It’s no surprise that practicing martial arts will kick your fitness into high gear. The list of health benefits that stem from a martial arts practice is too long to cover in-depth, but the more straightforward physical benefits are worth knowing.
If you’re considering starting a martial arts practice or are wondering how do martial arts improve your fitness, this list will have you wishing your next practice session was sooner.
- More Muscle Tone
Who couldn’t benefit from being a little stronger? Practicing martial arts is bound to build your muscle mass, which has a whole host of benefits beyond just the aesthetics. The moves employed in most martial arts naturally increase strength throughout the arms, legs, and core. More muscle means more metabolic demands on your body, which means burning more calories throughout your day.
Plus, better muscle mass also improves your agility and balance, which means you’ll be less likely to fall and get injured, especially with age where the risk of falling is greater.
- Weight Loss
Everyone’s favorite benefit of exercise is also one of the guaranteed outcomes of a consistent martial arts practice. A good practice session can burn around 500 calories while an intense practice can burn 1,000 calories—and that’s not including the extra calories burned by your body throughout the day as a result of increased muscle mass.
There’s no denying that martial arts are a sure-fire path to weight loss.
- Start Feeling Flexible
There’s nothing worse than noticing how tense and inflexible your body is becoming after a prolonged lack of exercise.
While yoga is the first thing that comes to mind when you imagine training for flexibility, the martial arts shouldn’t be overlooked for this benefit. Many of the basic moves in martial arts, like high kicks, depend on great flexibility.
At Premier Martial Arts, we want our students to train in martial arts the way that helps them achieve their goals best. Reach out to a location near you today to get your martial arts practice started and begin enjoying the benefits of these ancient physical art forms.
- Increase Your Endurance
Tired of taking the stairs and feeling out of breath? Martial arts is an easy fix for low endurance. As you continue your martial arts practice, your body will adapt with the help of the built-in aerobic exercise.
Endurance is one of those things that you use or you lose, but if you use it, you grow it. A martial arts practice is a time-honored method for never feeling defeated by a flight of stairs again. Plus, the extra benefit of endurance is being able to exercise for longer without feeling worn out, which means increased gains on all the benefits of your session.
- Supercharge your Reflexes
Superhero-like reflexes might not be your main reason for starting a martial arts practice, but it’s certainly one of the notable benefits that regular practitioners gain. Martial arts is partially a training system for your reaction time, which means that training sticks with you outside of the studio.
You never know when a fast reflex response can make a major difference, but with activities like driving, a faster response can even be life-saving.
Take Your Fitness to a Martial Arts Level
The martial arts offer a level of fitness that competes with even the most famous exercise programs around today. Besides all the great fitness benefits, the mental and emotional benefits of a martial arts practice easily turn newcomers into lifelong practitioners.
If you’re looking for the kind of whole-body workout that will take your fitness to the level you’ve always wanted, Premier Martial Arts, is ready to help you achieve your goals. With studios all around the country, all you need to do is decide to start and we’ll guide your journey to the best fitness of your life from there.
