Strangely enough, I never got into Muay Thai (one of the world’s best martial arts) because I wanted to win fights- I did it because I wanted to lose weight while having fun!
Simply put Muay Thai is a super fun martial art that not only prepares you for self-defense but it also gives you an incredible workout that is basically unmatched anywhere else.
Muay Thai is one of the best ways to lose weight. You can easily burn 1,000 calories per hour, and that’s not even to mention the amount of muscle and bone you will build. This not only makes you lose weight but makes your body look jacked!
So, let’s cover 5 Reasons To Do Muay Thai to Lose Weight!
#5 – It’s Incredibly Fun
I’ll be honest. Sometimes, working out can be a bit of a drag. Especially if you’re doing 60 minutes of cardio a day. Sure, there are ways to spice it up, but it can be really boring.
But- Muay Thai is REALLY FUN. It almost NEVER seems boring.
You have to understand that Muay Thai is a very dynamic sport. You don’t just do the exact same thing over and over. Every match and practice is a little different.
When you’re going against someone else in a Muay Thai match, they’re trying something completely different than the last person. Every little step you take can be a weakness they try to expose. This means you’re always thinking of new ways to move and react.
Furthermore, even if you’re not sparring with someone, you can always learn new combos and try to perfect your craft.
Even in 2021, new kicks and punches are being made popular. One of the more notable ‘famous discoveries’ recently has been the Tornado Kick. While it’s not a Muay Thai classic, many Muay Thai fighters have learned this unique and crazy kick.
And that means there is a ton of new ways to perfect and change their already practiced ‘combos’.
Plus, when you’re sparring with a friend with boxing gloves, it’s just a fun time all around. When me and Chaz are out there throwing punches at each other, it’s honestly a good time. I’m not lying- me and Chaz will literally having a full conversation while launching kicks and punches at each other like it’s a normal thing.
And trust me, we both laugh when one of us throws a kick that is just useless.
Regardless, 30 minutes of Muay Thai feels like 5 minutes. The time goes by incredibly quick, and you’re always having fun with it.
#4 – It Builds Muscle and Bone
Muay Thai is known as the art of 8 limbs, but also as the martial art that strikes with the hard bone of the shin- which is generally unique from other martial arts.
Usually, a kick from another martial art may involve the lower shin-upper foot area, but Muay Thai fighters strike higher on the shin bone.
Striking higher on the shin uh- HURTS. But it also hurts the opponent a lot. It is the equivalent of hitting somebody with a baseball bat.
But, this also builds your bones. From elbow strikes, Muay Thai kicks that involve the shin, and even just general punching- your overall bone strength will increase. This is actually really important in growing muscle, as you need strong bones to support increased muscle growth.
Furthermore, stronger bones help you later in life. Doctors always say this about bone strength, “you use it or lose it” as you get older. When you lose that bone strength, it is hard to get back and you run into a ton of complications like difficulty going up the stairs. Muay Thai is a great way to counteract this.
Plus, it’s a tough workout. It builds a ton of muscle to your body.
More Muscle = More Calories Burned Everyday
A lot of people don’t know this, but the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn every day. This is because your body has higher caloric requirements for all that muscle in your body.
As you build more muscle in Muay Thai, it becomes easier to lose that weight because your caloric demands become higher as you grow more muscle.
In simple terms, you get to eat more, and still lose weight!
#3 – It Burns Fat
A quick way to burn fat is by doing HIIT workouts.
Muay Thai is basically just a massive fricken HIIT workout. This massive energy demand forces your body to burn fat as it needs that energy to power your Muay Thai workouts.
This helps accelerate fat loss, which is a little different than just general ‘weight loss’. This specifically stimulates fat breakdown in the body.
There’s good reason most Muay Thai fighters look so shredded, it’s not just chance.
#2 – It Teaches You One of The BEST Martial Arts and How To Defend Yourself
I had to add this option to the list even if it doesn’t directly burn calories (Hey, I mean- if you get jumped, you can burn quite a few calories warding off your attackers).
A lot of people often look to lose weight or build muscle because they are getting bullied, intimidated, or have been jumped before.
I personally started Muay Thai after getting jumped myself, and it’s made a world of difference since.
Not only has it built up my confidence, but it has also changed my physique. This martial art has come into handy. It’s not some ‘fake’ martial art that won’t do anything in a fight, it is a real and scary martial art designed to win fights- quickly.
If you’re looking for a martial art that will help you reshape your body and teach you how to defend yourself, Muay Thai and Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu are unmatched.
#1 – It Burns a TON of Calories
Muay Thai is one of the most brutal workouts you can do. It is estimated you can burn easily 1,000 calories in a simple training session.
If you’re going above and beyond and sparring for hours at a time, dueling multiple people, the number just keeps going up.
You’re constantly moving, activating large muscle groups, and it puts a large strain on your body.
The hardest thing about Muay Thai is that you get no rest. You can’t stop in the middle of a match to ‘take a breather’- your entire body gets pushed to its hardest limits. And when your body is pushed to its hardest limits, it works in overdrive burning hundreds of calories to keep up with the intense work.
Every single muscle in your body is constnatly moving, your lungs are desperately breathing in air to get blood to all of your muscles, it’s crazy- your body is at 100%. And with that, you get a phenomenal workout.
This is the best way Muay Thai helps you lose weight. It forces your body into overdrive which not only burns a ton of calories in the moment but burns a ton of calories after when your body is recovering.
Even on simple trianing, you have to realize that doing kicks and throwing punches activates large muscle groups and really forces your body to burn a ton of energy.
And after all, weight loss at the end of the day is just eating fewer calories than the number of calories you burn. Doing Muay Thai can significantly increase the number of calories you burn a day, making weight loss much easier (as you can eat more and still lose that weight).
Conclusion of 5 Reasons To Do Muay Thai To Lose Weight!
Overall, Muay Thai is a great way to lose weight, change your body composition, build muscle, build bone, grow confidence, and is virtually unmatched compared to other workouts. It’s super fun, and you’ll be burning around 1,000 calories in no time.
Plus, there’s always an awesome community in the Muay Thai world.
