Can You Do Both Gym and Kickboxing?
If you’re looking to mix up your fitness routine, you may be wondering, “Can combining kickboxing and gym workouts be beneficial?” The answer is a resounding yes—in fact, blending both can give you the best of both worlds. While this is not required to reach many fitness goals, combining both styles or exercise can yield some impressive results! Most gym workouts typically focus on building strength and muscle mass, kickboxing enhances cardiovascular fitness, coordination, and overall endurance. Let’s break down how you can balance both for optimal fitness results.
Benefits of Combining Kickboxing and Gym Workouts
- Total Body Strength and Conditioning
Gym workouts, especially those that involve weightlifting, help you build muscle strength. On the other hand, kickboxing gives you a full-body workout by engaging your core, arms, legs, and back, all while boosting your cardio endurance. By alternating between gym sessions and kickboxing classes, you can build muscular strength and lean muscle while improving your stamina and agility. - Fat Loss and Muscle Definition
One of the key benefits of combining kickboxing and gym workouts is that it supports both fat loss and muscle definition. Kickboxing is a high-calorie-burning activity that can help you shed excess fat, while gym workouts focus on building and toning muscles. By combining the two, you get the benefits of calorie-burning cardio from kickboxing and muscle-sculpting strength training from the gym. - Increased Flexibility and Mobility
While gym workouts tend to focus on muscle contraction and strength, kickboxing emphasizes fluid movements, agility, and flexibility. The dynamic kicks, punches, and footwork in kickboxing can help improve your range of motion and prevent stiffness that sometimes comes from weightlifting. - Mental Focus and Stress Relief
Kickboxing is not just a physical workout—it’s also a great way to release stress and boost your mental clarity. The intense focus required during a kickboxing class allows you to clear your mind, helping to relieve stress. Adding this into your gym routine, which often emphasizes the mind-muscle connection, enhances your mental focus and overall sense of well-being.
How to Structure a Workout Routine
Combining kickboxing with gym workouts can be incredibly effective, but it’s important to keep things balanced. Here are a few key tips to help you make it work:
Alternate Workouts: Try alternating between kickboxing and gym days. This gives your body time to recover from intense sessions while keeping your workouts varied and engaging.
Mix Strength and Cardio: Kickboxing is fantastic for cardio and functional strength, while gym sessions often focus on strength. Incorporate both for a well-rounded routine that hits all aspects of fitness.
Prioritize Recovery: Make sure to listen to your body and include rest days. Stretching, light movement, or yoga on off days will help keep you flexible and prevent burnout.
Stay Consistent: Whether you split your days between kickboxing and gym or combine shorter sessions of each, consistency is the key to seeing results.
What to Watch Out for When Combining Kickboxing and Gym Workouts
- Overtraining
While mixing kickboxing and gym workouts can provide numerous benefits, be careful not to overtrain. Both exercises are physically demanding, and overdoing them can lead to fatigue or injury. Make sure to incorporate rest days or engage in active recovery like yoga or stretching to keep your muscles fresh. - Fuel Your Body Properly
Intense workouts like kickboxing and weightlifting require proper fuel. Make sure you’re consuming a well-balanced diet with plenty of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates to keep your energy levels up and aid in recovery. - Adapt Based on Your Goals
Your workout routine should align with your fitness goals. If your focus is on building muscle mass, prioritize gym workouts while incorporating kickboxing for cardio and conditioning. On the other hand, if your goal is to improve cardiovascular fitness and weight loss, kickboxing can take center stage, with gym workouts supplementing your routine.
Sample Weekly Schedule
Here’s a sample schedule for those wanting to combine both workouts effectively:
Monday: Lower body strength training (squats, deadlifts, lunges)
Tuesday: kickboxing class at ShapeUpKickboxing
Wednesday: Rest or light cardio (e.g., 30-minute walk)
Thursday: Upper body strength training (bench press, rows, push-ups)
Friday: Kickboxing class for cardio and core
Saturday: Full-body gym workout or ShapeUpKickoxing Cllass(combination of strength and mobility exercises)
Sunday: Active recovery or rest
This routine gives you the best of both worlds—strength from the gym and cardiovascular fitness from kickboxing.
Conclusion: Why Combining Kickboxing and Gym Workouts Is a Smart Choice
So, can you do kickboxing and gym workouts together? Absolutely! Combining the two gives you a balanced approach to fitness that builds strength, improves endurance, and enhances mental clarity. By alternating between the gym and kickboxing—or even combining them into a single session—you’ll achieve faster, long-lasting results.
Ready to try it out? Join us at ShapeUpKickboxing for a class and start building your fitness routine today!
Try a class here: ShapeUpKickboxing.com/try-a-class/