Strength Training for Kickboxing: Guide & Training Program

Kickboxing is where speed meets strategy, and power meets precision. But behind every jab, cross, and kick lies a foundation of strength, and strength training is the best way to add that foundation to your kickboxing game.

Think about it: the difference between a decent strike and a knockout blow is power. The ability to absorb hits and maintain balance under pressure? That’s strength.

If you want to hit harder, move faster, and stay injury-free, strength training isn’t optional—it’s essential.

In this guide, we’ll break down why strength training is essential for kickboxing, which exercises pack the biggest punch, and provide a complete 14-week training program that puts theory into practice without sacrificing agility or endurance. 🥊

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Want to jump right into the training program?

Click here for the Strength Training for Kickboxing program.

Benefits of Strength Training for Kickboxing

Strength training is a knockout addition to your kickboxing routine. It offers a wealth of benefits that boost your performance in many ways.

However, there was a time, not too long ago, when strength training was about as welcome in kickboxing circles as a roundhouse kick to the face at a family picnic.

Back then, sports science wasn’t as accessible or advanced as it is today. The general sentiment among many kickboxers and coaches was that lifting weights and focusing on strength training would make you “muscle-bound,” slow, and inflexible—the ultimate sins for a sport that thrives on speed, agility, and technique.

Here’s why that mindset existed:

Fear of Losing Speed

Kickboxing relies on fast strikes, quick footwork, and rapid reactions. There was a widespread belief (not just in the kickboxing community but in many non-strength sports, too) that bulking up with strength training would reduce a fighter’s speed and explosiveness.

“Heavy muscles make you slow” was the mantra, even though science later proved this wrong (spoiler alert: stronger muscles mean faster and harder punches and kicks, everything else being equal).

Flexibility Concerns

For the longest time, big muscles were thought to equal tight, inflexible muscles. Since kicking techniques in kickboxing require a high degree of flexibility, many coaches avoided anything that seemed like it might hinder their athletes’ range of motion. This fear still persists to some degree despite evidence that strength training with a full range of motion doesn’t make you inflexible—it improves it.¹

Read more: Range of Motion: Maximizing Strength and Muscle Growth

Focus on Skill over Power

Early kickboxing culture put a premium on technical skill, endurance, and toughness. Some coaches felt that time spent in the gym pumping iron could be better spent perfecting strikes, sparring, or building cardiovascular endurance. But we now know that all parts of athletic conditioning are essential to be your best, and if everything else is equal, the stronger fighter will likely come out on top.

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As strength and conditioning science evolved, more fighters and coaches began to see the light (and the gains). Studies and real-world examples proved that strength training—with a combination of increasing max strength, functional movements, and explosive power—improves your speed, muscle endurance, and resistance to injuries. And that’s just the physical benefits. It’s a great way to boost mental health as well.

These are the top benefits of strength training for kickboxing.

Body Composition and Strength-Related Performance

Having more lean muscle means greater strength and power (you don’t need to look like a bodybuilder or powerlifter, but the amount of muscle you carry is a key part of how strong you are). Plus, a favorable balance of muscle to fat (body composition) lets you maintain high-intensity efforts (like on the mat or in the kickboxing ring) for longer, and your body learns to clear out lactic acid faster.²

In addition, you get better at generating maximum force, the engine behind explosive movements in the ring. That includes both Rate of Force Development (RFD)—how quickly you can apply said force—and power production, which translates into quicker and more powerful kicks and punches.³

The power of your punches starts in your lower body, travels through your core, and finishes in your upper body. Strength training creates a more powerful connection between feet and fists, and the result is more explosive punches that make a real difference in the ring.

Better Balance, Coordination, and Stability

Balance and coordination are paramount in kickboxing and help you maintain your stance, deliver strikes, and defend against opponents’ attacks while staying light on your feet.

Strength training improves both, and a good workout routine for kickboxing should include unilateral (working one side of your body at a time) and bilateral exercises (using both sides of your body together), along with exercises that make your core stronger.

Unilateral exercises, like Bulgarian split squats, are excellent for stability and control during asymmetrical movements, like when you throw a punch or check a kick. Bilateral exercises, like squats and bench presses, are ideal for movements that generate power from both sides of the body and for increasing your maximum strength.⁴

Since kickboxing demands both types of movements, you also want your strength routine to reflect that and include both. Better prepared than knocked out.

Read more: Unilateral vs. Bilateral Strength Training for Strength & Muscle Growth

Also, you constantly use your core (abs, obliques, and lower back) to maintain balance during dynamic movements, when absorbing impact, and for generating force for strikes and evasions, and building it stronger with weights can directly improve your skill.⁵

Injury Prevention

Injuries are very common in kickboxing, higher than in most other popular full-contact combat sports.⁶ While most are superficial, like bruises and grazes that are hard to prevent, fractures (with one-fourth of fighters reporting broken bones in some studies) and internal injuries happen every so often, and those can be prevented or at least mitigated by strengthening your muscles, bones, and connective tissues (lifting weights makes all three stronger, not just your muscles).

Strength training is super important for recovering from injuries, but it’s even better to avoid getting hurt in the first place—and lifting weights can help with that, too.

