Boxing and kickboxing offer two of the most effective and empowering workout formats on the planet for anyone looking to tone up, develop their fitness, and generally improve their overall conditioning. With that said, they are in fact quite different in terms of the areas of the body they work – though they will both achieve all of the above end results, we want to highlight the differences between the two so that you can determine which one might best suit your fitness goal related needs.
Boxing
Boxing predominantly involves the upper body and requires the individual to perform frequent striking movements against resistance whilst integrating the core and hips to generate power. The beauty of boxing is that it promotes a high level of core integration as well as calling on the muscles in the lower body as it works it's way through a series of twists, turns and intense bursts of energy. All of these elements combine to tone the stomach, arms, hips and lay waste to calories as both the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems blend seamlessly together meaning every aspect of your fitness is going to improve. There are literally thousands of boxing based workouts out there, most of which will take you through a varied array of bag drills (using either heavy or light bags), speed drills, coordination drills and good old fashioned body weight exercises and cardio blasts to take every aspect of your body to the next level, inside and out.
Kick Boxing
On paper, it’s hard to understand why anybody wouldn’t automatically choose kickboxing over it's upper body orientated counterpart – you get all of the same benefits as you would from boxing, except you’re going to get a greater degree of leg involvement. In reality, kickboxing workouts will typically revolve around the majority of the same exercises and fitness / coordination drills, only the legs will feature prominently as they are called upon to deliver swift kicks from all angles. In some ways, you could say that kickboxing is better for “general” tone and fitness across the entire body, whereas boxing will arguably emphasize arm tone and upper body strength more. Both disciplines will improve core stability, abdominal tone and fitness on equal par however, so if you’re looking to focus entirely on these areas then there really is little reason to choose one over the other.
The Choice Is Yours
Though both forms of exercise will deliver results in abundance, you should consider that kickboxing may be a little less accommodating than boxing due to the unorthodox positions the legs are placed in, and the demand on the lower body in general. For anyone who isn’t particularly sure footed, or who suffers from lower body ailments – it’s worth getting into boxing initially, then when your fitness and coordination develops you might want to consider giving kick boxing a shot. No matter which route you choose to go down though, there’s little doubt that within only a few months you’ll reap the rewards massively – every day tasks will become super easy, you’ll notice lean muscle development across the entire body, and generally speaking you’ll be a happier, fitter and healthier you.
Before you get started, remember:
- You’ll need wrist wraps to protect your wrists during upper body strikes
- Invest in a decent pair of gloves – don’t just go cheap! Get a pair that’ll stand the test of time and repeated use.
- Always bring plenty of water with you to your workouts, you’ll need to stay well hydrated
- Take the time to learn how to deliver the techniques in a manner that protects your joints – there’s always a wrong and right way to perform the punches and kicks involved in either discipline
- Don’t rush! Work to your own personal level, and don’t be tempted to try and match those who are more experienced than you
You don’t have to take part in sparring if you don’t want to – either discipline can be used purely for fitness, or to develop self defense ability; it comes down to your preference. Both of these workouts will shred your body, are super fun, and can really alleviate stress! #sweatitout
