Cardio Kickboxing With Chady Dunmore

Jumping on a treadmill just doesn't get my heart racing, literally or figuratively. In fact, nothing kills my motivation faster than a run-of-the-mill cardio session—which is exactly why I don't do them.

The good news? You don't have to do them either.

Instead of jogging on a rotating band, at the mercy of a machine, take control of your sweat session. Kickboxing is my favorite mode of punching and jabbing away at unwanted calories. Why? For one, it's a great way to blow off steam. Rough day at the office? Hit the punching bag. Stressed? Roundhouse to release.

Kickboxing can be done solo or with a friend, and it's a great way to sharpen your self-defense skills. Let us hope you never need those, but you never know.

Kick Your Fat Loss Into High Gear

Having done martial arts for nearly 15 years, I've relied on a number of different kickboxing workouts to burn fat, stay healthy, and have fun. The conditioning and endurance benefits of kickboxing are huge and the strength gains alone can give you a tremendous base for building power in your weightlifting workouts.

So, where to begin? Try integrating this workout into your routine a few times each week. Concentrate on being explosive, and keeping a quick pace. Before you know it, you'll be burning fat, building muscle, having fun, and wondering why you didn't start sooner.

Circuit I: Repeat for 3 rounds

Right Hand Jab: 10 reps
Left Hand Jab: 10 reps
Alternating Jab-Jab: 30 reps (15 each side)
Alternating Jab-Jab: 30 reps (switch stance with each jab)
Jump Rope: 1 minute

Circuit II: Repeat for 3 rounds

Right Front Kick: 10 reps
Left Front Kick: 10 reps
Alternating Front Kick: 20 reps (10 each side)
Alternating Front Kick With Squat: 20 reps (10 each leg)
Jump Rope: 1 minute

Circuit III: Repeat for 3 rounds

Right Side Kick: 10 reps
Left Side Kick: 10 reps
Alternating Side Kicks With Squats: 20 reps (10 each side)
Jump Rope: 1 minute

Circuit IV: Repeat for 3 rounds

Right Front Kick, Left Jab Combo: 10 reps (each movement)
Left Front Kick, Right Jab Combo: 10 reps (each movement)
Right Side Kick, Squat, Right Jab, Left Jab Combo: 10 reps (each movement)
Left Side Kick, Squat, Right Jab, Left Jab Combo: 10 reps (each movement)
Jump Rope: 1 minute

Looking to crank up the intensity? Add rounds, shorten your rest time, or both.

If kickboxing is not for you, that's OK. There are plenty of ways to jazz-up standard cardio, whether that means hopping on a bike and spinning your way to fitness, or dancing to the beat of a Zumba class.

The most important thing is to do something you enjoy. You're much more apt to feel motivated to burn fat if you're having fun doing it. It should certainly be a challenge, and it's important to push yourself, but I've found that it's much easier to do that when you actually enjoy what you do.

Going hard for short bursts is much more interesting and challenging. It's what I'm after, and what you should strive for, too.

If you do end up on the treadmill, forgo the common pitfall of hopping on and checking into "zombie mode" with steady-state cardio. Choose high-intensity interval training (HIIT). In my experience, doing high-intensity bursts 2-3 per week for 20 minutes has always been more beneficial when it comes to fat loss and muscle preservation, or even muscle gain.