Kickboxing For Fitness Warm Ups

I have been training in kickboxing for over 26 years. I do not know of any type of all over body workout that can match a real kickboxing workout. Now remember one thing, and this can be said about anything in life not just physical training, but you only get out what you put in. Over the years I have witnessed many different people taking part in kickboxing workouts all over the world. I have seen people do a two hour kickboxing session and walk off the training floor as if they had been for a gentle stroll around the park. I have also seen people take part in a forty five minute kickboxing session and have to nearly crawl off the training floor. I obviously know who has put the correct amount of effort into their kickboxing for cardio fitness workout and who will gain the benefits of their efforts.

When I am talking about kickboxing training here, I am talking about real kickboxing training. That is a session being coached by a professional kickboxing instructor and using professional punching and kicking strike targets.

To get a real workout in kickboxing you need to use the correct equipment. You need to be able to strike correctly. To do that you need to practice on professional strike targest like Focus Pads to punch for instance. I would never recommend punchingor kicking into thin air, that can seriously damage your joints.

Sometimes as a warm up in my sessions I may do a little shadow boxing. When we are shadow boxing you have to imagine you are punching and kicking to your shadow, as in someone exactly the same size as yourself. Now when we do this we are on our own and we have no targets to strike. However all of the actual striking movements are very gentle movements and never is an arm or a leg extended in a full powerful strike. The main theme here is movement around an are, say a boxing ring, with light footwork and upper body movements as if we were trying to avoid an opponents strikes. It is purely a warm up exercise, we never put speed or power into shadow boxing techniques.

We also sometimes use a leather skipping rope to get warmed up. I believe skipping is a fantastic way to warm up for the more rigorous workout that is ahead. if you think skipping is not a good warm up, it is probably because you can not do it properly. I would recommend everyone buys themselves an inexpensive leather skipping rope and practices every day until you can skip properly. It is a great workout in itself really.   
Only after you have warmed up correctly and stretched your arms and legs should you attempt to use the professional striking targets and put real speed and power into your techniques. Your instructor will have shown you the correct spacing and distances to be away from the different targets, so you should be safe to practice properly and have fun.
Keep the faith friends.