Flit Like A Butterfly, Kick Like A Bull

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Wellness
Feature

Flit Like A Butterfly, Kick Like A Bull

Cardio kickboxing is all the rage these days amongst those seeking more excitement in the daily exercise regimen.

Bored with your aerobics class? Looking for a workout that totally kicks butt? Want to increase your stamina, flexibility, and strength while listening to your favourite dance mixes?
If this sounds good to you, then cardio kickboxing may be your ticket to wellness.
Kickboxing combines the best of a variety of different exercise disciplines to provide an overall workout. It combines self-awareness and control of martial arts, the focus and strength of boxing, and the grace and rhythm of dance. Martial arts and boxing develop strength, speed, balance, coordination and awareness. The dance moves give the workout energy and rhythm that improves coordination and body awareness and provides a workout for the heart.

What is Kickboxing?
Cardio-kickboxing (aka aerobic boxing, aerobox, boxercise, boxaerobics) is a high-impact cardiovascular workout that blends elements of boxing, martial arts and traditional aerobics into a 30 to 60 min exercise routine to provide overall physical conditioning and toning.
The roots of kickboxing date back to the Far East 2,000 years ago. Kickboxing as we know it today developed under various influences. But modern competitive kickboxing was actually popularised by Billy Blanks’ in 1998.
Kickboxing is a unique way to improve endurance, confidence and strength. The one-hour sessions offer a great workout focusing on developing general fitness and body tone. It improves fitness, flexibility and stamina - an excellent workout. Essentially it is boxing with kicks - combining western and eastern techniques.

What’s the workout like?
Kickboxing classes usually comprise of 10 to 15-min warm-ups, which may include stretching and traditional exercises such as jumping jacks and push-ups, followed by a 30-min kickboxing session that includes movements such as knee strikes, kicks, and punches. After this, at least 5-mins is devoted to cooling down, followed by about 10-mins of stretching and muscle conditioning. Stretching is really important because beginners can strain their muscles, and slow, proper stretching helps relax muscles and prevent injury.

What can you expect?
- Cardio kickboxing does not involve physical contact between competitors.
- Classes vary but generally feature a variety of punches, kicks, knee strikes and other self-defence moves interspersed with a bouncing base move.
- Some cardio-kickboxing classes spend a part of the time kicking and punching weighted, padded targets or engaging in actual sparring.
- The class may also incorporate traditional exercises, such as jumping jacks, abdominal crunches, leg lifts and push-ups to create a total body workout.
- Unlike weight training programs, kickboxing uses your own body weight for the workout.

Why Kickboxing?
- Besides keeping your body fit, kickboxing has tons of other benefits.
- It is an ideal vehicle for physical, mental, personal and emotional development.
- Its rigorous workout - controlled punching and kicking movements carried out with the discipline and skills required for martial arts can do wonders for feelings of frustration and anger.
- Practicing kickboxing moves also helps improve balance, flexibility, coordination, and endurance.
- Unlike the complicated moves of aerobics, kickboxing is very easy to learn and follow. The moves in cardio-kickboxing involve dance movements, which make you feel energised and explosive after the workout.
- Kickboxing reduces and relieves stress. Which is why even people with a cardiac problem, can do a kickboxing workout, with the help of a personal trainer.

How many calories does cardio-kickboxing burn?
- With 600-800 calorie burnout per hour, kickboxing has been rated as the highest calorie workout by Muscle & Fitness, America.
- A 60-70 per cent pulse rate is essential for weight loss, which can be achieved by everyone. If you want to increase your endurance and stamina, a 85% pulse needs to be reached. An 85% pulse workout is not for everyone and can be achieved with gradual increase in the intensity of workout.

You may not acquire fame as Jean Claude Van Damne did in Hong Kong for his kickboxing stunts, but it is surely a great way to get a total body workout. And in the bargain you will also learn simple self-defence moves.

Expert Speak:
Prakash Kumar, Director, Indian Fitness Academy
I introduced Tae Bo Do, commonly know as kickboxing, 5 years ago in Bangalore. My 26-year background of boxing and martial arts has definitely helped me train my students better.
Kickboxing is a stress reliever, since the workout demands a high amount of concentration, which involves the right level at which the kicks and boxes are aimed. Kickboxing requires strength, endurance, technique, and focus; it mandates your mind and soul as well as your body.
I insist that a fitness test should be taken before any person is enrolled onto the kickboxing programme. The fitness test decides the level of workout to be prescribed.

Karuna Horo, Fitness Expert, Talwalkars
Being a combination of martial arts and boxing, kickboxing involves several combinations of movements, which can be experimented with. This ensures that the workouts are not boring. It has also helped people feel more empowered and confident.
Women tend to put on weight on their mid-section and the lower body. Kickboxing helps target these problem areas and lose weight quickly. You can see the results within the first 3 months.

The Basics
Before you decide to jump in and sign up for a class, you should keep a few basic guidelines in mind:
- Know your current fitness level. Kickboxing is a high-intensity, high-impact form of exercise, so
it’s probably not a good idea to plunge in after a long stint as a couch potato.
- When you do begin kickboxing, allow yourself to be a beginner by working at your own pace and not overexerting yourself to the point of exhaustion.
- Check it out before you sign up. If possible, observe or try a class beforehand to see whether it’s right for you and to make sure the instructor is willing to modify the routine a bit to accommodate people’s different skill levels.
- Start slowly and don’t overdo it.