Cardio kickboxing for weight loss: a no-jump, non-contact workout for a larger body

Cardio kickboxing for weight loss: the short answer

Cardio kickboxing can help you lose weight when you combine it with good food, because it raises your heart rate, works your arms, core and legs together and is fun enough that many people stick with it. It works best as two or three sessions a week next to daily walking.

The strongest trial in people with a heavier body is small but clear. Twelve adults with abdominal obesity were randomly given either boxing intervals or brisk walking, four times a week for twelve weeks, with the same total amount of activity.

The boxing group lost body fat percentage, lowered its systolic blood pressure and became fitter. It also turned up to 79 % of sessions, compared with 55 % in the walking group, and nobody in the boxing group dropped out.

Weight itself changed less than you might hope. Another trial found that five weeks of kickboxing made people fitter but left body composition unchanged, and the authors said extra activity or changes in food would be needed. So see kickboxing as your engine for fitness and mood, and your plate as the main lever for the scale.

Talk to your doctor first, then start with four rounds of one minute, twice a week. The plan further down builds from there over twelve weeks.

What is cardio kickboxing?

Cardio kickboxing is a workout built from boxing and martial arts moves, done in short timed rounds with easy marching in between. You punch and strike at empty air or, later, at a bag, so there is no partner, no sparring and no contact.

It borrows the shapes of a fight sport but drops the risks. There are no blows to the head, no competition and no need to “make weight”. The goal is simply to keep your arms and legs moving for a few minutes at a time.

It comes in several forms. Some suit a first week at home, others make sense only after a few months.

A kickboxing session differs from a mixed circuit, where each station trains a different muscle group with exercises such as chair stands. If that format appeals to you, our gentle cardio circuit explains it.

It also differs from a dance class. Kickboxing follows a timer and a set of strikes rather than steps to a beat, which helps if you feel clumsy with choreography or prefer to work without music. If moving to a beat is what keeps you going, a dance class may suit you better.

What the research shows about boxing, fitness and weight

Studies of boxing and kickboxing are small, but they point the same way: fitness, blood pressure and the waistline can improve within six to twelve weeks. Body weight moves far less unless eating changes too.

What does that mean for you? The best-matched study, in adults with abdominal obesity, had only twelve people. Its weight result, a drop of about 4 %, was not statistically clear, while the fall in body fat percentage was.

The older-adults trial is helpful for a different reason. People between 50 and 85, most of them women, trained in groups and shrank their waist measurement by about 6.5 %. Fat around the waist is the kind that matters most for heart and blood sugar.

The two newest trials were done in young adults, not in people living with obesity, so their numbers do not transfer directly. They do show that boxing rounds count as real cardio: blood pressure and fitness responded within six weeks.

The honest summary is this. Kickboxing is a good way to get fitter and trim your waist, and it seems easier to keep up than a plain walking programme for some people. For more on how much cardio adds to weight loss in general, see our page on cardio for weight loss.

Is kickboxing safe in a larger body? Joints, back, breath and blood pressure

Non-contact kickboxing is safe for most people in a larger body when you leave out jumps and high kicks, breathe out on every strike and build up slowly. The risks come from copying a fast class on day one, not from the moves themselves.

• Feet and knees: keep both feet close to the floor and your knees slightly bent. Kicks stay low, no higher than the other knee, or become a small forward tap with the toes. If your knees hurt, the knee pain rule tells you how much discomfort is acceptable.
• Back: turn from the hips and ribs together, never twist hard from the lower back. Brace your tummy lightly before each punch.
• Breathing: breathe out sharply through your mouth with every punch, like a short “tss”. Holding your breath during effort pushes your blood pressure up.
• Blood pressure: boxing rounds lowered blood pressure in trials, but strain and breath-holding raise it during the effort. Our page on moving with high blood pressure covers the checks to do first.
• How hard: in the first month you should still be able to say a short sentence between punches. This is called the talk test, and it works without any heart-rate monitor.

In the boxing trial for adults with abdominal obesity, two people had a health problem during training. Both carried on after their programme was adjusted, which is a useful reminder that it is normal to change a move rather than give up.

Talk to your doctor first before you start kickboxing, and sooner if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, a recent injury or joint surgery.

Stop at once and rest if you feel chest pain or tightness, pain spreading to your arm, jaw or back, dizziness, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or breathlessness that does not settle when you rest. Stop too for sudden sharp pain in a wrist, shoulder or knee. Call your local emergency number if chest pain lasts more than a few minutes.

Our page of free workout videos repeats these warning signs for every level, so you can keep them in mind during each session.

