While many people find the gym to be an excellent location for building fitness and getting in shape, it’s not for everyone. For all its benefits, the gym can be tedious, embarrassing and downright dull for some people, leading to the search for alternatives.
For many people, the alternative is martial arts: a discipline that not only increases your ability to defend yourself but also ups your physical strength and fitness. If you’ve ever been to a boxing class, you’ll know that there’s nothing more exhausting than pummeling a punching bag for fifteen minutes.
If you want to get fit, which martial art should you choose? Let’s take a look at some of the best.
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a relatively unknown Thai combat system that emphasizes clinching and striking your opponent while he or she is standing up.
Muay Thai is probably one of the least elegant but most effective martial arts on Earth. The entire focus of the discipline is to find ways of instantly disabling your opponent. Don’t expect combat to last more than a few seconds, if that. The aim of the game is to eliminate your opponent in a single blow.
Muay Thai demands intense workouts. Adherents to the discipline begin with rigorous sparring, and then perform a range of movements that are heavy on the knees.
Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed martial arts once was a fringe discipline, but thanks to its versatility, it’s become more mainstream. Mixed martial arts is what it sounds like: a combination of techniques borrowed from a range of other martial disciplines. Again, there’s a focus on disabling your opponent in the most brutal way possible.
X Boom Fitness founder Eddie Eastwood says that MMA is one of the most effective ways for people in their 30s and 40s to attain greater fitness. MMA demands a range of movements and a high level of fitness, especially in grappling situations.
MMA is perhaps the most practical of all martial disciplines available today, with a mixture of standing and floor techniques with real-world usefulness.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an ancient combat technique which focusing on channeling the body’s energy for explosive power.
Tai Chi has a reputation for being a slow-moving and not particularly useful for developing fitness. But this is a long way from the truth. Sure, you won’t get your heart rate into the red zone, but if you’re recovering from injury, it can be a great entryway into rebuilding your fitness. Gentle stretching movements combined with muscle strengthening is great for beginners.
Wrestling
Wrestling is an ancient sport that has a heritage all over the world in different cultures. Wrestling is mainly a ground-based sport. It helps to build upper body strength. Much of the technique involves using the arms.
Wrestling is about endurance. Some grappling encounters can last for minutes, requiring both parties to exert themselves heavily.
Wrestling training involves lifting heavy weights and people. You’ll improve your upper body strength the most, but you may also see improvements in leg and core power.
