Kickboxing is one of most intense combat sports around. It requires great hand-eye coordination, strength, stamina, and a ton of heart and grit. Today, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best kickboxing workouts to make sure you stay in top shape when you step in the ring.

4. Change-of-Pace Training

Speed-changing cardio drills are fantastic for kickboxing. This can involve a variety of workouts, as long as the pace in which you are going changes frequently. For example, you can cone drills that involve you jogging-sprinting-shuffling, are perfect. This not only mimics the change of speed, but also implements footwork as well, which we’ll dive into later.

3. Compound Lifts

No matter what type of athlete you are, compound lifts are essential. These include your core lifts, such as the deadlift, squat, power clean, etc…These are key to building strength throughout your legs, back, and core. For transferring over into this ring, these lifts will obviously increase your power in your strikes, and overall develop confidence for yourself as well.

2. Footwork Drills

One of the most underrated aspects I believe in fighter development is footwork. Sure, it is incorporated when you hit pads, do bag work, and spar, but often times, fighters overlook isolating footwork into its own workout. There are plenty of drills out there that can work on building foot coordination and speed. Some of these include cone drills, speed ladders, and ring specific drills, such as ropes.

1. Resistance/Weighted Work

To top things off, we’re looking at yet another form of overlooked training method, and that is resistance/weighted work. This can include band work during workouts to increase explosion, strapping on wrist weights when hitting the heavy bag on your wrists and/or ankles, having bands on your hips during sprints, and much more. The beautiful thing about resistance bands and strapped weights is it can virtually be used for any type of workout, adding that extra layer to your hard work.