Wrist and shoulder care: punch without strain

Your wrists and shoulders do most of the work in boxing, so good habits there matter more than speed or power. A few simple rules keep them comfortable while you build up.

Wrists and hands

• Make a loose fist with your thumb on the outside, folded across your first two fingers. Squeeze only at the very end of the punch, then relax again.
• Keep the wrist straight, so the back of your hand lines up with your forearm. A bent wrist is the most common cause of pain once you start hitting a bag.
• Punch with your knuckles facing forwards for straight punches, and keep hooks small and close to your body.
• Shake your hands out between rounds and open and close your fingers a few times.

Shoulders and elbows

• Never snap the elbow straight. Stop each punch just before your arm is fully extended, and pull it back as quickly as you sent it out.
• Keep punches at chest height for the first few weeks. Punching at face height or above tires the shoulder much faster.
• Let your shoulders stay low, away from your ears, and turn your hips with each punch so the power comes from your body, not only your arm.
• Work both sides equally. Switch your lead foot every round, so one shoulder does not do all the work.

Soreness in your arms a day or two after a session is normal at the start and fades by itself. Pain that is sharp, that clicks or catches, or that wakes you at night is different: drop that move and ask your doctor or a physiotherapist.

If you have an old shoulder injury, arthritis in your hands or carpal tunnel symptoms, start with slow seated punches and smaller movements. Leave bag work out until a professional has seen how you move.

A no-jump cardio kickboxing workout: seated and standing

This beginner workout uses eight moves, each with a seated and a standing version, done in rounds with easy marching in between. Talk to your doctor first, then begin with the warm-up and four rounds of one minute.

Start every session with five minutes of easy marching, arm circles and gentle side bends. Our warm-up routine gives a full version you can do seated or standing.

Stand in your “guard” for every standing move: feet hip-width apart, one foot half a step ahead, knees soft, fists loosely in front of your chin and elbows close to your ribs. When seated, sit near the front of a firm chair without wheels, feet flat and back tall.

For the first two weeks, pick four moves and do each one for a round of one minute, with one minute of easy marching or seated foot taps in between. Rest longer if you need it: pausing is part of training, not a sign of failure.

Finish with three minutes of slow marching, then stretch your chest, shoulders and calves while your breathing settles. Drink some water.

The seated version is a full workout, not a lesser one. For other chair-based moves to mix in on stiff days, see our routine for low impact cardio at home. If you use a wheelchair or cannot stand for long, our guide to arm exercise for weight loss shows how to fit punching rounds into a wider seated programme.

Rounds, rest and how hard to go

Build kickboxing by adding rounds first, then making each round longer, and only then shortening the rest. Turn one of those dials at a time and keep each change for at least a week.

A good first session is four rounds of one minute, which with warm-up and cool-down takes about fifteen minutes. Over twelve weeks you can build towards eight rounds of two minutes, three times a week.

Use a simple effort scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is sitting still and 10 is the hardest you could ever work. Aim for about 4 to 5 out of 10 in the first month: breathing faster, but able to talk in short sentences.

Once that feels easy, you can let one or two rounds reach 6 or 7 out of 10, where talking becomes hard. Keep the round after it easy. You never need to reach 10.

Check the morning after each session. If your joints feel the same as usual and you are only pleasantly tired, you are ready for the next step. If a joint is stiffer or swollen, repeat the previous week.

Leave at least one day between kickboxing sessions in the beginning. On the days in between, a walk keeps you moving without loading your wrists and shoulders again; our page on walking for weight loss shows how to build a daily habit.

How many harder sessions a week are enough, and the signs that you are overdoing it, are set out on our page about how much cardio is too much.

At home, in a class or with a bag: how to choose

Start at home if you feel unsure about your fitness or your body in front of others, and move to a class when you want company and coaching. Both work; the best choice is the one you will keep doing every week.

Kickboxing at home

You need a clear space of about one step in every direction, a firm chair close by and supportive shoes. Clear away rugs and cables, and keep water within reach.

Because there are no jumps, the workout is quiet enough for a flat with neighbours below. A kitchen timer or a phone timer is all the equipment you need; music is optional.

Loose, modest clothing and a sports headscarf do not limit any move on this page. In a hot climate, train early or late in the day, drink before and after, and stop if you feel dizzy or overheated.

How to choose a cardio kickboxing class

Classes vary hugely, from gentle beginners’ sessions to fast, jump-heavy workouts. A short phone call or message before you go saves a lot of discomfort.