There are not many, if any, specific studies on how resistance training prevents injuries in kickboxing, but sports science agrees that strength training is the best way to protect yourself from getting injured.⁷ While it is impossible to fully control and eliminate injuries in contact sports, building strength and muscle can keep you safer and in the game, and that goes for both beginners just starting out and for pro athletes.

How Should Kickboxers Strength Train?

As a kickboxer, your schedule is likely already jam-packed with high intensity training. Kickboxing demands a lot from both your anaerobic (short, intense bursts that don’t require oxygen) and aerobic (steady-state work that relies on oxygen) energy systems.

Your weight training should make you stronger, faster, and more explosive without overshadowing your technical training—there is no need to live in the weight room; you’re here to dominate the ring.

Getting it right means striking a balance between types of training and getting enough recovery to improve on all fronts.

Strength and Power

Your training program needs to target two pillars of performance: maximum strength and maximum power.

Max Strength Training

You’ll need heavy, low-rep work in the 2–6 rep range, lifting 80–95% of your max to increase the force behind your strikes. Stick with big, compound lifts:

• Squats and deadlifts for leg drive.
• Bench presses and overhead presses for punching power.
• Pull-ups and rows for clinch control.

This type of training will also add muscle to your frame. Adding lean muscle will not slow you down—it’ll amplify your speed and force and allow you to use your strength to kick and punch faster and harder.

Power Training

Focus on explosive movements using moderate loads (up to 75% of your one-rep max) with 3–5 reps per set. The goal here is to move the weight fast, not grinding slow reps with super-heavy loads. Incorporate exercises like:

• Plyometrics (box jumps, medicine ball slams)
• Olympic lifts (power cleans, snatches)
• Speed-focused barbell work

Power training transforms your max strength into knockout-worthy punches and kicks.

Training Cycles

Cycling between blocks of max strength and power work is a good idea for off-season training. Build raw strength in one phase, then shift to power-focused movements to translate that strength into fight-ready explosiveness.

Unilateral and Functional Strength

A kickboxing match never happens in perfect symmetry. You’re balancing on one leg for kicks, twisting for hooks, and reacting to unpredictable opponents. That’s why unilateral and rotational exercises are essential:

• Single-leg exercises like lunges, step-ups, and split squats build balance, stability, and powerful lower-body movement. The dumbbell row is an example for the upper body (kickboxing involves power transfer from one side of your body to the other not just in the lower body but in the upper as well).
• Rotational moves like core twists and anti-rotational exercises like the Pallof press build multi-dimensional core strength for any situation.

And while it’s tempting to make every exercise “sport-specific,” not all strength work needs to mimic the exact movements you use on the mat and in the ring. Basic strength training is functional training. Squats, deadlifts, and presses build a foundation that improves all your kickboxing skills.

And, if you’re a younger fighter, starting a solid strength training program in your teens will build the power and injury resilience to complement your kickboxing skills

Strength Training Frequency for Kickboxers

Most kickboxers thrive on 2–3 strength sessions per week—the optimal frequency to build strength and power without burning out or compromising your technical training.

Doing three shorter workouts or two a little longer are both viable options.

One strength session allows you to maintain your strength and is enough during peak competition weeks.

Tips to Get Your Training Frequency Right

• Pair lifting with light training days – Skip the gym on heavy sparring or high-intensity pad work days. Your body needs to be fresh to lift and recover and to adapt to each strength and kickboxing session.
• Rest between sets – Rest for 2–4 minutes between heavy compound lifts to maintain explosiveness and handle higher loads. Isolation exercises don’t require as much rest. You can also mix in lighter, active recovery exercises during rest (e.g., core work) if you need to save time.
• Avoid training to failure all the time – Your primary strength training goal isn’t to get tired. Train smart so you can recover and perform both in the weight room and on the mat.

Here’s an example of a weekly training schedule for a kickboxer with three strength training days and one rest day, balancing skill work, strength development, conditioning, and recovery, with one full day for rest or active recovery to optimize performance and prevent burnout.

Day	Training Focus
Monday	Strength Training: Lower Body + Core
Tuesday	Kickboxing Technique Drills, Heavy Bag Work, Jump Rope Intervals
Wednesday	Strength Training: Upper Body + Core
Thursday	Pad Work, Partner Sparring, Footwork and Agility Drills
Friday	Strength Training: Full-Body Workout
Saturday	Sparring Practice, Technique Refinement, Light Shadowboxing
Sunday	Rest / Active Recovery

Strength Training Program for Kickboxing

This is a training program for kickboxers who want to develop maximum strength, power, balance, and stability while strengthening the body to withstand the rigors of the ring and mat and prevent injuries. It’s suitable for the off-season and early preparation parts of your training.

This program works best if you already have some strength training experience. It features many different, relatively complex exercises, and if you have never lifted weights before, it might be too much for you to jump right into.

If you’re new to the gym, start with one of our beginner programs, like the Beginner Barbell Training Program. You train three times per week, alternating between workouts A and B.

Workout A

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squat	3	8–10
Bench Press	3	8–10
Barbell Row	3	8–10

Workout B

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Deadlift	3	6–8
Lat Pulldown (or Pull-Ups)	3	8–10
Overhead Press	3	8–10

In other words, you’ll train workouts A B A week one and B A B week two, then go back to week one and keep alternating between the two.

