Men and women of all fitness levels are turning to kickboxing for losing weight and seeing positive results on the scale from their kickboxing workouts.  Kickboxing classes help people effectively burn calories, gain muscle mass, and lose fat. Best of all, they’re fun! 

How Kickboxing Can Help You Lose Weight

While it’s true that many exercises can aid with weight loss, kickboxing packs an extra punch (and kick).

Here are five key ways kickboxing can help people lose weight without dreading their next workout. 

1. Available to Any Fitness Level

Anyone who wants to be more active can start kickboxing for losing weight, whether they are a beginner or an elite athlete. That’s because kickboxing can increase in intensity as a person becomes more fit. 

Exercise alone does not always lead to weight loss. To get the most out of kickboxing for losing weight, combining it with healthy eating habits is essential. This does not mean eliminating carbohydrates. 

Instead, many boxers and kickboxers do carb cycling, in which they rotate their carbohydrate intake throughout the week. Carbohydrates are essential energy sources, so active people should never eliminate them. 

By carb cycling, kickboxers can ensure their bodies have carbohydrates for fuel during high-intensity training periods. The rest of the time, the body will turn to other energy sources, resulting in higher fat burn.

2. Aerobic Exercise Raises Metabolism and Burns Fat

Doing aerobic exercise for an extended period can help boost metabolism and burn fat, which is another reason to try kickboxing for losing weight. A study from Duke University found that aerobic exercise is better than resistance training for burning stubborn belly fat.

Kickboxing is also an exciting combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise means that the muscles have enough oxygen to meet the workout’s energy demands, which typically lasts around an hour. However, much of a kickboxing workout is considered High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) which is anaerobic. During anaerobic sessions, the body experiences oxygen depletion. Since the body burns five calories for every liter of oxygen consumed, anaerobic exercises can increase calorie burn during and after the workout when the body replaces the oxygen lost from the muscles.

3. Burn Fat. Build Muscle.

Kickboxing is a high-intensity activity that burns a lot of calories. It’s possible to burn as many as 900 calories in a single session. When the body burns that many calories in such a short amount of time, it will run out of glycogen and need to start burning fat for energy. 

In addition to torching calories, kickboxing builds muscle mass. As the fat melts away, it is replaced by muscle, which burns more calories than fat. That means people who kickbox will burn more calories throughout the day, even at rest, as their fat burns off and their muscle starts to build. 

It doesn’t take long to notice the benefits of kickboxing for losing weight. One study found that just five weeks of kickboxing led to noticeable cardiovascular and muscle health improvements.

4. Reduce Stress and Cortisol Levels to Curb Stress Eating

Kickboxing is a great way to reduce stress. Punching and kicking during your workout use your entire body and provides a safe way to release the frustrations of the day.

Participants might think that burning so many calories during a workout would lead to excessive hunger and a desire to eat more. However, kickboxing can have the opposite effect by suppressing stress hormones that can lead to overeating and feelings of depression. Kickboxing can also elevate feel-good hormones like dopamine and endorphins. The result is that people who kickbox are less stressed and as a result less likely to indulge in mindless stress eating. 

5. Fun Activity That’s Never Boring

Kickboxing is never dull and the workout routines and muscle groups worked change often, so participants never feel like they are in a rut. When exercise is tedious and repetitive, people are less likely to do it. It can be difficult for anyone to talk themselves into spending an hour on the treadmill or stair machine when it seems dull and monotonous. Plus the team environment of kickboxing classes motivates participants to show up and workout regularly, even when they don’t feel like exercising. 

Try Kickboxing for Losing Weight at X3 Sports

X3 Sports welcomes athletes of all fitness levels and abilities to try kickboxing for losing weight, gain strength, and having fun. 

Sign up for a free class to see what kickboxing is all about and learn more about how it can lead to weight loss.