Melt Fat Fast: The Ultimate 20-Minute Kickboxing Workout for Home
Dr. Will Murtagh, PT, DPT, MS, CSCS, CISSN
Are you a current or aspiring kickboxer looking to move your workouts out of the gym and into the comfort of your own home? Well, you have landed in the right spot on this corner of the internet.

Kickboxing combines many aspects of fitness into one great fitness methodology, such as aerobic fitness, stress relief, and self-defense, to unlock a healthier and more confident version of yourself.

Over the last decade working as a strength & conditioning coach and now performance physical therapist, I am excited to draw on my experiences in health and fitness to help you craft the ultimate at-home kickboxing plan to reach your goals.

Setting up a space inside your home to tackle your kickboxing workouts will help you increase your consistency and save precious time throughout the week. Allowing you to minimize the barriers to your success and elevate your training.

This comprehensive article will dive into everything you need to know regarding kickboxing workouts. From setting up your home workout space to fundamental techniques that you should be familiar with and professional tips for optimizing your workouts.

I’ll also provide sample kickboxing workouts that blend the fundamental techniques with traditional fitness movements.

Now, let’s get to it!

Benefits of Kickboxing Workouts at Home
Girl Doing Kickboxing

The most significant benefit to kickboxing at home is the time you save commuting to a gym. Let’s say you take an hour-long kickboxing class at a local gym that is 15 minutes away.

That same hour-long class immediately turns into an hour and a half with travel on top of any time you may spend conversing with other gym members.

For argument’s sake, conversing takes another 10 minutes post-workout. That is another forty minutes you have added to the day’s workout. Over your five to seven workout days, 4.5+ hours per week, dedicated to your workout, not training.

It is no wonder that so many people struggle to keep consistent with their workouts, as that is valuable time that could be spent doing other tasks throughout your week.

You will also avoid crowded gym spaces and waiting for equipment by choosing to train at home. It also prevents the need for a plethora of equipment or other people who need to be made aware of proper gym etiquette and maximizes the privacy of your fitness routine.

Setting Up Your Home Kickboxing Gym
Setting up your home gym for kickboxing is very straightforward. You can get started without spending a dollar on any fitness equipment. Then, after building up your fitness, you can purchase various items to enhance your workout.

Punching Bag Home Gym

The first step is to designate the actual space in your home. Look for an obstacle-free area with enough square footage and ceiling height to account for various punches, kicks, and other fitness movements.

Many of the most common household items can be turned into accessories, such as water bottles for a makeshift weight and couches or chairs for lunges and push-ups. Getting creative with the objects in your house can get you going cost-effectively.

You can pick up more traditional fitness equipment if you’re ready to take the next step in your kickboxing workouts. These include dumbbells for resistance, jump ropes for cardiovascular training variety, and striking pads to simulate a combat experience. These are just a few, but remember they are optional and are not an exhaustive list.

As an additional but necessary note, ensuring your workout space is clear of any risk of tripping, slipping, or unintentional contact with walls or furniture is critical. Make sure you take time to clear out any clutter to operate in a safe environment, and consider using matting to avoid slippery surfaces.

Fundamental Kickboxing Techniques
Once you have set up your space for your kickboxing workouts, review the fundamental movements you will train, including various punches and kicks.

Punches:
Jab: In a swift motion, your lead hand extends outwards as the shoulder remains relaxed, and the arm retracts quickly to produce a rapid strike.
Cross: While generating power from the hips and rotating your torso, the rear hand comes up and across your body.
Hook: While rotating towards the rear arm and maintaining a bent elbow, the front arm comes across the body as you pivot on the front foot.
Uppercut: As the body ascends from a lowered position, the rear hand rises, vertically maintaining a bent elbow.
Punches

Although the striking is with the arms in punches, the legs are essential for optimal stance width, footwork, and body mechanics to amplify the impact of each punch.

Kicks:
Front Kick: Using the lead leg, bring the knee up towards your body and forcefully extend the knee to push the foot away from you to strike forward.
Roundhouse Kick: While you pivot on your lead foot, swing the rear leg horizontally across your body.
Side Kick: Shift your weight over the stance leg and tilt your torso away from the direction of your strike. Lift your knee towards your trunk and then forcefully extend the leg away laterally.
Kicks

Kicks can be challenging for various reasons, including mobility, core strength, balance, coordination, etc. Emphasize controlled motions, beginning with more basic kicks in isolation and advancing to more advanced kicks in combinations.

Sample Kickboxing Workouts At Home
As with any training plan, your workouts should be catered to your experience and fitness level.

The workouts below give you a powerful fitness stimulus based on your conditioning and kickboxing prowess. You can also copy these models as you create new versions to keep your training fun and engaging.