This beginner program (any many more) are available for free in our workout log app, StrengthLog.

You can use the strength you gain in your kickboxing, and you teach your muscles, brain, and nervous system to play together, allowing you to move on to more complex programs.

If you do have some weight training experience, you’re ready for Strength Training for Kickboxing.

14-Week Strength Training Program for Kickboxing

This program will run for 14 weeks, split into three parts, separated by deload weeks.

• Weeks 1–4: Base Strength Phase & Hypertrophy
  Build lean mass and increase the maximum amount of force your muscles can produce.
• Weeks 6–9: Maximal Strength Phase
  Main focus on increasing maximum strength with lower reps and heavier weights.
• Weeks 11-14: Explosive Power Phase
  Translate your gains into power output and speed.

It features a combination of multi-joint exercises that strengthen your entire body and specific exercises that replicate movement patterns used in kickboxing. Often, those two things overlap in a major way.

Click here to open the program in StrengthLog.

Program Structure

• Duration: 14 weeks.
• Frequency: 3 workouts with either full-body or upper/lower-body focus per week.
• Structure: Three 4-week progressive blocks with deload weeks in between.
• Focus: Strength, power, and athletic performance for kickboxing.
• Sets and Reps: 3–4 sets per exercise, 3–8 reps per set for compound exercises, higher reps (10+) for isolation exercises.
• Rest Between Sets: 2–4 minutes for compound movements , 1–2 minutes for isolation work.
• Progression: Gradual increase in intensity or volume each week.

You can pick which days you hit the weights to fit your schedule, but take at least one rest day between strength training sessions. With three relatively short weekly workouts, you should be able to work your strength training into your regular kickboxing training and everyday life without too much hassle.

Try to add weight or do one more rep each workout. When you can do the designated number of reps for each set, increase the load the next time you hit the gym.

Follow This Training Program in StrengthLog

This program and many more are in the StrengthLog workout tracker app. The app is free to use, forever, with no ads. This program, however, is a premium program (it offers built-in progression and advanced periodization), which means it requires a premium subscription.

We offer all new users a free 14-day premium trial. You can activate it in the app without any strings attached.

Download StrengthLog and start tracking your workouts today:

The exact set and rep details (the tables below are snapshots of a single week) along with the planned intensity and volume progression route, are available in your StrengthLog app.

Block 1: Base Strength & Hypertrophy (Weeks 1–4)

• Goal: Build strength, muscle mass, and stability to prepare for explosive and dynamic movements.
• Frequency: 3 days/week
• Sets/Reps: 4 exercises/workout, 5–12 reps, 3–4 sets/exercise.

Workout 1

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Front Squat	3	5–6
Romanian Deadlift	3	8/leg
Bulgarian Split Squat	3	8
Plank (Weighted)	3	45 seconds

Workout 2

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	3	5–6
Pull-Up	3	Max reps
Seated Cable Row	3	8
Pallof Press	3	12

Workout 3

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Trap Bar Deadlift	3	5–6
Overhead Press	3	8
Box Jump	3	10
Battle Ropes (15s on/15s off)	3	1 minute

Deload (Week 5)

• Objective: Allow recovery and adaptation while maintaining movement patterns.
• Frequency: 2 days of light training.
• Sets/Reps: 50–60% of regular weight, ~10 reps, 2 sets/exercise.

Workout 1

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Front Squat	2	10
Pull-Up	2	10
Box Jump	2	10
Hanging Leg Raise	2	12

Workout 2

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	2	10
Bulgarian Split Squat	2	10/leg
Dumbbell Row	2	10
Plank	2	60 seconds

Block 2: Maximal Strength (Weeks 6–9)

• Objective: Increase maximal strength. Heavier weight, lower reps. Emphasize bilateral big lifts (squat, deadlift) to maximize strength gains. Maintain some single-limb exercises for balance and stability.
• Frequency: 3 days/week
• Sets/Reps: 4 exercises/workout, 3–10 reps, 3–4 sets/exercise.

Workout 1

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Front Squat	3	4
Romanian Deadlift	3	5
Bulgarian Split Squat	3	8/leg
Side Plank (weighted)	3	30 seconds/side

Workout 2

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	3	5
Pull-Up	3	6
Dumbbell Row	3	8
Ab Wheel Rollout	3	Max reps

Workout 3

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Power Clean	3	3
Overhead Press	3	5
Farmer’s Carry	3	20 meters
Ball Slam	3	10

Deload (Week 10)

Same as Week 5.

Block 3: Explosive Power & Speed (Weeks 11–14)

• Objective: Develop explosive power and dynamic strength specific to kickboxing performance.
• Frequency: 3 days/week
• Sets/Reps: 4 exercises/workout (plus a circuit in workout 3), 3–20 reps, 3–5 sets/exercise.

Use up to 75% of your 1RM and perform each exercise with as much explosiveness as you can muster (resist it during the eccentric phase). The focus is on speed and exploding the weight, not grinding slow reps to failure. Your sets end when you can’t move the weight as fast, not when you fail to complete a rep.

