With the rising popularity of martial arts in the media, many gyms are advertising programs to learn martial arts to get in shape. However there is a big difference in taking a cardio kickboxing class and learning real martial arts to lose weight and get in shape. Read on and you will discover four reasons why it’s better to learn martial arts than to just go through the motions in an aerobics class.

Form comes first. When you learn martial arts techniques, your body is recruiting muscle fibers that were previously under worked, or even completely ignored. So many small muscle groups are activated in martial arts training that when you work them, you may not notice any stress on your muscles at first, but after a few workouts, you may notice new definition on your arms, legs, or abs that you’ve never seen before. These muscle fibers are all miniature calorie burning furnaces. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism runs, and the more fat you burn. In addition, you will begin to develop balance and coordination which will make your workouts much more enjoyable.

It’s progressive. Due to the sheer number of martial arts techniques to learn, you will be constantly challenged, but always interested in something new. You will always be challenged physically and mentally. In addition, learning new martial arts techniques and committing them to muscle memory creates a stronger link between your muscles and your central nervous system. This means that as you learn martial arts moves, your body becomes more efficient and burns more calories per workout, and after.

It’s creative. As you become more advanced, you will learn martial arts are just as the name implies; arts. You will learn more techniques and learn to apply them in new ways and this you will want to practice them constantly. You will begin to create new fighting combinations and new workouts. When you learn martial arts you may enjoy it so much that you don’t even realize you had been working out until after the workout is over.

It’s dynamic. As you get to know your body better, and learn martial arts more comfortably, you will start to look more at your ability than your weight loss. Weight loss and fat loss will still happen. However, you will start to look at performance goals. Examples will include being able to do more punches in a certain amount of time, or telling yourself, “I want to improve the power and speed of my roundhouse kick.” These are measurable goals, and as you learn martial arts and set and achieve goals, weight loss will happen as a side effect. As you begin to focus more on functional strength and performance, your body will adapt by building muscle and burning fat. Here’s a hint: your greatest progress comes from working on your weakest areas.

So overall, there are many reasons that it’s better to learn martial arts in its real application than some watered down cardio class. The best part is that once you really begin to understand what you are learning and how to make it your own, the sky is the limit. Until then, I would suggest starting with a qualified instructor and a proven planned workout.