7 Reasons To Try Kickboxing Workouts

If you take a kickboxing class — with all its jabs, hooks, kicks, and uppercuts — you’re pretty much guaranteed to feel like a total powerhouse by the end of it. But what are the actual health benefits of kickboxing? Here, trainers break them down.

What Is Kickboxing?

According to trainer Joey Thurman, it’s a form of cardio exercise that also focuses on building strength and stability. “Most kickboxing involves kicking and punching movements either to a bag, a coach holding pads, or throwing kicks and punches.”

Improved Balance

Thurman says the varied movements of a kickboxing class help you build better balance and stability. When you throw kicks and lean into punches, you move your body through multiple planes, and it all adds up to stronger muscles that help you feel more stable.

More Stamina

Chris Gerhardt, a master trainer at TITLE Boxing Club, says kickboxing also improves your cardio health, stamina, and endurance. “It mimics the same benefits of HIIT,” he tells Bustle, which is a form of exercise that increases your heart rate and demand for oxygen.

Lowered Blood Pressure

Because kickboxing is such a great cardio workout, it also has the power to lower your high blood pressure, and thus your risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as diabetes, Gerhardt says — all good things to keep in mind when thinking about longevity.

Better Overall Strength

Not a fan of weight lifting? Kickboxing may be your best bet to build more muscle. It engages your entire upper body as you punch — think arms, legs, and core — and also trains your lower body, Gerhardt says, as you kick, squat, and shuffle.

Decreased Stress

If you need to get out some energy, kicking a heavy boxing bag is one of the best outlets to relieve day-to-day stress, says Gerhardt. Punching and jumping around — especially to upbeat music — also releases endorphins and helps relieve muscle tension.

Better Concentration

You can think of kickboxing as an amazing brain workout, too. As Gerhardt explains, learning each new technique and then combining them all together into a routine requires a lot of focus, agility, and heaps of concentration.

Boosted Confidence

Don’t be surprised if you feel more confident after completing a kickboxing class. “There is nothing more empowering than throwing a kick or a punch,” says Gerhart. Once you try it, you’ll undoubtedly agree.