Workout 1

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Front Squat	3	3–4
Romanian Deadlift	3	8
Jumping Lunge	3	10/leg
Hanging Leg Raise	3	15

Workout 2

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	3	5
Pull-Up	3	5
Dumbbell Row	3	8
Core Twist	3	20

Workout 3

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Trap Bar Deadlift	3	3–4
Power Clean	3	5
Kettlebell Swing	3	20
Circuit: Battle Ropes, Box Jump, Ball Slam, Push-Up	3 rounds	45 seconds each station, 15 seconds rest

Strength Training Exercises for Kickboxing

Here are detailed descriptions of all the exercises in the Strength Training for Kickboxing program in the order they appear.

Front Squat

The front squat is a squat variation where the barbell rests on the front of your shoulders, targeting your quads more than the back squat. It is fantastic for building explosive power for kicks and the leg strength required to maintain stability when pivoting or defending.

Holding the bar in front of your body also forces your core to kick in, strengthening the upright posture of a fighting stance, training your body to handle weight while balancing, and improving the rotational force you need for strikes and dodges.

In addition, the upright squat position improves hip and ankle mobility, making it easier to execute high kicks without compromising form. It opens up your hips, ankles, and thoracic spine—areas that can’t be tight if you want optimal range in your kicks and punches.

How to Front Squat

1. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width. Step forward and place the bar on the front of your shoulders: on top of your clavicles, and tight against your throat.
2. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the bar.
3. Take two steps back, and adjust your foot position.
4. Squat as deep as possible with good technique.
5. With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
6. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a hip-dominant exercise for the posterior chain (your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back). You perform it with a slight knee bend while hinging at the hips, keeping your back flat, and getting a good stretch in your hammies throughout the movement.

For a kickboxer like you, these muscles and this movement are some of the most important for many explosive movements, like kicking (since most of your kicking power comes from the hips, the RDL is a direct boost to it) and maintaining balance during combat. They even improve your punching strength since power transfer from your lower body goes through your hips.

Also, tight or weak hamstrings are a recipe for pulled muscles when doing high kicks. The RDL strengthens and lengthens your hamstrings, giving you both improved performance and protection against injuries during intense training.

How to Do Romanian Deadlifts

1. Get into the starting position by deadlifting a barbell off the floor or by unracking it from a barbell rack. Stand feet hip-width, inhale, and brace your core slightly.
2. Lean forward by hinging in your hips. Keep your knees almost completely extended.
3. Lean forward as far as possible with good form (no rounding your back). You don’t have to touch the barbell to the floor, although it is OK if you do.
4. Reverse the movement and return to the standing position. Exhale on the way up.
5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Note: The dumbbell Romanian deadlift is a viable alternative to the barbell variant.

Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat hits your quads, adductors, and glutes and is a direct investment in becoming a better fighter. The unilateral (single-leg) nature of the exercise ensures you build even strength on both sides for balanced kicking ability— no more roundhouse kicks that feel like they came from your weaker side.

Split squats also work wonders for body control. When you’re perched with one foot elevated, and the other handling all the load, your core, stabilizers, and balance come into play, translating to better stability both while kicking and absorbing impacts in the ring.

In addition, going down in a deep split squat opens up your hips, improving your range of motion for high kicks, and gives you the strength to use within that longer range.

How to Do Bulgarian Split Squats

1. Place a bar on your upper back or hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands.
2. Stand with your back turned against a bench, which should be about knee height. Stand about one long step in front of the bench.
3. Place your right foot on the bench behind you.
4. Inhale, look forward, and squat down with control until right before your right knee touches the floor.
5. Reverse the movement and extend your front leg again, while exhaling. Your back foot should only act as support.
6. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions, then switch side and repeat with your right leg forward and your left foot on the bench.

Plank

The plank is a core exercise where you hold your body in a straight line, parallel to the floor, using your forearms or hands and toes, like a human bridge. It trains both your superficial abs (rectus abdominis, outer obliques) as well as the deep core muscles (transverse abdominis, inner obliques),

Planks build core strength that keeps you stable while throwing punches, kicks, and any kind of fancy spinning move. Every time you do a kickboxing move, power travels from the ground, through your core, and into your strike, and a strong plank minimizes the energy lost in this chain, transferring the power to where you need it: your fists or feet.

Also, a stronger core helps you maintain your fighting stance, even when fatigue sets in, so you can keep moving efficiently while keeping your guard up.

How to Do the Plank

1. Brace your abs and try to form and hold a straight line from your head to feet.
2. Stand on your elbows and feet.
3. Hold the plank for the desired length of time.

Bench Press

The bench press is one of the best exercises for building big pecs and the upper body strength that athletes in almost every physical sport benefit from.

Bench presses target your chest, shoulders, and triceps—muscles you rely on for strong punches, because a powerful jab or cross is about more than speed; it’s also about force transfer from your chest and arms. Get stronger in the bench press, and you boost the “push” phase of your punch and, therefore, the force behind your strikes.

Also, a strong bench press gives you more punching endurance and the ability to block effectively in close-quarter combat. In other words, the bench press can make you both more potent in offense and tougher in defense.

