At-home Kickboxing Workout with a Bag to Get Toned Fast

What is kickboxing to you? Is it merely a means to unleash your anger at the world and its consistent unfairness? Well, kickboxing is more than that. Some of the positive effects of kickboxing training include an improvement in wellbeing, joint flexibility, aerobic endurance, static arm strength, speed, and agility.

Kickboxing at home provides an excellent way to stay fit without the hassle of commuting to a gym. One of the biggest benefits of home workouts is the flexibility to train on your schedule, allowing you to stay consistent and make progress faster. Training with a bag at home not only enhances your cardiovascular health and burns calories but also helps build strength, coordination, and endurance. Plus, working out in a familiar environment can boost confidence and reduce stress, making your fitness journey more enjoyable and sustainable.

In this article, we’ll cover the best at home kickboxing workout with bag combos. Yes, you guessed it — the only equipment you’ll need for this home workout (besides basic boxing gloves) is a punching bag.

Benefits of At Home Kickboxing Workout with Bag

Mental Health Boost 

After a round of kickboxing, you’ll feel lighter and more confident. The intense contribution of your bodily muscles to a kickboxing session makes your brain release endorphins, or “feel-good” chemicals. According to Cleveland Clinic, endorphins relieve stress. 

Helps You to Be Physically Fit 

Generally, your punching bag should be approximately half your bodyweight. The combination of the punching bag’s weight and your body’s effort to overcome the bag’s resistance strengthens various parts of your body. After just five weeks of kickboxing training, a clinical trial of 30 subjects, divided into a kickboxing group and a control group, revealed that the kickboxing group had greater upper body muscle power, flexibility, anerobic fitness, agility, and speed than the control group. Similar results were discovered in a 16-week kickboxing training experiment involving male nonathletes. 

Heavy Bag Workouts Help with Burning Fat 

Within 30 minutes of kickboxing, a 125-pound person burns up to 300 calories. A 155-pound person can burn 360 calories, while a 185-pound individual burns up to 420 calories. The Harvard Medical School published a chart revealing these figures. The figures show that kickboxing training can be a good start to burning unneeded fat. 

Kickboxing at Home Can Improve Balance 

Kickboxing can improve your stability and balance. When 20 amateur kickboxers were recruited to participate in a study on how kickboxing affects stability, they performed better than non-kickboxers in stability tests. The researchers further found that the probability that the results were due to chance was less than 5%. This indicates that kickboxing most likely contributed to the kickboxers’ strength and stability. 

How to Warm Up for an At-Home Kickboxing Workout with Bag

Before commencing your kickboxing workout, you need to do a few light exercises to get your body ready for action. The generally recommended warm-up exercises to include in your kickboxing routine are light cardio, a few minutes of jumping, and dynamic stretches. 

However, if you’re looking to get a combo of strength, stability, cardiovascular endurance, and core strength and coordination during your punching bag workout, do these warm-ups. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner. They’re beginner-friendly.

Lateral Jump 

1. Stand with both feet together. 
2. Push off your right foot to jump laterally (sideways) to your left.
3. Hop back to your right.
4. Keep your core tight and use your arms for balance. 

Runner’s Lunge 

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
2. Step your right foot forward into a deep lunge, lowering your hips and keeping your left leg straight behind you.
3. Place both hands on the ground, on opposite sides of your right foot, for stability.
4. Keep your chest open, back straight, and hips low.
5. Hold this position for a few seconds, then switch legs by stepping your left foot forward into a lunge. Alternate sides for the desired number of reps.

Elbow Plank 

Skip to 4:40 in the video below to begin the elbow plank.

1. Begin in a forearm plank position, with your elbows directly under your shoulders and forearms flat on the ground.
2. Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels.
3. Ensure your hips are level and not sagging or lifted too high.
4. Hold the position, breathing steadily. Focus on maintaining strong core engagement and posture throughout.

Basic Punch and Kick Techniques in Kickboxing

Punches

1) The Jab 

1. Stand in a boxing stance with your feet shoulder-width apart, dominant foot slightly back, and hands up in guard position.
2. Push off your back foot as you extend your lead hand (non-dominant hand) straight out, aiming for the center of the bag.
3. Keep your elbow slightly bent and your fist horizontal.
4. Snap your hand back quickly to the guard position after making contact with the bag.
5. Keep your chin tucked and shoulders relaxed throughout the motion.

