Muay Thai is one of the challenging alternative martial arts that is gaining popularity. Various groups can enjoy this martial art. Several Muay Thai classes are now popular for women, not just men. So what are the health benefits of Muay Thai exercises? Check out the following review.
What is Muay Thai?
Muay Thai is a martial art from Thailand. This sport is also known by another name, namely Thai boxing. This exercise has become one of the most popular martial arts and is in great demand among sports lovers.
The muay Thai movement is often considered synonymous with kickboxing in some circles, as some training techniques share several similarities. Although these two sports have some fundamental differences.
The attack technique in kickboxing generally takes the form of kicks and punches using only the feet and hands. While in Muay Thai the attacking technique uses the elbows and knees in addition to the feet and hands.
Health Benefits of Muay Thai
As with other forms of martial arts, training in Muay Thai has major health benefits. Various movements in this exercise can help increase cardiovascular speed, flexibility, strength, and endurance.
This martial art has good effects on building and increasing general stamina, health, and fitness. More specifically, here are some of the benefits of Muay Thai that you can feel.
-
Healthy heart
Muay Thai is an alternative exercise that can help train your cardio system. A study in the International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport shows that Muay Thai fighters have an average heart rate of 178.9 bpm.
Indirectly, this martial art combines aerobic and anaerobic training at the same time. So this exercise is beneficial to exert great pressure that nourishes your heart.
Through regular exercise, your body gets used to these great loads and at the same time improves the performance of the cardiovascular system.
-
Strengthens the leg muscles
Kicking and a handful of other footwork are the main moves in Muay Thai. One of the typical movements is the roundhouse kick, in which the foot is rotated in a semicircle with the front foot.
This exercise will also teach you how to kick well while strengthening your lower body muscles. Every muscle in your lower body will also benefit from the kicks and footwork in this Thai sport.
Doing this regularly will certainly have a good impact on leg muscle endurance, strength, and mobility and can shape your calves more.
-
Strengthen the core muscles of the body
Most people still think that the core muscles of the body are the abs. However, this is not entirely true. The core muscles or core of your body are all of the muscles that are in your torso, not just the abs.
Most movements in this sport strengthen your core muscles. The movement of punching or kicking the opponent’s body is also very helpful. The defensive moves also help you strengthen all of the core muscles in your body.
-
Improve hip flexibility
Kicking and punching with your knees will also train your hip flexibility. Healthy and slim hips have a good impact on other health conditions of the body. Therefore, it is not surprising that many women prefer Muay Thai to other similar sports.
Before practicing, don’t forget to warm up and stretch your hip muscles to reduce the risk of injury. Every once in a while, you need to do a massage or massage on your hips to improve blood flow to the area.
-
Helps relieve stress
Letting go of emotional baggage and stress is one of the most important health benefits you can derive from practicing Muay Thai. Some people can accumulate a lot of stress from work activities during the day, so nighttime exercise can be a solution.
By doing this exercise after a day of activities, you can express your emotions while improving your physical fitness. Because hitting or kicking something can help improve your mood.
-
Mental and discipline training
In addition to physical skills like kicking, punching, and punching, practicing Muay Thai trains your discipline. Proper training teaches you to perform tasks without being told what to do.
Discipline is the most important benefit you can get from Muay Thai. A training program to train a self-defense system that requires discipline and mental strength in the ring.
-
Lose weight
If you are wondering if this exercise can help you lose weight, the answer is yes! Based on data from Harvard Health Publishing, a 70 kg person practicing self-defense for 30 minutes can burn about 360 calories.
Muay Thai moves all of your limbs and improves overall cardiovascular endurance. Your stance, footwork, punches, kicks, knee, and elbow strikes combined with warm-up and stretching will help burn calories and body fat.
Things to watch out for before practicing Muay Thai
Although it’s a sport that anyone can play, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to prepare before participating in a training session. If you are a beginner in this sport, the first things you should pay attention to are the following.
1) Choose an exercise site or gym with a professional trainer or guide.
2) Prepare appropriate athletic clothing and shoes, and use appropriate personal protective equipment (generally provided by your training center or gym).
3) Don’t rush to master different movements, do it slowly to minimize the risk of injury.
4) Set your goals when you take a class, whether it’s to lose weight, improve your fitness, or enter a competition.
5) Make sure you eat enough food and provide drinking water to avoid dehydration during exercise.
6) Always warm up and cool down when exercising.
Muay Thai is a high-intensity exercise option. To reap the benefits, you should exercise three times a week for one hour each.
Although anyone can do it, it still carries a high risk of injury, especially to the muscles of the shoulders, back, hips, knees, and ankles. If you have previously had an injury in this area, or have joint or muscle problems, it is best to speak to your doctor before beginning Muay Thai.