How to Bench Press

1. Lie on the bench, pull your shoulder blades together and down, and slightly arch your back.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Inhale, hold your breath, and unrack the bar.
4. Lower the bar with control, until it touches your chest somewhere close to your sternum.
5. Push the bar up to the starting position while exhaling.
6. Take another breath while in the top position, and repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Pull-Up

Pull-ups strengthen your lats, biceps, and rear delts—all essential for generating power in punches and stabilizing your body during kicks. Because every punch starts with a pull—from the retraction to the reset—and strong pulling muscles mean faster recoveries and more brutal strikes.

More pulling power also makes it easier to dominate in clinch positions or fend off opponents trying to overpower you.

Aim for controlled, full-range-of-motion reps. Half-pulling might fool your ego, but it won’t fool the muscles you need in the ring. If you struggle to do a proper pull-up, you can make it easier by using a resistance band or doing them in a pull-up machine. Conversely, to make them harder, add weight by strapping on a weight belt or wearing a backpack with, for example, a weight plate.

How to Do Pull-Ups

1. Stand beneath a pull-up bar and reach up to grasp it with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you), slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Ensure your grip is secure and comfortable.
2. Hang freely from the bar, fully extending your arms. Your feet should be off the ground.
3. Engage your core muscles by squeezing your abs and glutes.
4. Inhale and initiate the movement by pulling your body weight up towards the bar by bending your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Focus on using your back muscles rather than relying on your upper arms.
5. Continue pulling yourself up until your chin reaches or clears the bar. Keep your torso upright and avoid excessive swinging or kicking with your legs.
6. Slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position while maintaining control and stability, fully extending your arms.
7. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Seated Cable Row

The seated cable row is an easy-to-learn back exercise that helps you deliver devastating punches, and if you incorporate grappling or clinch work in your training, it can give you an edge when trying to control your opponent. It targets the upper and mid-back muscles (lats, rhomboids, traps) along with your rear delts and biceps.

A strong back supports your shoulders, helps you whip punches with more force, and allows you to transfer force more effectively during punches. Think of your rows as the “reload” for your punches—the stronger and more controlled your reload, the harder and faster your next strike will be.

How to Do Cable Seated Rows

1. Sit on the seated row bench, facing the cable machine. Your feet should be flat on the footrest, knees slightly bent, and your torso upright with your chest out, shoulders back, and core engaged.
2. Grab the handle with a neutral grip (palms facing together) and ensure your arms are fully extended and your back straight in the starting position.
3. Pull the handle towards your abdomen by retracting your shoulder blades (squeezing them together). Focus on driving your elbows backward and keeping them close to your body.
4. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and contract your lats before extending your arms and leaning forward again. Maintain a controlled motion throughout the movement and avoid using excessive momentum.
5. Stretch your lats out without letting your shoulders slump forward, then repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Pallof Press

The Pallof press, once called the “belly press” when first introduced, is an anti-rotational exercise that teaches your body to resist twisting under load, allowing you to maintain balance and generate power. Over time, it became known as the Pallof press, after physical therapist John Pallof, who popularized it for core stability and anti-rotation training to the point where it is now a staple for athletes who need a fortified midsection.

In addition to teaching your core to resist unnecessary movement, Pallof presses strengthen the link (your core) between your lower and upper body. Hence, power generated by your legs flows more easily into punches or kicks and makes the muscles in your midsection more capable of taking hits.

How to Pallof Press

1. Attach a handle in a cable machine at chest height and stand with your side facing the machine.
2. Grab the handle with both hands and stand with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
3. Pull the handle to your chest, engage your core, and then press your arms straight out in front of you without rotating your torso.
4. Hold briefly, then bring the handle back to your chest in a controlled motion.
5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

Trap Bar Deadlift

The trap bar deadlift is an excellent exercise for kickboxing because it combines the strength, power, and functionality you want for delivering strikes, maintaining balance, and absorbing impacts. It uses a hexagonal bar and a neutral grip with the weight centered around your body, which hits your quads harder and puts less strain on your lower back compared to a traditional barbell deadlift.

In addition to making your entire body stronger (with an emphasis on your back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and grip), deadlifting is like training for picking up your opponents or generating upward force, which is very useful for clinches or take-downs in some kickboxing styles.

If you have the mobility for it, turn the bar so that you grip the low handles for a more extended range of motion to emphasize hip-hinge mechanisms, but if you don’t, start with high handles and work on your mobility over time.

How to Do Trap Bar Deadlifts

1. Step into the bar’s opening so that the handles are in line with the middle of your feet.
2. Inhale, bend down and grip the handles.
3. Hold your breath, brace your core slightly, and lift the bar.
4. Lift the bar with a straight back, until you are standing straight.
5. Lower the bar back to the ground with control.
6. Take another breath, and repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Overhead Press

The overhead press strengthens your shoulders (mainly the front delts), upper chest, and triceps, generating explosive power in any punch, be it hooks, jabs, or uppercuts. More upper-body pressing strength means harder and faster punches.

You can do overhead presses both standing or seated, but for kickboxing, prioritize the standing press because it utilizes a much longer kinetic chain, from the ground up to the bar, and recruits more stabilizing muscles all over your body, including your core, glutes, and legs, which improves balance and transfers power from your lower body to your upper body—just like when you throw a punch in the ring. These benefits overshadow the higher amount of weight you can press seated.

