6 kickboxing exercises that will help pump the whole body

Strong muscles and the correct technique of blows will help to win in any sports match.

Peyzulla Magomedov

KMS in freestyle wrestling and kickboxing, two-time champion of Moscow in Thai boxing

What muscles are important for a kickboxer to pump? What exercises should I do?

Kickboxing, like many martial arts, develops physical qualities, but at the same time has several features. Any workout starts with a warm-up. In kickboxing, a significant part of it is given to flexibility, since a large amount of work needs to be done with your feet.

Also, the fighter must be functionally prepared. In other words, his physical qualities — speed, strength, endurance, agility — must be highly developed. Kickboxing workouts are characterized by high intensity — on average, athletes burn more than 800 kcal, and the body should be ready for such intense work. At competitions, all fights are usually held in 1-2 days, and an athlete can take part in 2-3 fights per day, and this is a very serious test.

After the body gets used to the loads, there is a monotonous work on setting the strike technique. Correct execution takes hours to train, even experienced athletes often work out the same series, bringing it to perfect automatism.

And last but not least, kickboxing can be traumatic, like any other type of martial arts. There are risks of damaging something not only by getting hit, but also by inflicting it. So now we're going to talk about how to get stronger to avoid this.

Why does a kickboxer need to pump his whole body

It is important for a fighter to be in good shape not for beauty — every muscle is needed either for striking or for coordination. Let's look at which muscle groups are involved in the process and what they are responsible for.

• Leg muscles. Quadriceps and adductors/abductors. They are involved not only in strikes, but also in the movement of the wrestler, are responsible for his coordination. It is also worth adding calf muscles and hamstrings — they give the fighter in the ring some "springiness".
• Arm muscles. Triceps and deltoid muscles are responsible for the speed and force of impact. Also, do not forget about the forearms — they form your block.
• The muscles of the cortex and lower back. The core includes the rectus, oblique and transverse abdominal muscles, serrated muscles, buttocks and lower back. This is exactly the muscle group that is involved in many punches and kicks — for example, in side kicks and roundhouse kicks. In addition, well-developed abdominal muscles better "extinguish" the opponent's blow.

These are only the main muscle groups, but it should be noted that all muscles are involved in kickboxing. And this is most clearly expressed in the kinetic force of the impact. With the correct execution of the blow, your muscles are activated sequentially, from the legs to the extreme point of the fist, and each adds its own strength and energy to achieve maximum effect.

If there is no gym nearby where you can sign up for a kickboxing section, it's not a problem. We have prepared some exercises that you can do at home and become stronger.

Warm-up

This complex is not included in the basic exercises, but is necessary for proper work. We consistently knead the body, starting from the neck and ending with the ankle. Do the exercises that you know. We won't say anything unique, but every flaw or "hack" will hurt you more than the opponent. So we are preparing, as if we are going out for the last fight.

We pay special attention to the ligaments and tendons of the extremities — the effectiveness of the entire workout depends on them. Here we will include the most intense exercise — jumping rope.

Push-ups on fists and hands

An exercise that not only pumps the hands, forearms, shoulders and chest, but also gives rigidity when hitting (the hands and forearms work the most, and the rest complements the kinetic force).

Stand at point-blank range lying down. The body and legs form one straight line. Lower the body to an angle of 90 degrees at the elbows and return to the starting position. If it's easy for you to do push-ups on your hands, complicate the exercises by standing on your fists.

Do 25 times in two sets at the initial level. Next, increase the number of repetitions by 10 as you strengthen your strength. For 50-60 repetitions, it is already possible to connect weighting with dumbbells / pancakes or a light younger brother / nephew on the back.

The bar

One of the most effective exercises for all muscle groups. Best of all, it affects the cortex muscles and the serrated muscles, which are directly responsible for turning punches and hand strikes. It also gives the muscles elasticity and keeps them in good shape.

The technique of execution is quite simple. Leaning on your forearms, fix yourself in a push-up rack. The arms are bent at 90 degrees, the body is in a strictly parallel position to the floor. Start with 30-40 seconds, daily increasing the duration of the exercise by five seconds. Two minutes, in principle, is enough, but if you can do more, it's great!

Jab, cross, hook, uppercut with weights

All hand techniques came to kickboxing from boxing. To give the blows a destructive force, you can perform exercises with weights, but you should start with minimal weights.

• Jab is a direct blow to the head with your hand. It is applied from the fighting stance with the leading fist straight forward.
• Cross — kick with the far strongest hand.
• Hook — the blow is applied with the hand from the side.
• Uppercut — the blow is applied with a compressed brush from below, from under the block.

Practice each stroke for a minute, then pause for 30 seconds — and repeat. After three laps, you can move on to the next exercise. But if you have the strength to do more, do it.

Squats with weights

Squats should be performed exclusively with weighting — this is how we strengthen the legs and give them explosive power. Boys start with 5-10 kg, boys and girls under 18 years old can quite cope with pancakes up to 15 kg, and the older ones work with a barbell. If there are no pancakes at hand, a bucket of water is perfect. But if it's too easy for you, you can weigh down the bucket with sand / earth (and squat like with a kettlebell), or work with two through a rocker arm — this also connects the back.

When squatting, keep your back straight and sit down to a 90-degree angle at the knees. They should not go beyond the socks.

Try to have time to sit down 20 times in a minute. If you work with serious weights, start with 15 times. The main thing is to perform correctly. With the wrong technique, there is a risk of damaging the lower back.

Twisting and tilting of the body

As we have already said, the muscles of the press not only coolly "extinguish" blows, but are also responsible for kinetic force. The muscles of the press have many facets, and each can and should be worked on separately. The rectus muscles are pumped by simple twisting, this test is familiar to us from school. Oblique gain volume by turning the body in the right direction when bending left / right. You can work with weighting for better efficiency.

Try to do it 20 times in a minute. You can increase it by 5-10 times if you feel that you are coping faster.

Shadow Fight

For dessert — a fight with an imaginary opponent. The most important thing is that all strikes and series must be performed technically correctly. First the technique, then the speed of movement. Do not confuse and do not hack.

For the first time, do a minute at an intense pace. Then you can work comfortably for 2-3 minutes, but no more.

Hitch

At the end of each workout, it is necessary to perform a hitch in order to put the body into a calm state and prepare it for recovery. Within 5-10 minutes, you need to stretch all the muscles well again.

You can also do body tilts, several lunges forward and sideways to stretch your legs. If you have been practicing outside, it is best to run for five minutes at a slow pace. Only after that we finish the training and get ready for a new one.