Buffalo Kickboxing is a Great Cardio Workout!

Buffalo Kickboxing is a Great Cardio Workout!

by Cara Nassar

According to the American Council on Exercise kickboxing burns 350-450 calories per hour. This means that on average a participant burns about 6.7 calories a minute! This is comparable to jogging for an hour, however, kickboxing has the added benefits of increased strength, stamina and flexibility, as well as improvement of coordination and reflexes. This makes Buffalo Kickboxing a great option for those who want to add a well rounded workout to their fitness routines.

Beginners to the sport need to be aware that kickboxing can work different muscles than other cardiovascular activities and many of the moves may feel unfamiliar at first. This increases the risk of injury, therefore, one should always be sure to warm up properly to reduce injury and strain on joints and muscles. You want to make sure you are warming up your knees, ankles, back, hips and shoulders especially!

The following is an example workout taken from fitness blender website:

Calorie Burn Estimations - 400 Calories
The following is a quick description of the motions used in this workout video, just keep in mind that the motions performed here are for an aerobic workout only and not for use in competitive kickboxing.

Punches- Jab (straight punch with hand on lead side of the body)
- Cross (straight punch from the trailing arm/rear arm)
- Hook (a hooking motion is done with either arm making a high swinging motion from the side generally aimed at the head)
- Uppercut (a hooking motion that starts low and comes up, generally aimed at the opponents face)

Kicks and Leg Motions- Shin Block (bring knee up and elbows down in a crunching motion keeping hands in front of face, knee should meet and touch elbow of same side)
- Knee (drive rear knee up at same time as pulling "opponent" down into the lifting knee)
- Front Kick (drive knee up then extend leg straight forward, can be done with front or back leg)
- High Kick ( Hop rear leg to front leg position while simultaneously kicking the front foot up rotating your leg and hips to face sideways)
Stance Switch (quickly hop and shift feet, switching which foot is in front)
This is a direct transcript of the routine and the motions used in this routine. 

Cardio Kickboxing Workout

Warm Up30 - Arm Swing
30 - Arm Circle
30 - Torso Circles
30 - Torso Rotation
30 - High Knee March
60 – Standing Side Crunch
60 - Standing Crisscross Crunch
60 - Up and Out
120 - Jumping jacks / Jump Rope

Round One(Start with left leg forward)
- Jab + Cross x 10 (switch stance and repeat)
- Jab + Cross + Jab x 10 (switch stance and repeat)
- Jab + Cross + Jab + Ducking Stance Change x 10 (5 on each side)
- Jab + Cross + Uppercut + Uppercut x 10 (switch stance and repeat)
- Hook + Uppercut + Uppercut + Hook x 10 (switch Stance and repeat)
- Jab + Hook + Hook + Uppercut + Ducking Stance Change x 10 (5 on each side)
Round Two

(Start with left leg forward)
- Shin Block (F) + Jab + Cross + Shin Block (R) x 10 (switch stance and repeat)
- Knee + Knee + Jab + Cross x 10 (switch stance and repeat)
- Knee + Front Kick (F) + Front Kick (R) x 10 (switch stance and repeat)
- High Kick + Knee + Shin Block (F) + Shin Block (R) + Ducking Stance Change x 10
- Front Kick (F) + Jab + Cross + Front Kick (R) x 10 (switch stance and repeat)
- High Kick + High Kick + Uppercut + Uppercut + Knee x 10 (switch stance and repeat)

Cool Down

This workout is just an example. It should be noted that working out at home is great, but working out at a gym with trained fitness and MMA coaches is even better! They can see what you are doing wrong and show you the proper technique, which greatly decreases your chances of injury and greatly increases the effectiveness of your punches and kicks. They will be able to tailor the workouts to fit your needs and abilities. You will also gain valuable experience from sparring with others, something that you could never do on your own. Not to mention that the coaches can hold punch pads and kick pads to give you a more authentic experience.

Buffalo Kickboxing at WNY MMA & Fitness is a great way to get in a well rounded cardio workout with proper supervision to ensure the best kickboxing workout experience possible!