How to Overhead Press

1. Place a barbell in a rack at about chest height.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and step close to it.
3. Tighten your abdominal muscles, unrack the bar and let it rest against your front delts while you step back from the rack with your feet shoulder-width apart. This is your starting position.
4. Push the barbell up, extending your arms fully, while exhaling.
5. Bring the weights back down to your shoulders, slow and controlled, while inhaling.
6. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Box Jump

The box jump is an almost-plyometric exercise (it’s actually more of a plyometric cousin because it doesn’t have the forceful eccentric phase of a true plyo) where you leap onto an elevated surface like a box, step, or platform.

Box jumps are a killer addition to your kickboxing training arsenal because while you might not be leaping onto boxes in the ring, the benefits directly translate to the fast-twitch muscle fibers in your hips, glutes, quads, and calves that drive movement and build the explosive power and agility you need in the ring.

How to Do Box Jumps

1. Select a box that is appropriate for your fitness level and jumping ability.
2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, a few inches away from the box. Your knees should be slightly bent, and your hips pushed back in an athletic stance, like a mini squat.
3. Engage your core and swing your arms back to generate momentum. Keep your chest up, and your weight balanced evenly across your feet.
4. Push through the balls of your feet, extending your hips, knees, and ankles as you jump up. Swing your arms forward and upward to help propel yourself onto the box. Jump with both feet leaving the ground at the same time.
5. As you land on the box, aim to have both feet hit the surface at the same time. Bend your knees slightly to absorb the impact, keeping your chest up and back straight.
6. Once you’ve landed on the box, stand up tall, extending your hips completely to finish the jump.
7. Step off the box one foot at a time, and reset your stance before attempting the next jump.
8. Repeat the movement for your desired number of jumps.

Battle Ropes

Battle ropes are amazing for building that same type of fast-twitch muscle fiber power you need for explosive strikes—a match made in sweaty, functional fitness heaven. Rope slams and alternating waves train you for the energy bursts you need for a high-intensity round in the ring.

Swinging battle ropes gets your heart pumping fast, just like during intense kickboxing rounds, and improves your ability to handle high-intensity efforts without gassing out.

Also, if you think battle ropes are just flailing around, think again. They require precision and rhythm, which can improve your coordination and timing. Bonus: That means sharper combinations and quicker reactions in the ring.

How to Do Battle Ropes

1. Hold the ends of the rope at arm’s length in front of your hips with your hands shoulder-width apart. 
2. Brace your core and begin alternately raising and lowering each arm explosively. 
3. Keep alternating arms for your chosen amount of time or until your arms turn to lead.

Side Plank

The side plank is a bodyweight exercise where you balance on one arm and the side of one foot with your body in a straight line. It works your obliques—your “side abs”— essential for rotational movements and stabilizing your core, making you faster, stronger, and more agile in almost every sport, including kickboxing—and the muscles that stabilize your hips.

For a kickboxer, the benefits of side planking extend beyond the muscle-strengthening effects. It teaches your hips and core to work as a team and makes it easier to stay light on your feet and avoid ending up on your butt, and it can make your sideways and rotational movements more controlled and powerful because it mimics the lateral stability demands of kickboxing.

How to Side Plank

1. Stand on your side, leaning against one elbow.
2. Place the foot of the top leg in front of the other foot.
3. Brace your core, and try to form and hold a straight line from your head to your feet.
4. Hold the position for the chosen amount of time.

Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row is one of the best exercises for building your back, hitting many of the muscles that make up the rear of your upper body in one movement. It is a unilateral exercise, meaning you train one side of your body at a time (which benefits kickboxing, which involves plenty of power transfer from one side of your body to the other) and can focus more intently on the working side and get a nice, long range of motion.

In addition to delivering punches, maintaining guard, and defending more effectively, getting stronger in dumbbell rows also improves your core stability and rotational power, making it perfect for kickboxers.

You can do dumbbell rows in different ways:

• The first is like in the video above, supporting your body with a hand and a knee on a bench.
• The second is standing with both feet on the floor, feet shoulder-width apart, with your upper body hinged forward at the hip and your free hand on a bench or a dumbbell rack for support.

Both ways are equally effective, so go with what feels best to you.

How to Do Dumbbell Rows

1. Place a dumbbell on the floor beside a bench or some other sturdy object. Stand facing the bench and place your left hand and left knee on top of it.
2. Grip the dumbbell with your right hand. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back flat and your torso roughly parallel to the floor. 
3. Engage your core muscles to stabilize your torso throughout the movement. 
4. While maintaining the position of your upper body and keeping your elbow close to your side, inhale and pull the dumbbell up towards your torso by retracting your shoulder blade. Focus on squeezing your back muscles as you lift.
5. Continue pulling the dumbbell until it reaches the side of your torso. Row it closer to your hips to target your lower lats. Squeeze your lats at the top of the movement, ensuring a strong contraction in your back muscles.
6. Lower the dumbbell back to the starting position while exhaling, maintaining control and good form throughout the descent.
7. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions, switch sides, and perform the above steps rowing with your left arm.

