What Are The Health Benefits of Body Combat?

Regular body combat classes can bring numerous health benefits. Read on to find out more about this exciting discipline!
What Are The Health Benefits of Body Combat?

Last update: 12 December, 2020

There are many different ways to improve your aerobic fitness, and the most obvious ones are running, cycling, and swimming. And whilst these are all perfectly fine, you might be looking for something a little different? If you are, body combat is a great alternative to the standard exercises and can bring numerous health benefits!

You might not have ever heard of body combat before? Basically, it’s a form of exercise that combines different contact sports with a beat. It’s a great way to enjoy your exercise whilst still making significant improvements.

The health benefits of body combat

Although the name includes the word ‘combat’ and includes elements from contact sports such as karate or boxing, there’s no need to worry: you’re not going to have to fight anyone!

Body combat involves sessions of about an hour accompanied by music in which you make various punches and kicks in the air. One of the good things about body combat is that you can do it in a group, but each person can go at their own pace and intensity. Below, we’ve listed the main benefits.

It improves endurance

One of the main benefits of body combat is that it helps to improve your aerobic endurance. It combines various different levels of intensity from moderate to high, which helps strengthen the cardiorespiratory system.

Three women in a body combat class.

This has a similar effect on the body as more simple forms of aerobic exercise, but many people still choose it because it’s such a different and new form of exercise.

Health benefits of body combat: improve your coordination

If you’re a beginner in the world of body combat, you’ll probably find it a little difficult at first to coordinate all the different movements. However, don’t let this put you off. As time goes on and you practice, you’ll start noticing an improvement in your coordination.

Try to adapt the choreographed movements to your pace and don’t beat yourself up if you get something wrong. If you need to, just skip some steps that you’re having trouble with. Obviously, you’ll need to put in a bit of effort to get better, but you don’t need to torture yourself either.

It strengthens your muscles

The combination of contact-sport techniques and the rhythm of music means that you’ll carry out various different movements that require some effort. This helps to strengthen many different muscle groups, increase lean mass, and burn fat.

This is one of the biggest health benefits of body combat, and you’ll notice it over time if you practice it regularly. Of course, you won’t necessarily gain muscle mass, but your muscles will be stronger.

Health benefits of body combat: improve your mood

The benefits of body combat aren’t just limited to your physique and muscles. It’s also good for your emotional balance. Amongst the many benefits of this discipline, an improvement in your mood is an important one.

A lot of research has been carried out on the positive effects of music on the body. In combination with physical exercise, these effects can be highly motivating.

In fact, body combat has been recommended as a form of psychological therapy to help reduce stress and anxiety. Although, it’s best to speak to a professional for more specific advice.

It strengthens your personal relationships

A group of people practising body combat.

As we’ve already mentioned, this is a form of exercise that you carry out in a group. Therefore, it’s a great opportunity to meet other people and socialize. So, it’s not just good for your physical health but your social life as well!

Furthermore, there’ll be other people who have been doing body combat for a long time, and they’ll be able to help you improve.

Give body combat a try!

As you can see, there’s a whole range of health benefits in body combat. So, why not give it a try? Remember, just because you might not have heard of it before doesn’t mean it doesn’t work!

Give it a try and experiment, and if you like it, your body will thank you if you go regularly. But make sure you find a place where classes are led by a professional. They’ll be able to guide you and make sure that you enjoy it whilst staying safe.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Rixon, K. P., Rehor, P. R., & Bemben, M. G. (2006). Analysis of the assessment of caloric expenditure in four modes of aerobic dance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-16464.1
  • Arboleda Naranjo, L. H. (2003). Beneficios del Ejercicio. Hacia Promoc. Salud.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.