Signing up for martial arts like Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), and Boxing helps you to lose weight in more ways than one. Engaging in intense exercise, such as martial arts training, provides a significant boost to your metabolism. This increase in metabolic activity not only helps your body burn more calories during the workout but continues to do so even after you’ve finished, supporting your weight loss goals and overall energy balance.
The Science Of Metabolism: More Than Simply Burning Calories
Before diving into the many ways martial arts can boost your metabolism, let’s first understand what metabolism is and how exercise plays a role in enhancing it.
Metabolism refers to the process your body uses to convert the food and beverages you consume into energy. The more efficiently it works, the easier it is to lose weight. Regularly spending time in the gym learning a martial art can help put your metabolism in high gear thanks to the high-intensity exercises that training often consists of.
Many martial arts like Muay Thai, BJJ, and Judo engage muscles all over your body, helping to increase their endurance while increasing your resting metabolic rate (RMR). The higher this number is, the more calories your body will burn, even while you’re resting! Here’s a fun fact: Your RMR is responsible for up to 75% of the calories you burn daily. Now that we understand the science of metabolism, here are six powerful ways martial arts can help rev up your metabolic engine and boost your overall health!
1) Provides A Form Of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Martial arts training, like Muay Thai and BJJ, mirrors HIIT by combining intense bursts of activity with brief rests, burning up to 1,000 calories per session and boosting your metabolism for effective weight loss.
Anyone who has ever trained in martial arts like Muay Thai knows how intense training can get. Training most martial arts involves periods of intense activity where you feel your heart is about to jump out of your chest, followed by brief rest periods before moving on to the next part of your training.
HIIT exercises are one of the most effective ways to burn calories, and they take less time than conventional workouts. An hour spent training combat styles like Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Mixed Martial Arts can burn up to 1,000 calories. Being able to burn that many calories whenever you’re at the dojo makes it considerably easier to reach any weight loss goals you have.
The intense burst during HIIT training forces your body to burn glycogen and keeps your metabolism high as you recover afterward.
2) Martial Arts Training Builds Lean Muscle Mass
Martial arts training builds lean muscle, boosting your metabolism, enhancing fat burn, and improving your physique with exercises that engage multiple muscle groups.
Building lean muscle mass on your frame is one of the most significant benefits of signing up for martial arts training. Lean muscle doesn’t just improve your physique—it also plays a key role in boosting your metabolism and helping with fat burn.
Training in most martial arts engages multiple muscle groups and provides resistance training, which stimulates the growth of new muscle tissue. This increase in lean muscle helps elevate your resting metabolic rate, meaning your body burns more calories even while at rest, especially when paired with a protein-rich diet.
3) Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) And Afterburner Effect
Martial arts training triggers EPOC, keeping your metabolism elevated for hours after your workout. HIIT-style sessions, in particular, can extend this calorie-burning effect for up to 24 hours.
The intense exercise you get when learning a martial art leads to EPOC, meaning your metabolism runs high hours after your workout. Your body continues to burn more calories than it usually does hours after you leave the dojo.
The harder you push yourself when training, the more time it takes for your body to recover, meaning you get to burn more calories.
Some studies suggest that HIIT-style workouts can elevate your metabolism for up to 24 hours after intense exercise!
4) Helps To Prevent Boredom And Training Plateaus
Martial arts training keeps you motivated with ever-changing techniques and drills, avoiding plateaus while boosting metabolism by constantly challenging your body.
Conventional workouts often become dull over time since you’re performing the same exercises when you train, making you more vulnerable to training plateaus as your motivation dwindles.
On the other hand, martial arts training never gets boring since each class is unique. You learn new techniques and drills whenever you train, which leaves you looking forward to the next class as you grow your arsenal of techniques.
This constant challenge keeps your body adapting, which in turn helps to raise your metabolism. When you’re motivated and pushing your limits, your metabolism stays elevated, burning more fat and calories both during and after your workout.
5) Provides Stress Relief and Improves Hormonal Balance
Chronic stress elevates cortisol, slowing metabolism and promoting fat storage, but martial arts training reduces cortisol by boosting feel-good hormones like dopamine and endorphins, improving fat loss and metabolic efficiency.
Stress triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that, when chronically elevated, can negatively affect metabolism. High cortisol levels encourage the storage of fat, particularly around the abdominal area, and slow down the body’s ability to burn calories efficiently. This is because cortisol signals the body to conserve energy, which can lead to unwanted weight gain and hinder fat loss efforts.
On the flip side, martial arts training can help lower cortisol levels by promoting the release of feel-good hormones such as dopamine and endorphins. These hormones not only improve mood but also support a faster metabolism. When your body is less stressed, it becomes more efficient in regulating fat storage and fat burning, allowing for a more effective metabolic process.
6) A Workout Partner For Your Metabolism
Many martial arts programs encourage partner drills, fostering accountability as teammates and instructors push you to stay consistent and work harder. This not only drives progress but also boosts your metabolism.
Another terrific way martial arts training helps with weight loss is your training partners and instructors holding you accountable, especially regarding how consistent you are with your training. Your teammates will push you to work harder if they notice you’re falling behind or not taking your training seriously.
This accountability and motivation can significantly impact your metabolism. When you’re consistently training harder and pushing your limits, your body is forced to adapt. Think of it like having a metabolism accountability partner every time you step into your martial arts class!
Martial Arts Training Is More Than Just A Regular Workout
Martial arts training is more than a way to boost your metabolism so you can lose weight. It’s a lifestyle that helps to build muscle endurance, mental toughness, and discipline. Your training will raise your metabolism so you can burn more calories daily and give you the mental attributes you need to stick to your weight loss goals long-term.
Unlike conventional workouts, like running, swimming, or cycling, which can quickly get boring, martial arts training will never feel like a chore. It will be the highlight of your day, something you find yourself looking forward to.
Ready to have some fun while revving up your metabolism? Sign up for a complimentary introductory class at Evolve MMA and take the first step toward reaching your weight loss goals!
Book your complimentary trial class with our World Champions below!
If you have any other questions regarding Evolve MMA and the programs we offer, you can get in touch with our membership executives at the following locations:
Evolve MMA (Far East Square)
26 China Street
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Singapore 049568
Phone: (65) 6536 4525
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#06-01 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Phone: (65) 6536 4556
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Phone: (65) 6288 2293
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#02-26A The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Phone: (65) 6539 9590