Ab Wheel Rollout

The ab wheel rollout is a core exercise that uses a small wheel with handles on either side (aka the ab wheel) to train your entire abdominal region. It’s a simple-looking movement, but don’t let that fool you—it’s a core-crushing monster of an exercise.

Much of the power in kickboxing comes from a strong core, which links your upper and lower body, and rollouts teach you to brace and control your midsection under tension. They also boost your anti-extension strength, improving balance and posture and protecting your spine during high-impact movements.

If you’re new to rollouts, don’t extend fully—only go as far as you can maintain proper form. Even partial rollouts build strength. Rolling forward until the wheel gently touches a wall automatically limits your range of motion and helps you build confidence. But if your core strength is exceptional, you can progress to standing rollouts, which simulate the explosive power required for high kicks or spinning techniques.

How to Do Ab Wheel Rollouts

1. Start by kneeling on the floor with your hands on the ab wheel, placed directly in front of your knees.
2. Engage your core and slowly roll the wheel forward until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your head.
3. Be sure to keep your back straight and your core engaged throughout the entire movement.
4. Reverse the movement, roll the ab wheel back towards your knees, and return to the starting position.
5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Power Clean

The power clean is the big daddy of explosive lift that turns you into a spring-loaded powerhouse. And it’s not just for Olympic weightlifters; for kickboxers like you, this exercise can take your power, speed, and athleticism to the next level.

Power cleans train your body to explode from the ground up, building the same kind of “snap” you need in the ring. A full-body exercise from your legs to your core to your upper body, the power clean recruits nearly every muscle group and improves the triple extension (ankles, knees, hips) similar to the mechanics of driving power into a punch.

Consider working with a coach if you’re new to Olympic lifts—they’re technical but very rewarding and some of the best exercises you can do for athletic performance.

How to Power Clean

1. Step up close to the bar, so that it is about over the middle of your foot.
2. Lean forward and grip the bar with an overhand grip, about shoulder-width apart.
3. Hold your breath, and brace your core slightly.
4. Lift the bar in a smooth but fast motion. Bend your knees slightly and receive the bar on the front of your shoulders.
5. Stand up on straight legs again.
6. Lower the bar in front of you, with control.
7. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Farmer’s Carry

The farmer’s carry (or farmer’s walk) is about carrying heavy weights for a set distance or time. You can use special handles designed for the carry, dumbbells, kettlebells, or even a hex bar to really go heavy. It’s a simple exercise in theory—like you’re hauling buckets of water back to the farm—but don’t let the simplicity fool you. It’s a full-body strength builder.

The farmer’s carry works your anti-rotation and core bracing so you can throw balanced strikes with full power even under pressure. It also builds your upper back in a way that helps you maintain posture during your guard and absorb the shock from punches. Not to mention the grip of steel you develop from hauling heavy things around.

Bonus tip: Try throwing kicks or punches after a heavy farmer’s carry. You’ll notice how much harder your core and grip work to maintain technique. It’s a killer combo for simulating fight fatigue.

How to Do Farmers Walk

1. Step in between two farmers walk-cases, or similar implements.
2. Inhale, lean forward and grip the handles.
3. Hold your breath, brace your core slightly, and lift the weights.
4. Look ahead, and start moving forward in small steps. Increase the stride length as you increase the speed.
5. Try to keep your body in a straight line and not lean excessively forward as you walk.
6. When you are done, lower the implements back to the ground in a controlled manner.

Ball Slam

The ball slam is an explosive full-body movement that works your core through rotation, flexion, and stabilization (perfect for generating power from the hips—kickboxing’s bread and butter) and also involves your shoulders, arms, back, glutes, and legs.

Ball slams train your body to “snap” with force, like in a roundhouse kick or a jab.

Remember to use a non-bouncy slam ball, so your face doesn’t get introduced to Newton’s third law.

How to Ball Slam

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, your knees and hips slightly bent, holding the ball in both hands at chest height. Engage your core, and keep a good posture.
2. Extend your knees and drive your hips forward while simultaneously lifting the ball. Aim for being as tall as possible, the ball overhead, arms up, hips slightly forward, and on your toes from the force of your drive.
3. Use your core and arms to slam the medicine ball straight down between your feet with as much force as possible. Press your hips back and bend your knees to further power the slam. Exhale as you slam the ball down.
4. Squat down to pick up the ball from the floor, then immediately move into the next slam by repeating the movement.
5. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Jumping Lunge

The dynamic jumping lunge is a swell addition to any kickboxing workout routine, hitting your quads, glutes, and adductors and improving your lower body strength, power, and ability to move explosively. Also, the fact that it forces you to stabilize on one leg during the movement is great for stability and maintaining good posture during combos.

Once you can do the required number of reps using your body weight, you can hold a pair of dumbbells in your hands to up the challenge. It’s not an exercise where you need to chase super-heavy PBs, though.

