Martial arts classes or gym, which should you choose? If your goal is to enhance overall physical fitness, cognitive ability, and self-defence skills, enrolling in martial arts classes might provide broader long-term benefits than joining a standard gym membership.
Research supports this: a 2015 randomized controlled trial published in Journal of Sport and Health Science hypothesized that age-related karate training positively impacts cognitive functioning, motor reactivity, reactive stress tolerance, and divided attention in older adults compared to traditional fitness training or no training at all (J Sport Health Sci. 2015 Sep 21;5(4):484–490. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2015.09.006).
This demonstrates that martial arts provide both physical and neurological advantages that standard gym workouts might not replicate.
When it comes to improving physical fitness and mastering self-defence skills, many people struggle to decide between joining a gym membership or enrolling in martial arts classes. Both provide unique advantages depending on your goals—whether you seek muscular strength, mental health, or stress relief.
This article explores the nuances of each, helping you choose the right exercise routine. For those in Metro Vancouver, Art of Kickboxing provides boxing training, kickboxing training, Muay Thai training, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training with personalized programs led by a personal trainer.
Should You Join a Gym or Martial Arts Class?
Your choice depends on what you want to achieve. A gym membership is ideal for weight training, barbell exercises, and olympic lifts that target strength development. You can focus on resistance training, aerobic exercises, and conditioning workouts independently, choosing sample workouts that fit your workout needs. Equipment such as the assault treadmill, battle ropes, landmine press, and bosu ball are excellent tools for strength and conditioning.
Martial arts classes, however, provide more than muscle growth. Disciplines such as Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Kenpō, Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or traditional Jiu-Jitsu provide a structured, skill-based path toward core strength, balance development, and flexibility improvement. You gain cognitive skills, faster reaction time, and enhanced inner strength—key elements for both performance and self-defence.
Should You Replace Gym Training with Martial Arts?
It’s unnecessary to view strength training and martial arts as opposites. Each serves a distinct role in overall physical fitness. The gym helps build muscle power and muscular hypertrophy, while martial arts provide practical self-defence skills building, cardiovascular fitness, and mental resilience.
A balanced approach—combining martial arts with weight training and conditioning exercises—delivers the best results. For example, alternating Muay Thai sessions with kettlebell swings or Turkish get-up routines can maximize fitness and martial arts conditioning.
Which Is Better: Bodybuilding or Training in Martial Arts?
Bodybuilding through resistance training and weight training builds muscular strength, but martial arts instill discipline, mental health, and adaptability. A martial arts academy develops self-defence skills, focus, and perseverance—qualities transferable beyond the gym.
Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and MMA training sharpen reflexes and tactical thinking, while gym-based strength training develops your muscles. The combination improves both body composition and mental resilience, supported by conditioning workouts and functional training.
Is Martial Arts Enough to Build Muscle?
Martial arts can build muscle through bodyweight training exercises and repetitive movement drills, but it has limits. Techniques in Boxing and Kickboxing, Muay Thai, BJJ academy programs, or wrestling, can develop endurance and tendon strength, but muscle mass development would not be optimal. For optimal muscular hypertrophy, targeted resistance training with a proper diet is the way to go.
Still, martial arts improve cardiovascular fitness, coordination, and mental health. They teach perseverance and inner strength, and create a sense of community. Gyms might provide customer service and a feedback system through certified coaches, but martial arts training adds mentorship and a sense of tradition, building up your self-esteem and character.
Martial Arts Training in Richmond, Metro Vancouver
For those in Richmond, Metro Vancouver, Art of Kickboxing provides Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes meant for developing self-defence skills. Whether your interest lies in simply learning martial arts or heading towards competitions, you’ll find proper martial arts training at Art of Kickboxing.
Incorporating martial arts into your life enhances cognitive skills, boosts mental health, and supports stress relief. You develop both physical fitness and mental resilience while improving balance development, core strength, and overall mobility. Whether you train for martial arts competitions or personal wellness, the integration of strength training, conditioning exercises, and functional training ensures you achieve total fitness and longevity.
Interested in learning martial arts? Join us for martial arts classes at British Columbia’s lower mainland at Art of Kickboxing.
Art of Kickboxing
Address: 4471 No. 6 Road, Unit 125A, Richmond, BC, Canada V6V 1P8
Phone: 604‑805‑3382
Email: artokickboxing@gmail.com
Opening Hours:
-
Monday: 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
-
Tuesday: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
-
Wednesday: 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
-
Thursday: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
-
Friday: 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
-
Saturday: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
-
Sunday: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
