Muay Thai can be a great workout for those looking to get their heart rate up, lose weight, and burn calories. Incorporating Muay Thai into your routine can help you lose weight and increase your strength, agility, and cardiovascular health. During a typical Muay Thai class, students will be running laps, kicking pads and punching bags, as well as performing weight lifting exercises. While all of these things will keep your body moving, it's the pad work that really gets the heart rate going; so don't skip out on the pads.

Here are three ways that Muay Thai can increase your cardiovascular fitness:

1. Muay Thai Can Get Your Heart Pumping With Cardio

The most obvious way that Muay Thai increases your cardiovascular fitness is through the cardio aspect of the sport. Muay Thai workouts are generally broken up into two parts: warm-ups, which include stretching and light aerobic exercises; and technique, where you will learn different kicks, punches, and combinations of moves. Both parts of the workout will get you moving and actively burning calories — the warm-up gets your heart rate going and helps loosen your muscles, while the techniques will challenge you to push yourself through high-intensity sets. The end result is that you'll have a full-body workout that focuses on every muscle group and leaves you feeling energised.

2. Muay Thai Can Increase Your Cardiovascular Fitness Through Circuit Training

Muay Thai circuit training involves a series of exercises including jumping rope, push-ups and sit-ups combined with striking techniques on the heavy bag. This type of high-intensity circuit training increases your heart rate and improves your cardiovascular fitness. Circuit training also strengthens muscle groups throughout your entire body including arms, legs and core muscles, which helps you burn more calories both during exercise and after your workout.

3. Muay Thai Can Improve Your Endurance

To become a professional Muay Thai fighter, you need to have proper endurance. Muay Thai training teaches you how to control your breathing and also how to move quickly without getting tired. As an example, if you are sparring for five rounds with a three-minute break in between each round and you are using every bit of energy that you have during those five rounds, then this will increase your cardiovascular fitness dramatically over time.

While Muay Thai is generally considered a martial art meant for fighting and self-defense, it also happens to be one of the best ways to get in shape. This high level of intensity translates into great cardiovascular fitness gains. For more information on how Muay Thai can improve your overall fitness, chat with a qualified Muay Thai instructor today.