Both recreational and professional Muay Thai is a superb way to burn calories, improve your physical and mental strength levels, and say goodbye to stress. I’ve heard many traditional people calling Thai boxing violent martial art designed to hurt people, but they are so one-dimensional.
There are so many wonderful benefits of Muay Thai for your health. I’m sorry cause I must focus on the top five, I could write this topic all day long. I will get to know you with the most positive sides of ancient Siamese martial art. Thai boxing is a vigorous physical activity, try it out and you’ll spend less time visiting doctors!
Table of Contents
1. Can Muay Thai Improve My Posture And Help My Spine?
Oh, yeah, Muay Thai is a whole different dimension, compared to other martial arts. Let me explain. In Muay Thai, your back is very slightly hunched, as your weight is shifted to the back foot. You can be a professional fighter or a person who trains for fun, but your posture will look better than ever. For example, your back is hunched in MMA, wrestling, Judo, boxing, and even kickboxing (double pillars defensive guard).
When you defend strikes, you’ll have to cover up. But double pillars are rare in Muay Thai, fighters rarely curve their back. Instead, the front leg checks kicks, while elbows or ducking defend the greatest number of fists. You don’t have to bend the thoracic and cervical areas of your spine that often. Your posture will look better after a year or two in Muay Thai.
Coaches will mostly give you a core workout at the end of the training session. If lower and upper back drills become a part of your training routine, it will lead to even better results for your posture. For example, flying superman is one of the greatest choices, as it strengthens every single area of your back.
You’ll see the posture benefits of Muay Thai if you train properly. But please, listen to me, do at least three or four different back drills before you go to sleep for even better results, 10-15 repetitions each. It will not take more than 3-5 minutes of your time.
2. Will Muay Thai Improve My Physical Look And Help Me Lose Weight?
This is one of the most positive benefits of Muay Thai for your health. The majority of people work two jobs, eat during breaks, come home, sleep, and repeat the same routine over and over. When Sunday comes, they are usually too tired, trying to recover for the next week. It leads to hypokinesia – say hello to weight gain and depression.
Imagine this situation. You were an inactive individual, but you finally decided to train. You’ll start losing pounds right off the bat if you don’t increase the size of your plate because your body needs more calories. It leads to a caloric deficit. Please read my guide to Muay Thai for weight loss. Science says that weight loss leads to plasma anandamide changes and, consequently, better overall mood.
Muay Thai activates every single muscle of your body. You don’t believe me, do you? Well, read these and you will:
- Muay Thai punches activate forearms, hand muscles, and triceps. Shoulders are active in the first phase of the strike.
- Elbows will put your shoulders, biceps, and triceps on fire. Traps too.
- Blocks strengthen your traps, upper back muscles, and shoulders.
- Muay Thai knees will activate hip flexors, glutes, and lower back. Flying knee attempts strengthen calves and hamstrings too.
- Strong destructive Muay Thai kicks activate the following muscle groups –quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, adductors, and lower abdominals.
- Spinning techniques target core muscles, back, glutes, and legs.
- Checking kicks improves the power and physical look of your calves and hip abductors.
- Even if you just evade strikes or move, soleus and peroneal muscles will work. Don’t forget about core and neck muscles when you duck under the incoming strikes.
You’ll become satisfied with your physical look. If you were shy in the past, it will change, because you’ll believe that you have something to offer. Isn’t it one of the best health benefits for Muay Thai?
Compare a 200lbs guy with bulk around his waist and a 180lbs trained martial artist with abs and a flat stomach. When you transition from number one to number two, your friends, family, and co-workers will notice the difference. I bet you’ll get a lot of compliments. You will not look like a bodybuilder on steroids, your muscles will get a natural shape.
3. Will Muay Thai Lead To Better Heart And Blood Circulation?
Physical inactivity causes so many health issues nowadays. Hypertension and cardiac arrest mostly happen due to low levels of activity and stress, but Muay Thai addicts are mostly not associated with those kinds of risks. Training sessions lower blood pressure!
Let’s compare the heart of a sedentary person and a Muay Thai addict. A sedentary person’s heart always pumps the same amount of blood, it might change when he/she walks to the bathroom or visits the grocery store. Yet, one of the greatest Muay Thai health benefits is pumping more blood into your bloodstream during high-intense sessions. It boosts your peripheral circulation and reduces the risk of hypertension.
Vigorous activity reduces both systolic and diastolic pressure. Oh, don’t ignore changes in peripheral vascular resistance, too!
The most significant change happens in arterial lumen diameters. What does that mean? Your arteries will be able to transport more oxygen to your active muscles, which means better peripheral blood transport. You’ll get tired harder, and circulation issues will disappear (for example, problems with cold feet or hands).
4. Is There A Positive Effect Of Muay Thai On Mental Health?
Heck yeah, it is one of the greatest ways to deal with depression, anxiety, or personality disorders. Life is stressful, especially when you’re a peaceful kid surrounded by bullies in school. If you get battered regularly, it will lower your self-esteem and you’ll feel worthless as the years go by. You’ll have to deal with your traumas in adulthood or middle age. It’s way harder to beat your demons later, isn’t it?
A good Thai boxer can destroy a bully and knock him out cold. The cocky dude can hate you all day long, but you will be able to trade barbs toe-to-toe and send him to the canvas. He’ll think twice when trying to steal your lunch money next time. I bet on it!
Your level of self-confidence will grow as you show more positive emotions. People will accept you, and aggressive guys will stay away from you because they know what might happen. I will tell you one story of a person whose life changed because of the health benefits of Muay Thai.
The guy was working all day long and he was very nervous and depressed. Every evening, after work, he was sitting on the sofa and thinking how miserable his life was. Doctors diagnosed lowered levels of testosterone, serotonin, and melatonin – in other words, the doctor prescribed him mood meds and told him to find an activity he enjoys.
Luckily, the person knew that his health was at stake, so he started visiting the local Muay Thai dojo. Every evening, he felt more pleased. Then one day, he met a bully from his childhood, drinking at a local bar with his buddies. Of course, the bully said, “look at this guy, I was torturing him in high school, pay me a beer or we’ll teach you a lesson”.
Guess what, years went by, and someone was training. The bully was knocked out cold. Later the guy got a promotion at his job. After a year, the doctor said that “mood meds are not required anymore”. People noticed positive changes and fewer signs of depression. He got more friends – all thanks to a local Muay Thai dojo.
5. Will Muay Thai Change Your Personality?
Oh yes, it will. I had to put it on spot five of my list of health benefits of Muay Thai. Thai boxing is known for “fight or flight” thinking. What does that mean? The coach will teach you to eat a shot to land a shot. You won’t be scared of marching forward and taking punishment.
It will reflect all other aspects of your life, as you’ll start dealing with your problems instead of staying away from them. You’ll handle stress way easier and become braver. I bet you will solve very difficult tasks with ease because your mind will change. You will turn into a calm guy after a few years in a Muay Thai gym.
Conclusion
There are so many other top-notch benefits of Muay Thai for your health – positive influence on spatial intelligence, better motor skills, fewer mood changes, fewer chances of psychological issues like schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress disorder… Thai boxing is a super-beneficial activity for everybody.
Yes, you must take a hit from time to time, but remember – no pain, no gain! Which are your favorite benefits of Muay Thai? Please share it with me in the comments below!
Last Updated on October 29, 2022 by Deni
