Martial arts-based Kickboxing classes combine cardio fitness, speed, and power with boxing moves that challenge every muscle in your body. Research has found that not only is the workout great for the body, but regular exercise like kickboxing causes you to become resistant to the emotional effects of acute stress, which in turn, may protect against diseases related to chronic stress burden.
Do you have to have a certain fitness level to kickbox?
Nope! You don’t have to have any prior experience with punching, kicking, and jabbing to attend a kickboxing class. Even beginners don’t need to feel this type of exercise is out of reach.
What muscles will I be working?
In a kickboxing class, there’s a major emphasis on your core.
In addition to the muscles of your core, you may engage your glutes, inner thighs, quads, biceps, triceps, and shoulder muscles, depending on the moves a workout involves. Even the small muscles in your hands and feet may get worked as you jump and jab.
Besides strengthening individual muscles, kickboxing is also a high-energy form of cardiovascular exercise. As your heart gets pumping, you can expect to torch calories by the hundreds.
For most people, kickboxing is a safe and fun workout. However, with any high-energy exercise—especially one that involves punching and kicking—there’s always a risk of injury. If your kickboxing class involves a punching bag, you may incur injuries to body parts that make contact with the bag. And if you get too close to a fellow class member, you could find yourself with an accidental black eye.
Be sure to follow these safety tips when participating in a kickboxing class:
Wear shoes with tread to prevent slips and falls
Keep a safe distance from other participants
Hydrate throughout your class
Stop kickboxing if you feel light-headed or dizzy, or if you experience pain performing any moves
Always follow your instructor’s guidance
Consult with a health care professional before your first class if you have a health condition you think may impair your ability to kickbox.