When we were first asked to do a Cardio Kickboxing workout here at Fitness Blender, I have to admit that I really did not want to do it. I have done group cardio kickboxing classes which I always though were just okay at best and usually just came across as silly. I have also, for a short time, trained for competitive kickboxing which I loved but after being hit in the face a number of times I quickly gave that up; after all it is a bit hard to pick up new clients as a personal trainer when you look like you were in a bar brawl every week.

So, when we were asked to do a cardio kickboxing routine the first thing that came to mind was those terribly cheesy group classes I didn't really like but at first glance thought was my only option. After, admittedly, a few months and more requests, I decided to build my first kickboxing routine but set out to make it as hard as I could, and still l making it fun without the usually silliness that you typically get in a group cardio kickboxing class.

I don't know if I quite succeeded in my goal that no one will feel silly doing these workouts but I can tell you that I love filming them and it is apparent by their popularity that the vast majority of you love doing them with me as well. For all of those of you out there who still think that they would feel silly doing one of these routines then I challenge you to pick one and push yourself through it focusing on your form and intensity. Then, the next day when your muscles are stiff and sore, decide if it was silly or cheesy.

Remind yourself that whatever the exercises or training style is, if you find improvement in your balance, endurance, strength, flexibility, coordination, cardiovascular threshold, anaerobic threshold, and/or, quality of life, there is nothing silly or cheesy about it. You will live a longer and happier life if you stop being embarrassed by the things you need and love to do.

Workout Structure:

Warm Up: (30 Second Each)
- Arm Circles
- Torso Circles
- Torso Rotations w/ Knee
- Leg Swings
- Up and Outs
- Jumping Jacks
- High Knees
- Sumo Squat

Cardio Kickboxing and HIIT Workout: (10 repetitions each)
- Knee, Knee, Jab, Cross
- Burpees

- Upper Cut x 3, (Jab, Cross) x 2
- Mt. Climbers

- Hook x 2, Upper Cut, Knee x 2
- Jumping Lunges

- Duck x 2, Jab x 2, Upper Cut x 2
- Star Jumps

- (Jab, Cross, Knee) x 2
- Kick Thoughs

- Jab x 2, Upper Cut, Knee x 2
- Seal Push Ups

Cool Down: (30 Seconds Each)
- Boxer Shuffle
- Chest Stretch
- Over Head Tricep Stretch
- Arm Cross Stretch
- Hamstring and Torso Stretch (L)
- Hamstring and Torso Stretch (R)
- Butterfly Stretch
- Torso Twist Stretch
- Cobra
- Child's Pose

Because of the style and intensity of this routine the actual workout burn calories at a very elevated rate. However, because this routine also has a warm up and cool down included this drops the average calories per minute down just a bit.