, and quality of life, suggesting that kickboxing may be a beneficial, engaging exercise intervention for managing MS symptoms.

Bottom Line

Kickboxing seems to have a lot of benefits – some of them backed by reason and others backed by actual research. What do you think about Kickboxing? Can it aid in our quest for longevity? Leave your comment below and let us start a conversation.

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