• Ask whether it is non-contact. A fitness class should involve no sparring and no partner hitting pads unless you choose it.
• Ask for a beginners’ or low-impact session, and whether the instructor shows a no-jump option for every move.
• Ask about the instructor’s training and whether they have worked with people in larger bodies or with joint problems.
• Check the room: is there a chair you may use, space at the side or back, and a pause between rounds?
• Try one session before you sign up for a long contract. A good class lets you rest without comment.

If you would rather play a game with others than follow an instructor, our guide to sports for weight loss compares team and racket sports for a heavier body.

Women-only sessions exist in many areas and suit women who prefer them for comfort or faith. Our fat burning workout for women describes how to find and use them.

If you worry about being looked at, stand where you feel at ease and remember that you are there for yourself. Our page on weight stigma explains why such worries are common and how to deal with unkind remarks.

When to add a bag

Wait until you have done four to six weeks of shadow boxing without wrist or shoulder pain. Then use hand wraps and padded gloves, start with light taps at half power and keep rounds short.

Hitting a bag loads your wrists far more than punching air. If anything aches the next day, go back to shadow boxing for a week before you try again.

Boxing for stress, mood and stress eating

Many people find that punching to a timer clears their head, and early research supports that. A review of sixteen reports on non-contact boxing found fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression and better mood, self-esteem and confidence, usually after group interval training.

The studies in that review were mostly small and early, so they cannot prove that boxing treats any mental health condition. They do suggest it is a good outlet on a tense day.

That matters for weight, because stress often leads to eating when you are not hungry. A few rounds of punches after work can become the thing you reach for instead of the snack cupboard. Our page on emotional eating gives more ways to handle stress eating.

Low mood, poor sleep and ongoing stress can all make weight loss harder. If they feel heavy, talk to your doctor as well as moving more.

How many calories does cardio kickboxing use?

Cardio kickboxing uses a moderate to high amount of energy per minute, and a heavier body uses more than a lighter one for the same moves. Exact numbers depend on your pace, your rests and your fitness.

Researchers estimate energy use with a MET value, which compares an activity with sitting still. The latest adult compendium of activities lists novice, slower-paced martial arts at 5.3 METs and kickboxing in general at 7.3.

A rough estimate is MET × body weight in kilograms × hours. For 20 minutes of actual punching rounds at a slow beginner pace, that comes to about 180 kcal for a person of 100 kg and about 210 kcal at 120 kg. These figures are approximate and include the energy you would use at rest anyway.

Rest breaks between rounds use much less, so a 30-minute session with plenty of marching breaks may use less than you expect. Our calories burned calculator lets you compare activities at your own weight.

Avoid “eating back” a class with a large snack or a sweet drink afterwards. That habit can cancel the whole session’s energy use in a few minutes.

Food around a kickboxing session

You do not need special food for kickboxing; your usual meals and some water are enough. A few simple habits keep you comfortable during the rounds and full afterwards.

• Before: if your last meal was more than three or four hours ago, a small snack such as a piece of fruit or a plain yogurt one to two hours before can help. Avoid a large meal just before punching rounds.
• During: sip water between rounds, especially in a warm room.
• After: eat your next normal meal with some protein and vegetables, which helps your muscles recover and keeps you full.

If you use insulin or tablets that can cause low blood sugar, ask your doctor how to plan food around your sessions.

During Ramadan, a short, gentle session some time after iftar is safer than training while fasting. Keep the rounds easy and drink well.

A 12-week cardio kickboxing plan

This plan takes you from four one-minute rounds to eight two-minute rounds over twelve weeks, with walking on other days. Talk to your doctor first, and repeat any week that felt too hard.

Keep one minute of easy marching between rounds the whole way through. Shorten it to 45 seconds only after week eight, and only if the talk test still works.

Write down the date, your rounds and how you felt the next day. Many people notice better stamina on stairs within a few weeks, long before the scale shows much change.

After week twelve, you can add a fourth session, join a class or mix kickboxing with other formats. Our free workout videos in levels Start, Build and Strong give you other sessions for the days in between.

Free help to lose weight with good food, walking and workouts that fit your body

At Obesity Foundation we help people lose weight and get healthier with good food, suitable exercise and walking. Cardio kickboxing is one enjoyable way to move more, and all our help is free.

• Your own eating plan with filling meals that fit your training days. Ask for your free eating plan.
• Exercise videos at the Start, Build and Strong levels, with seated and standing options. Get the free workout videos.
• A free video meeting (in English) to adapt your rounds to your joints and your health. Book a free video meeting.
• A Club account to log your rounds, walks and waist at no cost. Join the Obesity Foundation Club.

Once your doctor agrees, your first session can be this week: a warm-up, four one-minute rounds and a slow cool-down. Fifteen minutes is enough to begin.