Kickboxing is a fun way to lose weight and keep fit. Not only do you learn skills that may come in handy one day, you also burn a lot of calories. You can burn anywhere from 600 to 800 calories in just one of our Patchogue kickboxing classes! Here’s why:
1. Your Entire Body Gets Involved
During a kickboxing class, you are basically working on every major muscle group in your body. This means that there is a lot more of your body involved in the exercise than if you were just at the gym doing isolation work on the machines. When you punch, you work on your upper body and when you kick, you are working on your lower body… and in every motion, your core is worked to stabilize the body while adding extra power to your strikes. This is a large part of what makes kickboxing such an intense workout: you coordinating the work of muscles from all the major muscle groups at the same time
2. Interval Training Helps Blast Fat
Research has proven that shorter, high-intensity cardio sessions lead to greater fat loss over a period of time than longer, low-intensity sessions. The round-based rhythm of a kickboxing class naturally incorporates interval training, alternating between high intensity cardio sessions and a bit of time to catch your breath. Within each round we are also working the intervals by powering through a combinations of punches, kicks, and pauses, then taking a brief moment to reset before beginning the next combo. This shorter duration interval is similar to the popular Tabata method.
3. Working On Pads and Heavy Bags Provides Resistance Training
If you have ever taken an aerobic kickboxing class at a gym, you’re probably picturing doing some choreographed dance steps while punching in the air. But if you take a real kickboxing class at 4GK Martial Arts, you’ll be working out with a state-of-the-art Wavemaster 2XL Pro heavy bag. These bags are BIG — about 270 lbs! — and they provide you with a lot of resistance, which means that you will use more energy and strength to hit the bag, all leading to you burning more calories while building muscle that will keep that metabolism STOKED. (And beating the bag into submission is a GREAT stress reliever!)
4. You Use Plyometric Training to Crank It Up
Plyometrics is a term used to describe super fast explosive movements, usually including a pre-loading of the muscles in order to increase performance throughout the activity. In addition to the plyometrics built into the combos, 4GK Martial Arts kickboxing classes are full of plyometric exercises like burpees and jump squats. Plyometrics help your weight loss process because it makes your muscles more elastic and supple, allowing you to handle workouts of increasing intensity a lot more efficiently. This is one of the big reasons why kickboxing classes are great for weight loss. Even after class is over, you’ll still feel the effects.
5. You Reach Your Limits In Class… And Then CRUSH Them!
One of the biggest problems with working out on your own is that there is no motivation to really push yourself to the max other than what you bring to the game yourself. In fact when you work out on your own, it can be difficult to complete any regimented workout schedule because there is no accountability. In a group class atmosphere, however, you’re not only motivated by the awesome instructors both in and out of class, but by the sense of community you have from other members. Your workout experience does not end with the final bell… we are tribe, and we support on another every day. By working out with instructors and peers who are constantly encouraging you to succeed, you are far more likely to push through whatever limits you think are constraining you and burn even more calories.
Kickboxing is quite possibly one of the best work outs that there is. It is high intensity, burns a lot of calories and leaves you feeling good even while your metabolism remains high after the class. It really is a win-win.
If you are in the Patchogue are and want to get started, check out our awesome web special:
