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.

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!