Kick, punch and fight your way to fitness with one of the hot and happening new cardio kick-boxing programmes. By Nawaz Modi Singhania

If you are tired of the usual methods of exercise — aerobics, yoga, swimming or a workout routine at the gym, here is something that has combined martial art moves, athletic drills and boxing with the upbeat music and high energy excitement of aerobics.

You can call it Tae-bo, Boxercise, Cardio-karate or Cardio kickboxing and what you do here is kick, punch and fight your way to fitness with one of these new cardio kickboxing programmes.
These workouts provide the heart with all the benefits of a cardiovascular workout, while offering gains in agility, strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. They’re great for stress relief, discipline, self-esteem and weight control. They’re designed to work all parts of the body, and because of the great variety of movements, the likelihood of injury due to overuse is reduced.

SAFETY GUIDELINES
Play hard, but play it safe! It’s easy to get carried away with your workout and ignore safety guidelines, but it’s just not worth it.

Start low and easy with kicks and punches
Make sure you don’t start throwing full kicks and punches in your first class. These can be very explosive to areas such as the back and knees, in particular. Begin slowly and keep your kicks low, especially on side kicks and roundhouses or fan kicks.

Don’t over-extend or hyper-extend your kicks or lock your joints. This sort of ‘snapping’ at the joint is potentially very harmful. You can take on the full extent of the move once you’re clear on safety precautions, and once your ability and flexibility improves.

Do one to three cardio kickboxing workouts per week
If you want to have longevity in the sport, start with only one workout per week and gradually build up to no more than three (unless you’re also doing some other form of martial arts training or sport-specific strength training). This way your workout will remain both effective, and stay safe.

Eye yourself
Keep a constant eye on yourself in the mirror. No, that’s not because I think you’re self-obsessed, but because this way you’ll be more aware and in control of your body form and alignment. You’ll keep yourself in check. We often think we’re doing one thing, but when looking at ourselves in the mirror, more often than not, we find we’re doing quite another! Funny, isn’t it?

GET IT RIGHT
Never ‘snap’ at the elbow. Extend the arm out to 80 or 90 per cent of your full reach, but never 100 per cent. This way the joint remains slightly bent or soft, and is well protected. Snapping at the joints is damaging.
Correct footwear: We strongly suggest you never compromise on footwear. Your shoes need to be designed for pivots and lateral movement.
Strengthen the lower body: Consider taking on jump rope drills or other forms of floor-work to strengthen your feet and legs for the specific demands of cardio kickboxing.

CIRCUIT TRAIN
In circuit training, a variety of equipment placed on different exercise stations are utilised during the workout. Suitable exercise stations to enhance your workout might include shadow boxing, focus pads, stair running, heavy punch bags, floor to ceiling balls, skipping or rope jumping, abdominal crunches, sprinting, speed balls, weights, etc. Work on each station for a minute or two in a systematic way.

Cross train using different activities
Complement your kickboxing programme with non-impact or low-impact forms of exercise such as indoor stationary cycling, walking, jogging, tennis, squash and swimming. This way you’ll see maximum progress on a sustained basis.
Medical clearance is important. Always check with your physician for his/ her recommendations and restrictions before starting any exercise programme. This way your trainer can ensure you get just what the doctor ordered!

SOME BASIC MOVES
On-guard:
With your arms about chest level, fists under your chin, you stay in the (self-explanatory) on-guard position. After a punch or series of punches, one always gets back here.

A head hook:
The point of imaginary contact is the side of the head. This punch is thrown with the arm in a hooked position, forearm parallel to the floor and palm facing you at the point of contact.

An uppercut:
This blow is aimed from under the chin and jaw. One must go through the legs and deliver this one in a crouched position so as to get the body weight behind the punch and power it.

Besides being highly effective and energising, kick-boxing is also a fun workout. So get into gear, and get punching and kicking!