A review of Kenpo as a general training and fat burning

Kenpo is a very exciting and energetic exercise that can burn fat and get you in good physical shape. Among martial arts like Tae Kwon Do, Judo, etc., Kenpo fits well as a martial art that can burn fat and lose weight. There are many Kenpo DVDs on the market. I like Kenpo training on the P90x system. Tony Horton, the coach, is a great motivator and demonstrator. He probably isn’t a martial arts expert, but he knows how to use Kenpo to burn fat and get fit. Of the non-resistance workouts in the P90x system like Plyrometrics, Core, Cardio X, etc., I find Kenpo to be the most fun and productive to do. You can go through all the Kenpo training and not realize that you are done with the training. You’ll be sweating post-workout without even realizing that you’ve worked hard on the Kenpo moves. It is important that you get involved with your Kenpo training to get the most out of it. What is it about Kenpo training that makes it such a great workout?

First of all, the movements are simple and direct. You do punches like crosses, jabs, and hooks. It is important that you commit to hitting. For example, when you do hooks, you have to hit with your “hip and body.” Rotate at the waist making a hook with the toes rotating with the blow. This will make the punch more powerful and empowering for your fitness. You are not trying to be a martial artist, but you must have passion and power in your punches and kicks.

Another reason why P90x Kenpo is a great exercise is that Tony Horton changes the tempo on the last few repetitions. Usually in the last 10-15 reps you will kick higher or faster or punch harder with a Kenpo shout. This gets your metabolism into overdrive.

Also, Tony Horton takes precautions to make it a productive workout. He is a gifted trainer. He can make Kenpo a productive 45 minute training session. He warns you not to hit your joints and to be efficient in your movements. This makes the sessions fast and fun. I regularly come back and do these sessions. Of all the P90x DVDs, this is the one I use the most.

One drawback for me would be the long warm up session. It takes a while to heat up. But, you can alter the heating (if you want). Sometimes I would do my own warm up and then jump right into the Kenpo program. This makes me thankful that the show is not on videocassette but on DVD. Cooldowns are fantastic. You do some ballistic stretching that cools down your body.