Are you looking for a new and fun way to keep yourself active, burn calories, and build athleticism?
If so, you’re in luck because we’ll be going over a type of training most people overlook: kickboxing workouts.
In today’s post, we’ll go over the basic moves involved in kickboxing and how to blend them into perfect sessions that leave you sweaty and panting.
Let’s dive in.
The Essential Kickboxing Movements You Need to Master
- Jab
Stand slightly to one side in front of your target with your dominant arms as the lead. Raise your hands to guard your chin and keep your head in a low position. Take a breath and extend your lead arm straight forward, landing the punch on the target. Keep your other hand up to guard your face.
- Side Kick
Stand with your right side facing your target with feet at a hip-width distance. Keep your hands up to guard your face. Raise your right knee to your chest as you lean slightly to the left. From there, extend your leg, leading with your heel, striking the target.
- Front Kick
Face your target squarely with your feet at a hip-width distance, elbows high, and hands guarding your face. Raise one knee to your chest and extend your leg forward, aiming to strike with the ball of the foot. Bend the knee and return the foot to the floor.
- Round Kick
Stand slightly to one side with the lead foot slightly in front of the back one and facing the target. Keep your guard up and explode by stepping at a 45-degree angle with your lead foot and extending your back foot as you rotate your hips to deliver a strike with your shin.
Two Fantastic Kickboxing Workouts to Build Muscle, Burn Calories, and Become More Athletic
Workout 1
*Alternating jabs - 30 seconds
Round kicks (left and right) - 60 seconds
Alternating front kicks - 30 seconds
*Going for speed and as many reps as possible.
Workout 1 is about performing each activity for the prescribed period, taking up to 20 seconds to recover, and going down the list. Once finished with all three activities, rest for up to two minutes, and do another round. Aim for at least five rounds, but stop the workout if you get too exhausted to perform the exercises with proper form.
Workout 2
Round kicks (left leg) - 30 seconds
*Alternating jabs - 30 seconds
Round kicks (right leg) - 30 seconds
Side kick (left and right) - 60 seconds
*Going for speed and as many reps as possible.
Similar to workout 1, the objective is to perform each activity for the necessary period, rest a bit between the exercises, and work down the list. Your tempo should be consistent from start to finish, so don’t push yourself to your limit immediately.
Workout 3
Burpee + 8 alternating jabs
Jump squat + 4 alternating front kicks
3 push-ups + 6 side kicks (three with left leg, three with right)
Mountain climbers (30 seconds) + 6 round kicks (three with left leg, three with right)
The final workout is slightly different because it mixes kickboxing moves with traditional exercises. Other than that, you should follow the same rules as with the previous workouts. Go down the list of movements, take a breath, and repeat the sequence at least five times.