Kickboxing Training – Get in Shape Fast!

Kickboxing training is a very effective method of training for building endurance and strength and properly done will get you in top shape fast. This program uses equipment such as heavy bags, speed bags and other devices that are familiar to anyone who has observed a boxer training on television, and involves the trainee doing a series of punches and kicks much like karate usually in three-minute rounds with a minute rest in-between.

There are many other variations but this is the most common form.

The heavy bag builds strength and power in your muscles while the various speed bags increase your reflexes and speed. Substantial calories are burned during this training as it can be pretty rigorous when performed by an advanced trainee. Begin slowly by doing two rounds of two minutes each with two minutes rest in-between. This will allow an introductory level of effort before the more intense training to follow.

Use the heavy bag for the first round and switch to the speed bag for round two. After 2-3 weeks of this, increase your training to intermediate level by doing three rounds of three minutes. Round one should be with a heavy bag, for round two use the speed bag, while round three is done with the reflex bag. Do this workout for three weeks before progressing to the advanced level which is done as follows:

Speed bag- 3 minutes – Use a rapid, light, circular punching motion to build speed and co-ordination.

One minute rest

Heavy bag- 3 minutes – Alternate punching and kicking blows while increasing your power by striking the bag in different areas and heights.

One minute rest

Floor free-standing reflex bag- 3 minutes – This tool is available at most sporting goods retailers and is an excellent addition to any home boxing gym. Strike this bag with different style punches using both a speed and power approach.

Rope jumping or running in-place- 3 minutes – Repeat this sequence as conditioning permits.

As you see, rest periods stay at one minute and training rounds time out at three minutes. This is based on traditional boxing training, which mimics actual fighting times during a match. To make this training more interesting, pretend that you are in an actual professional bout and dance around punching and jabbing while dodging and weaving to avoid your imaginary opponent’s blows.

This type of training lends itself to HIIT Training but that is a subject for a future article.