The Health Benefits Of Kickboxing

With origins in karate, kickboxing is a martial art that involves controlled kicking and punching movements typically delivered from a standing position. Many people practice kickboxing as a full-contact competitive sport, while others use it to promote overall fitness or learn self defense. Regardless of what draws you to kickboxing, this active form of exercise has the ability to benefit your health in multiple important ways.

Heart Health

An active sport that requires repeated bursts of movement, kickboxing promotes heart health by providing a cardiovascular workout. The kicks and punches that make up the main kickboxing movements cause your heart to pump blood more rapidly, especially when done in exercise stretches that last 30 minutes or longer. Over time, this increased heart rate results in a stronger, more efficient heart. Maximize the workout you get from this sport by sticking with a form of kickboxing that promotes aerobic activity, such as cardiovascular kickboxing, which blends traditional kickboxing and karate moves with aerobic activities.

Weight Loss and Muscle Toning

As with most total-body workouts, kickboxing requires increased physical activity that burns fat, tones and builds muscle and can lead to weight loss. Depending upon what type of kickboxing you perform, you could burn as many calories per hour with this sport as you would walking or jogging, according to a study performed by the American Council on Exercise. Conducted by a team of University of Mississippi researchers who were led by Len Kravitz, Ph.D., the July 1999 ACE study reveals that kickboxing participants typically burn 350 to 450 calories per hour. Results from the study indicate that you can expect to burn the most calories while blending a combination of upper- and lower-body kickboxing moves.

Increased Flexibility

Just as a ballerina who practices dance moves every day increases her agility, so also can you increase your body's flexibility and coordination with kickboxing. Most people lose flexibility and coordination as a natural part of the aging process, as well as from inactivity, but kickboxing can help to combat this loss of agility. Performing basic kickboxing moves requires you to twist your body and deliver far-reaching, elevated kicks, which provides key flexibility training for your body. As you get better at executing these moves, your body becomes more flexible and nimble, says Jennifer Lawler, coauthor of "Kickboxing for Women." Increased flexibility comes with many benefits, including improved posture, decreased muscle tension and less chance of injuries, according to the American Council on Exercise.

Emotional Health

Regularly participating in a kickboxing regimen may be able to kick stress and boost your self esteem. The controlled jabbing and kicking require a level of physical exertion and an exclusive focus that allow you to let go of other stresses in your life, says Lawler. Getting better at executing difficult kickboxing moves inevitably improves self-confidence, particularly if you're able to easily perform moves that you could never do before. Kickboxing can also promote peace of mind, especially for women who may find themselves in a situation in which they'll need to practice self-defense techniques.