…and increase cardiovascular endurance, improve heart health, and lower blood pressure.
Taekwondo classes are especially good for folks who want to shed unwanted pounds and improve their overall cardiovascular health. In this blog, we’re going to explain to all of our Northville, Novi and Plymouth friends why that is.
It may come as a surprise, but in many ways, taekwondo is an endurance sport. The old saying holds, “Poor cardio makes cowards of us all.”
Taekwondo sparring is a natural form of HIIT, which stands for high-intensity interval training. You may have also heard HIIT referred to as a ‘tabata.’
Taekwondo is a HIIT workout because its kicks are full-body, explosive moves that recruit every muscle in the core and lower body. That makes them even more effort than sprinting – throw five kicks in a row as hard and as fast as you can, and you will watch your heart rate spike tremendously.
An unmodified taekwondo sparring match consists of three, three-minute rounds. Each of these rounds will include bursts of kicks and punches interrupted by short periods of active recovery. This makes for a natural HIIT session – and it makes HIIT workouts common among taekwondo practitioners.
At Michigan Academy of Taekwondo in Northville, and in most taekwondo schools around the globe, all classes include 20-30 minutes of HIIT training.
Taekwondo Classes Burn Massive Calories
Your body burns massive calories with HIIT workouts. One study compared the calories burned during 30 minutes of HIIT, weight training, running, and biking. The researchers found that HIIT burned 25–30% more calories than the other forms of exercise.
As your taekwondo workouts introduce more HIIT training into your fitness regimen, you will burn more calories in less time. This is the primary reason so many people lose weight after signing up for taekwondo classes.
Taekwondo Classes Raise Your Metabolic Rate For Hours After Your Workout
Taekwondo keeps burning calories even after your class is over. Several studies have demonstrated HIIT’s impressive ability to increase your metabolic rate for hours after exercise.
These studies also found that HIIT does a better job of this than weight lifting, running, or biking – and what’s more, those studies found that HIIT shifts the body’s metabolism toward using fat for energy rather than carbs.
Taekwondo Classes Improve Heart Health
One study found that people performing HIIT three times per week for 20 minutes per session lost 4.4 pounds of body fat in 12 weeks without any dietary changes. Perhaps more important was the 17% reduction in visceral fat, or the disease-promoting fat surrounding your internal organs – which is proven to be beneficial for your heart health.
Taekwondo Lowers Blood Pressure in Those Who Are Overweight
Other research indicates that HIIT training like that done in taekwondo classes can reduce blood pressure in overweight and obese individuals.
One study found that eight weeks of HIIT on a stationary bike decreased blood pressure as much as traditional continuous endurance training in adults with high blood pressure.
It is important to note that these blood pressure lowering effects are only found in those who began with high blood pressure.
Taekwondo Classes in Northville, Novi, and Plymouth Michigan
If you’re interested in taking taekwondo classes and you live in the Northville, Novi or Plymouth, Michigan area we’d like to invite you to check out our school. You can read about taekwondo for kids, taekwondo for teens, or taekwondo for adults to find out more about our programs.
If you’re not near us but have questions about taekwondo training, please feel free to reach out to us via email at info@northvillemartialarts.com. We’re happy to help.
Not sure if taekwondo is right for you? Check out our definitive guide to finding a martial arts school.