by Cara Nassar
Those who engage in Buffalo Kickboxing or cardio kickboxing know how good of a workout it is. However, according to extreme body shaping there are 10 things you can do to boost the effectiveness and maximize the caloric burn of your kickboxing workout.
Warm up. Jog in place or grab a jump rope a few minutes before class begins. A quick dynamic warm-up prepares your body to work more effectively and lowers your risk of injury.
Keep your hands up. Fighters keep their hands up to protect their face from blows by their opponents. Fitness kickboxers keep their hands up to keep their shoulders working. Your hands should be near your cheeks with the top of your gloves at the height of your cheek bones.
Work at Level 10 Intensity. You're not there to play patty-cake with the bag, hit it! Use explosive power to hit the bag hard every time. Working every kick and punch from the floor to the bag is a great plyometric exercise that will help you develop more power as you learn correct form and timing.
Compete with your Bag Partner. You'll work harder with a bag partner than you will on your own. Challenge each other to keep your intensity level high and stay on the count. It's harder to slack off when you're part of a team.
Hydrate before and after class. Drinking plenty of water is an important part of every fitness routine. If you need more than one water break per class, you're cheating yourself of calorie burning activity. Make sure you're well hydrated before class and quickly replace what you've lost after class.
Engage your legs and core for stronger punches. Swinging your arms at the bag might burn a few calories, but such puny punches can't hold a candle (or calorie) to what you can do when you use your legs and core with every punch.
Pivot your base foot to open your hips for better kicks. The toes on your base foot should be pointed away from the bag as you make contact. Kickers who miss this step are putting too much strain on their knees and their kicks will tend to brush upward on the bag instead of making direct, clean contact.
Use Mirrors to Check Your Form. You can learn a lot from watching your instructor's technique. You can learn even more if you use the mirrors to check and correct your form.
Finish class with stretching. You don't need to take up yoga to improve flexibility. A few minutes of basic stretching after class when your muscles are warm is enough to help you work toward reaching your toes, and beyond.
Drink a Recovery Shake. Immediately following a tough workout, your body is ready to begin the repair process, but it requires fuel to do so. Time one of your daily meals so that you're eating a meal or drinking a shake within 30 minutes of your workout for best results.
Supposedly, if you follow these ten steps you can almost double the amount of calories you burn during your buffalo kickboxing workouts!
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