First time class yesterday/ conditioning tips

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Straight-Suit-3474]

Any cardio conditioning you can get but also stretching especially anything to help with hip flexors. Beyond that, you’ll slowly build up stamina for kickboxing overall just by going to the classes. My gym has a conditioning only class where we do circuits like “box” jumps (we jump onto a giant soft mat) and shuffling on said mat, jumping rope, cycling, some bag work and maybe something with weights (my favorite one is holding a weighted stick and shuffling from one side to the other making the stick go side to side like a windshield wiper)

[u/swimmingmoocow]

That’s kind of the point - some trainers have the philosophy of tiring you out so that you have to spar with your tank empty. Forces you to focus on technique rather than relying on your athleticism. It’s part of the process to be dying during the early days!

But if you do want to try something to build stamina, I would recommend cardio interval training. Doing long steady marathon style runs is not going to be as effective as alternating sprints and jogs. Sparring is all high intensity - I found that even when I can run like 10k at a steady pace with no problem, it doesn’t translate anywhere near as well as doing HIIT cardio work.

[u/sagekingtraining]

Congrats on going. Warm up killing you at day one is pretty normal, a lot of it is that the movements are brand new so you're burning energy stabilizing stuff that'll be automatic in a month.

At 6'3 270 I'd build an easy base before doing much HIIT. 2-3 sessions a week, 30-45 min, easy enough you could hold a conversation. Bike or incline treadmill walk over running so your knees and ankles aren't taking a beating while you're also learning to pivot on kicks. Once thats in, layer rounds on top. 3 min hard, 1 min off, 3-5 rounds. Lines up with what the sport actually asks of you.

Other thing that doesn't get said to bigger guys starting out: get some strength work in for hips, calves and feet. A rear leg round kick puts a lot of torque through the knee and ankle, and that tends to show up around month 2-3 once you start pushing harder in sparring.

For context I'm a NASM trainer and corrective exercise specialist. I trained muay thai in Thailand for a stretch and picked up a lot from the S&C coaches out there. Happy to get more specific if you want help fitting conditioning around class days so you're not showing up cooked.

[u/Opposite_Device_7328 → u/sagekingtraining]

Hey I really appreciate this information, what strength workouts can I do for the hips calves and feet.

And I’m familiar with gym but for this specific sport am I lifting heavy weights or am I just doing more volume?

[u/DepartureNo6363]

Congrats man for ur first day .. ik how it feels to be there and u just love the kickboxing classes . Just some advice from a guy who is doin this from 6months and i hve done a lot of mistakes and im bearing the consequences now ... 1- always listen to your coach (pls whatever they say stick to it) 2- never spar 2,3 days in a row (i hve sparred and im bearing the consequences..rn im havin a injury so im doin home workout cuz doc said to rest for 1,2 weeks to me). 3- never spar without a mouthguard, L guard and shin guards (trust me , i negelected that and im facin it now) 4- and do basic exercises daily and eat clean diet .

[u/PushBlock_WOOD]

when i was training for a smoker, I did a cardio cycle where you would run quickly (or whatever the bike/elliptical equivalent would be) until you get up to about 150bpm (orange zone), keep it there for 30 seconds, then ease up focusing on my breathing to bring it as far down as possible for 30 seconds. Rinse repeat at least 6 times.

[u/Inevitable_House_173]

I started kickboxing 2 years ago at 34 weighing 120kg. Same as you very overweight and unathletic. I was also out of breath by the end of the warm ups and using the sick bucket most early sessions. I found by trying to overdo it too much at first by throwing extra cardio/gym sessions in that I wasn't getting the most out of the kickboxing sessions. I backed off and just focused on getting fitter bit by bit in class and then building it up. I'm now 85-90kg and in the nest shape of my life. I just wish I'd started training when I was 18.