So back when I was a personal trainer (it feels like ages ago!) I also taught a kickboxing class at the gym. Boy, so  miss having a punching bag handy! Sigh… Oh well, someday I’ll have one in my garage. I just have to get a garage first. 😉 Anyway, enjoy this little guest post about how martial arts makes you more fit. And trust me, it really does wonders for muscle tone.

Martial arts are a popular contact sport that is growing in popularity. People of all ages participate in martial arts lessons for a variety of reasons. The more popular reasons that people enjoy getting involved in martial arts include; weight loss, learning self-defense, and competition with others. There are many advantages that martial arts can have on improving fitness, including helping with weight loss and improving muscle tone.

Although martial arts can greatly benefit fitness, experts all agree that diet is also key to any weight loss regimen. For any fitness plan that involves losing weight, the best approach is to both exercise and eat right. Finding an activity, such as martial arts, that increases metabolism, will drastically benefit any weight loss program.

Like any type of exercise, martial arts offers many kinds of disciplines to choose from. When considering a discipline that will best impact your fitness regimen, choose one that you feel the most comfortable with, and one that will have the most positive effect on your fitness goal. A few that you may want to consider for a great cardiovascular workout include: kickboxing, karate, taekwondo, and American kenpo.

To begin your workout at a martial arts school, you will start the class with a warm-up exercise designed to get the body’s muscles warmed up. Next, you will stretch your muscles which will prepare your body for the martial arts techniques you will be doing throughout the lesson. Following your warm-up, many classes will jump into a light work-out session. This will usually consist of something like pushups or sit-ups. These warm-up exercises are a great way to begin your class, as these type of exercises are an excellent way to tone your muscles and burn extra calories, thus adding to your fitness goal.

Martial arts classes are designed specifically for people of the same age and skill level, so you can rest assured that you will be placed in a class with people who not only have similar fitness goals, but also with like-minded people who are of approximately the same age and skill level. Additionally, most martial arts schools have classes 4 to 5 times a week, making getting to a class that meets your schedule very convenient. Weekly classes are for both beginners and the more advanced and include classes for sparring, karate katas, and practicing self-defense moves. Many martial arts schools will allow someone to come and try a class for free to evaluate whether or not they may want to join. It’s worth it to check out a class for free; you may just find that getting fit is a lot more fun than you thought it could be!

For martial arts lessons in Chandler and Gilbert, Arizona, visit Sandoval Freestyle Karate, where students of all ages and skill levels are taught self-defense and fighting techniques.