Kick Boxing for great Abs

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Abdominal muscles usually take up most of the attention of a aspirant body builder or gym enthusiast or weight watcher or celebrity and its versions. Tight Abs or 6 pack abs are the core reason to workout on the core strength of the body. But of course like everything delicious in life, it takes hard work & patience but then who said hard work has to be boring? Alternative to the regular crunches and oblique benders etc there are variations that can give you a high. Kickboxing is one such great abs workout not many have yet discovered its role in core strength.

A Kick, A Jab & Abs - How can an exercise of kick & jabbing in the air or target work on the abdominal muscles that aren’t visually used for the same? Contrary to what is seen kickboxing is all about breathing in and out using your abdominal muscles while punching or throwing a kick. If you breathe only from the chest area it won’t have the same effect and you might end up back to square one. The inhaling and exhaling should come from within the belly and you must feel the abdominal muscle worked while jabbing or kicking. Don’t exhaust the muscles as that again is not the idea of the whole exercise.

Fun, Fitness & Frustration – The best exercise for your energy and mind balance too could easily be kickboxing. Corporate engulfment of your vital energy and patience reserves can have pent up emotional and physical frustration that can be vented out on a punching bag that isn’t a living form of life. Many have taken to kickboxing to channelize their emotional energy from the negative to positive. Yes how does that help your abs again? Well for starters the energy thrust does give an edge to the breathing and hence the abs. The more you concentrate in letting the kick or punch out with good flow of pent up anger or frustration or even joy the better the effect.

Key is the Stance – Kickboxing is as much about the stance as it is about breathing right. Stance can change the game completely and lead either to safety or injury. One need not get injured for his/her enthusiasm cause that would be opposite of the intention. While taking a stance to kick make sure to stand on both feet at shoulder distance apart from each other and knees slightly bent to keep the joint soft. Have one foot in the forward direction to the other and kick with the leg behind. The arms should also be with elbows in a soft angel and fists forward near the chest. Elbows to be kept as close to the body for better movement as well as better thrust while punching or jabbing. The importance of keeping your knee & elbows joint soft is so as to avoid injury and straining the joint. The feet apart gives the center of gravity and body weight to level out & provides better balance to avoid falling off or spraining a ligament while punching or kicking. Shoulders should be straight and not forward similarly the torso should remain in the same position and not bent forward or stooping. The hip joint should be in motion only while kicking and not twisting it while doing a cross jab. This ensures your breathing to be effective and gives enough resistance to the upper and lower abs to strengthen it.
Abs are a very small yet important muscle group in the body. It isn't only for beauty & presentation that we need to work on them but to provide stability to the whole body and give it support. Many forget the abs & back as stability provider to the body which is far more important than the sculpted figure. Flexibility is also a significant aspect people don't pay heed to but it serves far more crucial in times of need where the body could do well. Kick-boxing is a good exercise form to ensure better stability and flexibility to the core muscles of the body and is a better alternative to the mundane cardiovascular workout with machines. Plus it needs only a balanced firm terrain and can be done anywhere outside four walls amidst fresh air. 

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