5 Best Martial Arts for Weight Loss (What You Need to Know)

Yes, martial arts are good for fat loss.

Most martial arts classes incorporate intense cardio workouts, strength training, and flexibility and mobility workouts which help in burning calories and, thus, help martial arts fighters attain an excellent physical shape.

Martial arts training is also associated with significant weight loss due to its combination of intense workouts and calorie-burning activities.

Martial arts classes involve a variety of techniques and movements that engage multiple muscle groups, increasing the number of calories burned during each session.

Combined with martial arts' discipline and structure, this makes it easy to lose weight fast and get in shape.

What's more? Martial artists acquire rigid discipline and self-consciousness that is useful in making better food choices.

In this regard, diet is important in martial arts. Training requires a balanced, healthy diet.

That's because fighters need to adequately replenish their muscles with micronutrients that can aid their performance. It's also essential in healing, especially after rigorous training or sparring.

This is why you see fighters and kickboxers with strong core muscles, shredded physiques, and low body fat. The diet discipline and high and low-intensity cardio workouts involved in martial arts training enable them to lose weight quickly.

You burn upwards of 500 calories per hour with self-defense training.

I got this estimate from a colleague of mine who works with professional martial artists. He collects various tracking data from training with his fighters in different martial arts.

His analysis showed that top self-defense training exercises burn way more than 700 calories each hour. However, some may burn lower than 500.

The point is; it depends on how intense the training session is and your body weight. You see, the more you weigh, the more you burn

A lot more factors may determine the number of calories burned. But for now, let’s focus on what's more important - the intensity of your workout.

Let's examine some of the best martial arts for losing weight.

MMA training borrows from different martial arts fighting styles, striking like kickboxing and grappling in all positions, including on the ground like Jiu Jitsu.

It unifies the best in all fighting disciplines, from boxing to wrestling, kickboxing to karate, and judo.

Because of this, the exercises are also unified, and MMA fighters have to train robustly in all different techniques.

For instance, a boxer will have to sharpen his kickboxing, and a wrestler will have to complete some boxing drills. This makes MMA one of the best martial arts out there for weight loss.

Data from the professional martial arts trainer corresponds to this finding. The report asserts that MMA burns the most calories at 1,500 every hour of exercise.

Besides burning calories, MMA also builds and strengthens muscles for self-defense. It's also an excellent workout for well-being and personal development.

Taekwondo

Tae Kwondo is one of the oldest martial arts, dating back thousands of years. It involves kicks and lots of continuous movement while upstanding.

The jumping, flipping, and kicking involved in this sport can burn more calories than an equivalent time on a treadmill.

Tae Kwondo may seem like any other combat sport, but you will be surprised to know that there’s more scientific thought behind it than any other martial art.

In his martial art research dealings, Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Tae Kwondo, discovered that concerning a strike's power, speed was more critical than the muscle mass or weight behind it.

It led him to believe that a kick would deliver a more significant blow to an adversary than any part of the body, especially when delivered in an expeditious manner.

This led to the discovery and development of Taekwondo as a martial art [1].

Taekwondo incorporates kicks and jumps that require some high-intensity training exercises to master. That's how the training exercise nukes fat fast. In fact, Business Insider asserts that this martial art exercise can burn up to 937 calories an hour [2].

Besides weight loss, there are loads of benefits that come with training in Taekwondo: 

• The training strengthens, and tones muscles and increases stamina and strength
• The movements and the emphasis on speed help enhance flexibility and mobility
• Learning Taekwondo boosts self-esteem, self-discipline, concentration, and confidence

Muay Thai has its origins in Thailand, thus the moniker “Thai Kickboxing”, which is another name for this fighting style. But don’t confuse it with regular kickboxing because that's an entirely different combat sport.

You see, kickboxing involves kicks and punches only. On the other hand, Muay Thai also involves knees, elbows, and upper-body grappling in addition to kicks and punches.

Because of the diversity of attacking tools, this fighting style is also known as the “Art of Eight Limbs”.

While this is the case, Thai kickboxing is mostly kick-centric. Fighters have to rely on their footwork to defend themselves against strikes as they prepare to launch counterblows and kicks.

As you can tell, combat demands tremendous leg and lower body workouts. You also have to target some core muscle groups to set yourself up for success in this sport.

“A cardio Muay Thai class which incorporates upper body moves with kicks, knees, and elbows – burns up to 600 calories per hour.”

- Pamorn  Martdee, Champions Gym 

Besides learning to throw low and high kicks, Thai kickboxing incorporates a few stretches and physical conditioning exercises that raise the heart rate and get the blood flowing, a vital aspect in any weight loss exercise regimen.

Consequently, Thai kickboxing is an excellent recommendation if you’re looking to build toned leg muscles and lose weight quickly.

Boxing

Boxing may be punches only, but it incorporates diverse and some of the most challenging workouts compared to other martial arts.

You might think you only need upper body workout training to be good in this sport. However, you must also train your lower body, especially the thighs and calves, to withstand the ring for prolonged periods.

Boxers practice a variety of punching styles and, at the same time, have to be flexible enough to dodge high-paced fists. This means they have to develop fast footwork and a flexible core.

To get into shape for this combat sport, a lot of work is needed in strength, endurance, and cardio to burn fat. Rapid arm and foot movement also forms a vital training regimen for boxing.

According to the data from the analysis mentioned earlier, boxing classes can result in more than 800 calories burned.

Besides helping you lose weight, here are other benefits that boxing training brings:

• You learn to defend yourself, thus improving your confidence
• Improved cardiovascular health
• Physical fitness
• Mental health benefits

Synonymous with the Israeli military, Krav Maga is another excellent full-body workout sport suitable for overweight guys looking to acquire self-defense techniques for real-life situations.

Like MMA, Krav Maga also combines a variety of martial arts, including Judo, boxing, BJJ, Muay Thai, and wrestling.

In Krav Maga, you learn powerful striking techniques that can help you increase your strength and conditioning.

In addition, Krav Maga training sessions also boost your confidence, mental health, and resilience [3].

In regards to weight loss, one study investigating its fat-burning ability found that an hour of Krav Maga burns about 616 calories [4]. This makes this fighting style suitable if you want to lose weight quickly.

The above techniques are just a few in the sea of martial arts and combat sports exercises that can help you burn fat and learn self-defense simultaneously.

Other martial arts that can be useful in weight loss include: