Kickboxing can seem intimidating if you’ve never done it before. Here are some tips that will help you feel confident walking into that class for the first time.

Kickboxing is a great way to lose weight and get fit. But it could seem intimidating if you’ve never done it before. Here are some tips that will help you feel confident walking into that class for the first time.

1. Don’t Work Out On An Empty Stomach

Researchers have discovered that working out on an empty stomach actually causes you to lose muscle instead of developing muscle. That’s no good because the less muscle you have, the lower your metabolism will be, which makes it harder to lose weight. You also want to make sure you eat something because you’ll need fuel to burn during the class. Without enough energy to turn up the intensity, you’ll burn fewer calories, which defeats the purpose of working out in the first place!

To ensure you have enough fuel to burn, have a small snack 30 to 60 minutes before kickboxing class. Try one slice of bread with peanut butter, an apple, or a protein bar. Any of these choices will give you enough energy to power through your workout. Make sure you don’t have a full meal just before working out because that could leave you feeling bloated and nauseous. Your last large meal should be at least 2 hours before class so that you give the food time to digest.

2. Stay Hydrated During Class

Kickboxing is a very intense and physical activity. That means even in a quality studio like Urban Martial Arts, where all the care is taken to guarantee your comfort while exercising, you will sweat – a lot. So you need to replenish those fluids. Don’t drink a whole bottle of water before class because doing so will only leave you feeling nauseous and barely capable of working out. What you should do instead is take small sips throughout the class, just enough to keep you hydrated. Plain water, Vitamin Water, or even sports drinks like Gatorade work well, but avoid juice or protein shakes. Those are better AFTER you’re done working out.

3. Don’t Be A Hero – Go At Your Own Pace

When it comes to working out, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Not everyone can do extremely intense physical workouts, so you need to ignore everyone else and go at your own pace. It’s not a competition. You don’t want to hurt yourself because you’re trying to keep up with your buddy. Please stay safe and go at the pace you feel comfortable with.

4. Ask For Help If You’re Feeling Unsure

If you’re in a quality studio like Urban Martial Arts, the instructors will check on you frequently, especially if it’s your first class. But even with all the attention, it’s still fine to ask the instructors questions if you’re not clear about something. Remember: there is no such thing as a stupid question. In fact, if you need to ask a question, chances are, others are confused as well but don’t want to ask. If for some reason you don’t want to ask the instructor, you can ask seasoned students (not your fellow newbie).

5. Believe In Yourself – You Got This!

This may well be the hardest thing you have done physically but you can do it. And you will have fun while doing it. It doesn’t matter if you flunked gym class in high school or if you’ve gained a few pounds. You will walk into that class, sweat, have fun and have the best time of your life!

You can burn up to 800 calories per class in kickboxing class, and have a ton of fun. Keep these five tips in mind when you start kickboxing and have a great time!

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