A Recommended Workout Plan for Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a physically demanding martial art. Students of this martial art spend most of their time practicing fast, powerful kicks. In “Tae Kwon Do: The Korean Martial Art,” Richard Chun says the fighting style teaches students how to make the most out of their natural strengths. An effective workout plan should enhance these strengths. Complete your taekwondo workout plan two or three times each week. Give yourself at least a day off in between workouts.

  1. Warm-Up

    • Before beginning any strenuous training routine, you should perform a warmup and start to increase your heart rate. Decrease muscle tension and increase blood flow to the muscles by jumping rope, doing jumping jacks or by doing a light jog. Your warmup should last at least 10 minutes. Vigorous exercises and full-speed movements should be avoided during your warmup.

    Stretching

    • A stretching routine is extremely important during a taekwondo workout. Stretching will help you avoid pulled muscles and other injuries while performing high kicks. In his book “Ultimate Flexibility,” Sang H. Kim says static stretching is recommended for beginners because it carries the least risk of injury. While performing a static stretch, lengthen a muscle to the extent of its range of motion and hold it for 15 to 20 seconds. More advanced students can try dynamic stretches, which take muscles through a full range of motion. Stretch out the muscles in your upper and lower body before beginning any vigorous exercise. Static side splits and dynamic leg raises are particularly good stretches for high kickers.

    Body Weight Exercises

    • Taekwondo practitioners should develop forceful kicks and punches. Adding body weight exercises to your workout plan will strengthen these techniques. Recommended body-weight exercises for taekwondo students are lunges and squats. These exercises target the quadriceps. Strong quadriceps help you achieve faster kicks. To strengthen your arms for punching techniques, add some pushups to your workout. In addition, don't forget to give your abs a workout. Perform crunches to get a good burn in your midsection. Crunches help you develop a strong core, which is integral for practicing taekwondo movements. Perform two sets of at least 10 to 15 repetitions of each body-weight exercise.

    Kicks

    • The heart of any taekwondo workout plan should be kicking. Include front, side, roundhouse, spinning and jumping kicks in your regimen. Perform at least five repetitions of each kick with each leg. If you don't have any training equipment or a partner, then practice kicking into the air while moving back and forth across the floor. Ideally, you should practice your kicks on a hanging heavy bag or a freestanding heavy bag. Practicing for 10 minutes on a heavy bag is an effective cardio workout and it builds up explosive power in your legs. If you have a training partner, have him hold a kicking paddle for you. Rapidly kick this small pad to develop speed and accuracy in your foot techniques.

    Poomse

    • Poomse are choreographed routines practiced by taekwondo students. These routines include various blocks, strikes and kicks. Poomse also include low stances. They are a recommended part of your workout plan because consistent practice of these routines improves muscular endurance and stamina. These choreographed patterns also increase proficiency in techniques and help you develop muscle memory.