I've been taking muay thai kickboxing for about 3 months
now, twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. It has been
an amazing experience. The thai kickboxing workouts are
intense, make no mistake about it. Even though I am in
a beginners class, the sweat pours like a hot summer rain!
We start each kickboxing workout by lining up in the gym
facing our Kru, or teacher. He bows to us, we bow to him,
and he welcomes us with a few words. We then start with
skipping rope.
Muay Thai in Thailand
As crazy as this may sound, I found jumping rope to be
incredibly challenging. I started with 25 extra pounds
around my waist, and perhaps my co-ordination was a little
off. The rope is covered in hard plastic, plus I'm barefoot
and the rope would smack my toes and it really stings!
I would watch the more experienced students jump rope and
see if I could keep up. Sometimes I could go 15-20 jumps
in a row before I would hit my toes or head with the rope.
But after a month I got the hang of it. We jump rope in
the thai kickboxing workouts until we start to sweat, maybe
4 to 6 minutes.
Then comes the tortuous part, the cardio conditioning.
Every kickboxing class has a different routine. Sometimes
we do burpees, sometimes hillclimbers, always lots of
squats, jumping squats, pushups and the like. For the old
timers it's like a real intense session of calesthetics.
We generally train technique for 20 to 25 minutes. And
like the cardio, kickboxing technique training varies from
class to class. Sometimes you work your kicks onto the pads
that your partners hold. Sometimes its punching
combinations. We work routines like front kick, 3 punch
combo then right thai kick. It always is different. I
really enjoy the variety, it keeps the training from ever
getting stale.
But we always finish with pain...abdominal pain. You lie
on the floor on your back, and raise your legs up off the
ground until they are straight up in the air. Your partner
stands at your head, roughly with his or her feet near your
shoulders, facing your feet. Your partner pushes on your
feet, forcing your legs back down to the floor. You raise
your legs back straight up, the partner pushes them back
down...this goes on for 3 straight minutes. Your abs are
burning after 1, screaming after 2, and generally are
nearing failure before the session ends. Then you get to
switch and torture your partner!
I honestly thought I saw an abdominal muscle on my body
the other day in the mirror. It's impossible, I still have
at least 10 pounds of blubber to lose, but I feel fantastic!
My energy levels are off the charts, I'm sleeping so much
better at night and I love it. I highly recommend
muay thai kickboxing workouts for anyone serious about
getting into top shape!
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