2) The Cross 

1. Begin in the same boxing stance with your feet shoulder-width apart and dominant foot back.
2. Rotate your hips and shoulders as you extend your rear hand (dominant hand) in a straight line toward the bag.
3. Pivot on the ball of your back foot to add power to the punch while keeping your arm straight and knuckles facing forward.
4. Aim for the center of the bag, using your whole body to generate force, not just your arm.
5. Snap your hand back to the guard position immediately after striking the bag.

3) The Hook  

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, in a boxing stance, dominant foot slightly back.
2. Bend your knees slightly and rotate your hips toward the target.
3. Bring your elbow up to shoulder height, keeping it bent at a 90-degree angle.
4. Swing your arm in a horizontal arc, aiming to strike the side of the bag with the front knuckles.
5. Use your torso and hip rotation to generate power, not just your arm.
6. After making contact, quickly return to your guard position.

Kicks

1) The Knee Strike 

1. Stand in front of the bag, feet shoulder-width apart, and keeping your hands up in a guard position.
2. Shift your weight to one leg while bringing the other knee up toward the bag.
3. Use your hips and abs to drive the knee forward, striking the bag with the area above the kneecap.
4. Pull the bag toward you with your hands or lean into the strike for extra power.
5. After the strike, return to your original stance.

2) The Front Kick 

1. Stand in a fighting stance, feet shoulder-width apart, dominant foot back.
2. Shift your weight onto your back foot while raising your front knee.
3. Extend your front leg forward, striking the bag with the ball of your foot.
4. Engage your core and use your hips to generate power.
5. Retract your leg quickly after the kick and return to your fighting stance.

Basic Footwork and Conditioning Techniques

1) The Boxer’s Bounce

1. Stand in your boxing stance, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hands in guard position.
2. Shift your weight lightly between your front and back feet, staying on the balls of your feet.
3. Keep your movements small and rhythmic, bouncing lightly while maintaining balance.
4. As you bounce, keep your upper body relaxed and move fluidly without locking your knees.
5. Use the bounce to stay agile, maintaining your stance, and being ready to throw punches or defend.

2) The Tuck Jump

1. Stand in front of the bag with feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides.
2. Bend your knees and lower into a squat, keeping your chest upright.
3. Explode upward, driving through your heels and swinging your arms for momentum.
4. As you jump, pull your knees toward your chest while keeping your core engaged.
5. Land softly on the balls of your feet, immediately bending your knees to absorb the impact.
6. Reset your stance for the next move.

3) The Burpee

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides.
2. Drop into a squat position and place your hands on the ground in front of you.
3. Jump your feet back into a plank position, keeping your body straight.
4. Perform a push-up by lowering your chest to the ground and pushing back up.
5. Jump your feet back toward your hands, returning to the squat position.
6. Explode upward into a jump, reaching your arms overhead.
7. Land softly.

4) Fast Feet

Watch this video for fast feet boxing drills:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms bent at your sides.
2. Begin quickly alternating lifting each foot off the ground, tapping them lightly.
3. Keep the movement quick and small, as if running in place but with rapid, short steps.
4. Engage your core, stay light on the balls of your feet, and maintain a fast pace.

Kickboxing Workout Combinations to Get Started

In this section, you’ll learn how to combine the kicking, punching, footwork, and conditioning techniques into simple but effective kickboxing workouts at home.

Combo 1: Jab – Cross – Front Kick – Fast Feet

• Jab – Cross: 10 reps (5 per side)
• Front Kick: 10 reps (5 per leg)
• Fast Feet: 20 seconds
• Sets: 3 sets
• Rest: 30-60 seconds between sets

Combo 2: Boxer’s Bounce – Hook – Knee Strike – Tuck Jump

• Boxer’s Bounce: 30 seconds
• Hook: 10 reps (5 per side)
• Knee Strike: 10 reps (5 per leg)
• Tuck Jump: 5 reps
• Sets: 3 sets
• Rest: 30-60 seconds between sets

Combo 3: Burpees – Front Kick – Cross – Tuck Jump

• Burpees: 5 reps
• Front Kick: 8 reps (4 per leg)
• Cross: 10 reps (5 per side)
• Tuck Jump: 5 reps
• Sets: 3 sets
• Rest: 60-90 seconds between sets

Conclusion

Each aspect of kickboxing, including kicking, punching, and conditioning, is crucial for achieving maximum gains from a full-body kickboxing workout. Start with some warm-up exercises for 5 to 10 minutes. Continue with a 10 to 15-minute practice of kickboxing techniques and finish with some rounds of kickboxing conditioning