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Post-Thanksgiving Kickboxing Core Workout

Even the most dedicated pros are prone to stray from their boxer’s diet around the holidays. A few days spent indulging doesn’t mean they lose their fighter’s physique, and neither will you.

Before you turn down that second helping of turkey or tofurkey, remember that boxing training helps your body process those extra calories more efficiently. If you’re feeling weighed down the next day, just moving your body will lift your energy and your mood instantly.

This intense 10-minute abs workout for boxers requires no equipment so you can do it whether you’re at home or traveling this Thanksgiving. Combining shadowboxing with core exercises, you will feel your body transform all those calories into energy to burn!

Post-Thanksgiving Kickboxing Core Workout

Warm Up (1 minute)

Light Jog in Place (30 seconds)


  • Get your blood pumping and your heart rate up with a light jog in place

Jumping Jacks (30 seconds)


  • Loosen up your muscles with some easy jumping jacks

Round 1 (2 minutes)

Jab - Cross - Squat Jump (30 seconds)


  • Assume fighting stance
  • Deliver a rapid 1-2 (jab - cross) combo
  • Drop down into a low squat
  • Use the power from your legs to burst upwards into a jump
  • Throw another 1-2 combo followed by a squat jump
  • Repeat for 30 seconds

*If you need to modify, you can do a regular squat without the jump

Sit-ups with a Twist (1 minute)


  • Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor
  • Place your hands lightly behind the back of your neck for support
  • Use your core to lift your torso off the floor towards your knees
  • Once upright, twist your torso once to the right and once to the left, targeting your obliques
  • Lower your torso back to the floor
  • Continue the sit-up twists as many times as you can in one minute

Jab - Cross - Squat Jump (30 seconds)


  • Return to your 1-2 (jab - cross) squat jump combo for the last 30 seconds of the round

Rest (30 seconds)

Round 2 (2 minutes)

Burpees (30 seconds)


  • Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides
  • Bend at your hips to lower your palms to the floor in front of you
  • Hop both feet back behind you into a high plank position
  • Jump both feet forward again
  • Return to a stand
  • Repeat for 30 seconds

*For a challenge, add a push-up from the plank position

Leg Raises (1 minute)


  • Lay with your back on the floor and your legs outstretched
  • Place your hands palms-down under your lower back or glutes for support
  • Keeping your back and legs straight, fully engage your core to raise your legs off the ground
  • Lift both legs upwards 90-degrees before slowly lowering them back down
  • Stop a few inches from the ground and raise them up again
  • Continue for one minute

Burpees (30 seconds)


  • Finish this round strong with another 30 seconds of burpees!

Rest (30 seconds)

Round 3 (2 minutes)

Jab – Cross – Lead Front Kick – Rear Knee (1 - 2 - Lead FK - Rear Knee) (30 seconds)


  • Deliver your 1-2 (jab - cross) combo from Round 1
  • Follow with a powerful lead front kick to push your opponent backward
  • Add a rear knee to the chest
  • Repeat this combination for 30 seconds

High Plank Hold (1 minute)


  • Assume a high plank position
  • Keep your neck, back, and legs in a straight line and your hands directly below your shoulders
  • Hold this position for the full minute

*For an extra challenge, alternate between high plank and low (elbow) plank. Alternatively, if you feel your hips sagging, come down on your knees for a rest.

Jab – Cross – Lead Front Kick – Rear Knee (1 - 2 - Lead FK - Rear Knee) (30 seconds)


  • This is the last 30 seconds, push yourself and use everything you have left!

Cool Down (2 minutes)

Shoulder Stretch (30 seconds)


  • Bring your right arm across your chest and hold with your left hand
  • Pull your arm close to your chest until you feel the stretch in your right shoulder
  • Hold for 15 seconds
  • Release, switch sides and hold for another 15 seconds

Lower Back and Oblique Stretch (30 seconds)


  • Sit upright on the floor with your legs out in front of you
  • Keep your left leg outstretched, bend your right knee and bring it over your left leg
  • Place your left arm on the outside of your right knee
  • Using your leg as leverage, twist your torso to the right as if trying to look behind you until you feel the stretch throughout your obliques and lower back
  • Hold for 15 seconds
  • Switch sides, twisting to the left, and repeat for 15 seconds

Cobra Stretch (30 seconds)


  • Start on your stomach, extend your legs out behind you, and press the tops of your feet into the floor
  • Engage your quadriceps and continue to press the tops of your feet into the floor
  • Place your hands by your lower ribs and align your wrists underneath your elbows
  • Hug your elbows into your sides, roll your shoulders down your back, and lift your chest
  • Spread through your collarbones
  • Soften your glutes and gaze ahead, lengthen the back of your neck, and keep your spine long
  • Hold for 30 seconds
  • Slowly release

Child’s Pose (30 seconds)


  • From a kneeling position, bring your big toes together and spread your knees out wider than your torso
  • Fold forward from the crease of your hips and place your forehead on the floor
  • Place your arms by your sides or extend them out forward with your palms facing down
  • Drop your hips back toward your heels
  • Close your eyes and continue to inhale and exhale deeply
  • Hold this pose for 30 seconds, or as long as you’d like

Awesome job! Your abs should be burning by now, so do as much additional stretching as needed.

You can take steps towards revealing those six-pack abs all year round. Consistent boxing training with core work and ab exercises has the power to transform your body inside and out, so cheat days feel more like a reward! Take advantage of expert guidance from professional trainers and a community full of support through FightCamp’s at-home boxing program to stay on track with your fitness goals all season long.

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The Author: Mollie McGurk is a fitness enthusiast who has trained in boxing, HIIT boxing, kickboxing and MMA for over 10 years. Her local boxing gym has hosted champion instructors including the ‘Iceman’ John Scully and Israel ‘Pito’ Cardona. Mollie has also studied personal training through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) program.

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