If you look at a competitive kickboxer, it's easy to assume that kickboxing is a great workout for losing weight. The typical kickboxer is lean for his height, with clearly defined muscles in the abdomen. However, don't think kickboxers achieve that physique by kickboxing alone. Their weight-loss results come from a variety of activities that develop numerous physical attributes important to success in the ring.
Kickboxing Training
A typical kickboxing class or training session runs athletes through a variety of activities. These include a warm-up, skills instruction, drills to practice those techniques, resistance exercise, cardiovascular and muscle conditioning, bag work and live sparring with a training partner. A 155-pound person burns about 700 calories per hour in such a workout, according to the weight loss resource Nutristrategy.com. This is enough to burn the calories many people need to achieve positive weight-loss results.
Road Work
Insiders have long held true the saying that kickboxing bouts aren't won in the ring but on the road. The colloquialism refers to the importance of cardiovascular endurance to a fighter, an attribute that's best earned with a consistent regime of running, cycling, swimming or similar exercises. A kickboxer's weekly routine includes several cardiovascular sessions. Since cardiovascular exercise is the most efficient choice for burning fat, this aspect of kickboxing training also can yield weight-loss results.
Resistance Training
Kickboxers have to be strong if they want to hit hard and withstand a beating from an opponent. In practice, they use weights and body-weight exercises to build muscle strength. Although it's true that some resistance training routines can be combined with diet to make you gain weight, it's impossible to do that accidentally. If you're trying to lose weight, resistance training increases your metabolism. This leads to burning more calories, again helping you reach your weight-loss goals.
Diet Support
Competitive kickboxers pay close attention to their diet, eating to maintain a fighting weight and ensure good nutrition. If you're kickboxing just for the weight loss, pay attention to your calorie count and getting enough nutrition to stay healthy. This helps you work on both sides of the weight loss equation: diet and exercise.
Cutting Weight
As kickboxers approach the appointed time of a competitive match, some engage in a practice called "cutting weight." This means fasting and restricting fluid to make sure they weigh below the maximum amount for their weight class on match day. Although cutting weight can mean temporarily dropping an impressive number of pounds, weight cutting practices are temporary. The athlete puts the weight right back on as soon as he restores his fluid and nutrition to healthy levels. Worse, these methods put you at risk for malnutrition and dehydration-related illness and injury. For healthy weight loss, stick to the exercise and diet aspects of a kickboxer's routine.
References
- "You: Losing Weight"; Dr. Michael Roizen, et al.; 2011
- Nutristrategy: Calories Burned During Exercise
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