Tagged: Martial Arts

Weight Loss

The Best Martial Arts for Losing Weight

Exercising at the gym can be monotonous and a waste of time, especially if your goal is to lose weight and not to gain muscle mass. Losing weight needs more cardiovascular exercises than resistance training. Cardio increases heart rate and oxygen intake to turn fat into energy. This process explains why we never see a sprinter or marathon athlete with a muscular build because at some points after burning all the fats in the body, cardio exercises consume muscles too.

If you want to lose weight, you need to do more cardio. But running, swimming and using a treadmill at the gym can be pretty dull. The alternative is to practice martial arts. It requires all body parts to work in coordination simultaneously, particularly during the stances. Besides, by practicing martial techniques, you can acquire self-defense ability.

Here are the best three martial arts that can help you to lose weight and get healthier.

Boxing

Boxing focuses on the upper body part strength. When launching an attack, an expert boxer will coordinate his/her core muscle to add power to the punch.

The work-out sets for boxing are also tough. Jumping rope and shadow boxing are regular sets for every session at the boxing gym. They are intended to train the boxer’s kinesthetic awareness which later can improve his/her agility during a fight.

Weight training is also a part of boxing work-out sets. But it is not for cosmetic purpose. Bulking up is not necessary as long as the muscles are strong and efficient enough to deliver a punch. Regular sessions with the bar-bells and benchpress sets are intended to maintain the muscles.

men doing boxing If you want to be a boxer, look for the nearest boxing gym and find an instructor. It would be better if you join a boxing class instead of going solo to practice alone. By interacting with practitioners, you can get practical information related to boxing, like what is the best equipment for a beginner, how to deal with injury, etc. Supplement that information with written sources.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is more intense than boxing because the martial art allows attacks using upper and lower body parts. Elbows and knees are turned into deadly weapons by a Muay Thai expert. Due to this reason, you need an instructor if you want to learn the art.

Muay ThaiMuay Thai work out sets are relentless. In one session, 30 push kicks and 30 roundhouse kicks on the heavy bag are regular sets to have. Punches are to be combined with elbow strikes, and at the last stage of a session, punches, elbow strikes, and kicks are practiced in combination. If you can do these sets continuously, you can lose significant weights in less than six months.

If you get expert assistance, usually he/she will give you suggestion to do additional work-outs at home. Jogging, jumping rope, and resistance training are three common extra sets you are required to do to be a strong Muay Thai practitioner.

Capoeira

CapoeiraCompared to the previous twos, Capoeira is not safe for obese people. The movements and kick maneuver requires an exceptional degree of flexibility. The resistance training for Capoeira is done majorly with body-weight. The martial art uses hands to support the kick maneuver, and there are also a lot of rollings and jumping attacks.

This martial is close to Yoga but with more cardiovascular benefits. It is best to practice Capoeira if you have little excess weight and you want to add muscular tone and shredded look to your build.