Kickboxing is a stand-up combat sport and is considered to be a part of modern MMA training. It has maintained popularity amongst fitness lovers who want an exercise that isn’t boring, keeps their body fat low, and develops a lean physique. On top of that, kickboxing classes can teach you effective self-defense skills if it is taught properly.
It is important to know how many calories kickboxing can burn, as well as what you are eating, to support your training or weight loss plan.
How Many Calories Does Kickboxing Burn?
To answer this question briefly, it depends on the duration of your exercise, the type of exercise you’re doing, as well as your weight.
Weight Matters
The heavier you are, the more calories you can burn through this sport.
According to Harvard Health, if you are about 125 lbs, you will burn about 300 calories for every 30-minute kickboxing class that you take. On the other hand, if you are 200 lbs, then doing kickboxing for 30 minutes will burn you about 450 calories.
The figures of calories burnt will look more impressive when we look into how much you can shed off for an hour-long workout. For instance, if you are 200 lbs, you will burn 912 calories in an hour. For women that weigh about 135 lbs, they typically burn 350 to 450 calories by doing this combat sport for an hour.
The Type of Kickboxing Class Matters
Based on a study conducted by the American Council on Exercise, people burned more calories by exercising both their upper and lower body.
A training session that focuses on the primarily on upper-body (e.g. boxing-focused) burns about 6.5 calories per minute. On the other hand, those sessions that combine both upper and lower body movement can burn about 8.3 calories per minute.
You will also burn more calories in a fitness-oriented kickboxing class than a fighting-oriented kickboxing session.
Increase Calorie Burn & Weight Loss
Kickboxing is very effective for burning calories.
Burning calories has a direct correlation with weight loss. When your body is in a state of caloric deficit for a consistent period of time, you will be able to lose weight. Research shows that 3,500 calories are more or less equal to one pound in weight.
If you work on shedding off your calories and maintain a deficit of 500 calories a day, you should be able to lose a pound in a week.
In order to lose weight, apart from doing an MMA sport, it is important to adopt a healthy lifestyle and maintain it well.
Try to add these foods to your diet and build more muscles: quinoa, soybeans, guava, salmon and Greek yogurt. These will supply the protein that you need. At a certain point, you will find that fewer calories will be burned through this sport when you gain and tone your muscles.
When that time comes, you should start adding strength training as well as increase the intensity of your workout. Try to get some resistance training in your MMA training schedule as well. As a matter of fact, your calorie burn will get even better as you get in better shape and gain muscle. This is because muscles require more calories than fat.
Comparison to Other Activities
Harvard Medical School did a study on people who weight 125 lbs. and engage in an hour of exercise. They found that when comparing calories burned kickboxing vs other activities, he will burn
• 180 calories for lifting
• 240 calories for a walk
• 540 calories for using the elliptical machine
With that in mind, kickboxing seems to be a good choice amongst all if you are keen on burning your calories quickly.
Additional Health Benefits of Kickboxing
Energy Boost
While kickboxing can burn a lot of your calories and fat, it does not necessarily make you more tired. Instead, people often found themselves energized after doing this workout.
The natural endorphins and the empowering nature of the training will give you a good physical and mental energy boost.
Relieve Stress
Kickboxing is a great opportunity for you to relieve stress and frustration through a high-energy workout. Obviously, there is a stress-relieving aspect of getting to punch and kick the heavy bags.
Better Coordination
You will improve your coordination by practicing punches and kicks in quick speed combinations. You will also use different parts of your body you have to hold pads for your partner, which will strengthen your core. At the same time, you can also improve your reflexes.
Better Posture
These days, people have bad posture by sitting at the computer all day. Kickboxing training can help build the core muscles around your abdominal wall. Your waist and abs can be stronger to support a good posture.
Develop Self Discipline
As mentioned, kickboxing is a type of martial art which requires a lot of discipline. To master the skill well, you should be able to follow instructions and learn the specific movements. You will also be able to apply these learning principles to discipline yourself and manage daily tasks.
Enjoyment
Exercising in the gym may be boring for many. After all, it can get very monotonous by running on a treadmill all the time. MMA has a lot of variation and involves many different sets of muscles in your body, so it is a fun and exciting cross-training activity.
Kickboxing is a fun and fast-paced cardio training that helps you get rid of a lot of calories as compared to other activities. There are also many health benefits that come with it.
You can start getting involved in this MMA experience to burn your calories, while practicing it as a self-defense or as a contact sport at the same time.
However, make sure to check your body’s condition such as your muscle and fat ratio. This is so that you can support your exercise with the most suitable diet. With kickboxing calories will no longer be an issue.