chart have been calculated with a formula for the average male and female fighter, not for a top martial athlete or a rank beginner.
This chart, and others like it, has been calculated using bodyweight and duration of activity as the primary, determining factors. However, there are many more factors that are beyond the scope of a simple chart: intensity (an elite kickboxer usually trains harder than a novice), the fighter’s lean muscle tissue, bodyfat percentage, height, age, sex, food consumed that day, quality of the previous night’s sleep, and many others. Adding factors makes for an extremely complex chart, one that is not only difficult to read but one that is more complicated than most fighters need for reference. While ours is a compromise between accuracy and simplicity, the absence of more variables makes it a tad less precise. Still, it provides you with a general idea, a so-called ballpark figure that serves as a starting point for you.
Calories Burnt Per Hour Per Activity
Martial Arts Chart
Activity
110-pound
125-pound
150-pound
175-pound
200-pound
Boxing: sparring
493
552
610
669
727
Boxing: bag work
330
365
407
446
485
Kickboxing
548
613
678
743
808
Karate
467
532
620
742
850
Taekwondo
430
520
610
715
800
Tai Chi
201
233
262
297
323
Judo
509
579
678
743
808
Jujitsu
509
579
678
743
808
Weightlifting
305
348
407
504
576
Running: 6 mph
509
579
678
840
960
Should you notice that you aren’t losing body fat or you are having trouble gaining lean muscle, re-calculate how many calories you need and increase or decrease the numbers on this chart, but only a little. For example, the first time increase or decrease only 100 calories, and if that doesn’t help in two or three weeks, increase or decrease 200.
Use the training logs at the back of the book. They provide a great visual to see where you need to make adjustments in your training intensity and your calorie intake (most often it shows that you simply have to train a little harder and take in a few less calories).
The information on this chart has worked for martial artists for many years. However, if you think the data is too general for you because you have a need to know exactly how many calories you burn, go to a professional sports testing facility or see if your local university has the proper equipment. At those places, you will find equipment and trained professionals who can give you accurate data. However, be prepared to spend a chunk of money as these tests tend to be expensive.
A Simple Primer to Losing Weight
You are going to get lots of easy-to-follow eating plans later to lose weight without hunger. Here is one you can start right now.
Eat a little less Simply cut back 200 or 300 calories each day. For example, if you normally eat three slices of bread per day, cut back to one slice and don’t put butter on it. Drink diet soda, or better yet drink water. You don’t want or need to eliminate massive amounts of calories and you certainly don’t have to go hungry. By cutting calories sensibly and conservatively, you barely notice you are eating less than normal.
Train a little more Next, do 15 extra minutes of training—kickboxing, running, kata practice, bag thumping —to burn another 100 to 150 calories.
That is all you have to do: 15 minutes of extra training and trim a couple hundred calories from your daily chow, and you go to bed at night with 300 to 450 fewer calories. Do this for a week and a half and there will be one less pound showing on the bathroom scale. Oh yes, the extra 15 minutes of training makes you just that much better in your fighting art. It’s a pretty good deal. More on this in subsequent chapters.
Fast Facts