How to Do Jumping Lunges

1. Take a big step forward with your right leg and sink as deep as possible in a lunge position without hitting the knee of the back leg on the floor.
2. Explosively jump up, switching the position of your legs while in mid-air. As you land, make sure to soften the landing and go directly into the lunge position with your left leg forward. Your front knee should be over your ankle and your back knee should be pointing down towards the floor.
3. Continue alternating legs with each jump. Maintain a steady pace and keep your torso upright throughout the exercise.
4. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Hanging Leg Raise

The hanging leg raise involves hanging from a bar (like a pull-up bar) and raising your legs in a controlled manner. It’s a top-tier exercise for your core, hip flexors, and grip that also improves your ability to generate knockouts.

The latter is because a strong core lets you throw kicks and punches with more power while maintaining balance and control, and the leg raise range of motion builds the hip flexor strength to get your leg up faster and more forcefully during the upward phase of many kicks.

Momentum is your enemy. Squeeze your abs and use them and your hip flexors to control your movement from a dead start to get maximum benefits from the leg raise.

If the leg raise is too challenging, you can do hanging knee raises instead. They train the same muscles, but bending your knees during the movement makes things much easier.

How to Do Hanging Knee/Leg Raises

1. Grasp a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, shoulder-width apart.
2. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
3. Engage your core and keep your back straight.
4. Raise your knees or legs towards your chest, as high as you can, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
5. Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
6. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Core Twist

The core twist is a rotational exercise for your obliques (the side muscles of your abs), rectus abdominis (six-pack), and transversus abdominis (deep core stabilizers). If done with correct form and range of motion, it also works your lower back and hip flexors as stabilizing muscles.

Core twists build the rotational strength you need to throw punches, hooks, and kicks because that power comes from your hips and core, not just your arms and legs. The twisting motion translates to the torque you generate and improves power transfer from your feet to your fists.

How to Do Core Twists

1. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet either on the ground or lifted slightly off.
2. Hold a weight plate, medicine ball, or kettlebell with both hands in front of your chest.
3. Lean slightly back with a straight back and engaged core.
4. Twist your torso to one side and bring the weight toward your hip, keeping your hips stable.
5. Return to the center and rotate to the other side.
6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is a close-to-full body, explosive, and functional exercise that hammers your hips, core, and conditioning to make your kicks, punches, and explosiveness as sharp as a roundhouse to the face (not literally, hopefully).

Glutes, hamstrings, and lower back—all critical for kickboxing power— get stronger and more explosive as you get stronger in the swing, like practicing your knockout power without actually hitting anyone (this time). These are also the muscles that keep you grounded and balanced when you throw combos or absorb hits.

How to Do Kettlebell Swings

1. Place a kettlebell on the ground, about one or two feet in front of you.
2. Take a wide stance, lean forward, and grip the kettlebell.
3. Brace your core slightly, and swing the kettlebell back between your legs while inhaling.
4. Swing the kettlebell forward by extending your hip while exhaling.
5. Try to swing the kettlebell to about chest height.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps and put the kettlebell back on the ground when you’re finished.

Push-Up

The push-up is one of the most classic body weight exercises and deserves a special spot in every fighter’s training regimen. It’s more than your average drop-and-give-me-20 drill; it’s a fantastic way to build strength, explosiveness, and endurance in your chest, shoulders, and triceps—the same muscles and the explosive power you need to generate speed in punches like jabs and crosses. More strength here means more snap in your strikes.

Doing push-ups in intervals or as part of a circuit, just like in the Strength Training for Kickboxing program, simulates the intense pace of a fight.

You can start with the kneeling push-up or incline push-up if needed, work your way up to regular push-ups, and advance to push-ups with your feet elevated to challenge yourself as you get stronger.

How to Do Push-Ups

1. Begin by lying face down on the floor. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with fingers pointing forward. For regular push-ups, extend your legs back, balancing on the balls of your feet. Keep your knees on the ground for kneeling push-ups instead of extending your legs.
2. Ensure your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels (regular) or knees (kneeling). Engage your core muscles to prevent your hips from sagging or sticking up in the air.
3. Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows to lower your body towards the floor. Aim to lower until your chest or chin nearly touches the floor. Your body should remain straight throughout the movement, with your lower back in a natural curve. Avoid any sagging or arching.
4. Exhale as you push through your hands to straighten your elbows, lifting your body back to the start position. Maintain that straight body line as you push up.
5. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Strength Training for Kickboxing: Final Words

You have reached the end of this guide to strength training for kickboxing. 🥊

Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed it and learned things that will make your a better martial artist and take your fighting to the next level.

To follow the training routine in this article, download our workout log app and start tracking your workouts today:

Click here to open the program in StrengthLog.

The effort you put into your strength training routine directly translates to your performance in the kickboxing ring. Every rep lays the foundation for harder strikes, quicker movements, and the raw power to outmuscle any opponent. Stay consistent, and you can step into every fight with the confidence of someone who knows they’ve done the work: strong body, strong mind, strong fighter.

References

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4. Front. Physiol., 13 April 2023. Effect of unilateral training and bilateral training on physical performance: A meta-analysis.
5. Front Physiol. 2022 Jun 6:13:915259. Effect of Core Training on Skill Performance Among Athletes: A Systematic Review.
6. Orthop J Sports Med. 2015 Nov 2;3(11):2325967115612416. Injuries to Professional and Amateur Kickboxing Contestants.
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