Training in Muay Thai is suitable for everyone. Whether you’re skinny or have been going to the gym for a long period now and have been able to pack on some muscle, you’ll be able to learn Thai boxing. A common question I hear is: “Will I lose muscle doing Muay Thai?” And the answer to that is simple.
You will not lose muscle by doing Muay Thai if you incorporate strength training and are not in a caloric deficit. However, if you stop doing strength training altogether while eating less than what you burn (being in a caloric deficit), you’ll lose muscle. Whether you lose muscle mostly depends on your diet.
There are numerous other factors I haven’t yet mentioned that will determine whether you build, maintain, or lose muscle by doing Muay Thai. So you already know that your diet and training regimen influence whether you lose or build muscle.
However, there are numerous other factors that’ll determine what’s going to occur as a result of your training. This article will cover all of them while giving you practical examples of how you can avoid losing lean muscle in your fighting journey.
So let’s dive in.
How to Avoid Losing Muscle While Doing Muay Thai
The first part of this article will review three necessary things you must do to avoid losing muscle mass while doing Muay Thai. It can actually be quite easy to lose weight (fat and muscle) while participating in such an intense fighting style since you’ll burn many calories in your training.
Let’s get straight into the first thing you must ensure to do to avoid losing muscle mass while doing Muay Thai.
Eat Enough
The first, and perhaps the most important, measure is to eat enough. Your body is going to burn your precious lean muscle if you are in a caloric deficit. Being in a caloric deficit is when you consume less calories than what you burn. As a result, your body will be required to lose fat and muscle for energy (ATP.)
So you want to eat enough, especially protein, as it’s the muscle-building nutrient, unlike carbohydrates and fats (which are also important.)
Find out how many calories you burn per day and plan your diet accordingly. You can calculate this number in an online calculator, such as this one.
If you’re interested in building muscle, you’ll need to eat more than you burn per day, which might be difficult for some. However, if that’s your goal and you want to incorporate Muay Thai, you’ll need to eat more than you normally would, as you’ll burn tons of calories while training in Muay Thai.
It’s possible to burn upwards of 800 calories in an hour of intense Muay Thai.
I wrote a free diet plan for Muay Thai fighters, and I highly recommend you give it a read if you want to optimize your progression and recovery while avoiding overtraining.
Strength Training
The second step is to perform various strength training workouts throughout your week. I encourage you to do strength training (either lifting weights in the gym or doing calisthenics) on rest days from Muay Thai. This is what I do and it works perfectly well since it allows me to avoid overtraining while still training in Muay Thai and gaining muscle at the same time!
Make sure to have some type of strength training in your training week.
To read about the best strength exercises to do with Muay Thai to build muscle and power, follow this link.
Rest Sufficiently
The last step we’ll review is resting sufficiently. What I refer to by saying resting is to (1) have rest days and (2) sleep sufficiently. Without proper sleep (7-9 hours at least), you won’t be able to build any muscle, let alone avoid losing.
So by consuming enough calories, doing strength training throughout your week, and resting sufficiently, you’ll avoid losing muscle while doing Muay Thai!
Pretty simple, isn’t it?
Will I Lose Muscle if I Do Martial Arts?
My answer remains the same whether we’re discussing Muay Thai or any other martial art. Therefore, it’s important to understand that there really isn’t a distinction between Thai Boxing and other fighting styles, such as Taekwondo, Karate, MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing Kung Fu, and BJJ. They all mostly work on endurance.
You will not lose muscle if you train in martial arts assuming you’re not in a caloric deficit and are doing at least one strength workout per week. It’s important to incorporate strength training into your martial arts weekly training regimen to keep your existing muscle mass while potentially building some.
Remember, martial arts training is mostly endurance work. That’s why you’ll burn tons of calories if you do it on a weekly basis, which will make it more difficult to keep on your current muscle mass. That’s even more true if you’re trying to shed body fat, as you’ll be in a caloric deficit.
The key points from the previous section remain the same for this one. Make sure you:
- Rest abundantly
- Eat adequately
- Incorporate strength training
By doing these three, you’ll be able to keep your existing muscle mass and potentially build more while training and learning any martial art that’s out there!
Can I Lift Weights With Muay Thai?
Lifting weights has been an integral part of my life for over seven years. I’ve been able to experiment and learn plenty about the human mind and body by going to the gym and lifting iron, which is a primary part of my current muscular physique. So I understand why you want to keep going to the gym even while doing Muay Thai.
You can lift weights while doing Muay Thai because these two don’t collide with each other and will not cause overtraining. However, it’s important to note that if you train too much or too frequently in either one or in both while not allowing your body abundant sleep and recovery time, you’ll face overtraining quickly.
Overtraining is your number one enemy, even if you’re participating in one of the most dangerous sports in the world, Muay Thai. The most common injury type I’ve experienced in my fighting career thus far is overtraining, and it’s not even a competition.
Learn more about the most common injury types in Muay Thai by following this link!
So if you plan your training week properly, you’ll be able to combine both weightlifting and Muay Thai simultaneously.
If you’re interested in lifting weights at home, I have just the perfect product for you. Adjustable dumbbells have become more and more popular throughout the last few years. I encourage you to buy this set of adjustable dumbbells if you’re interested in maintaining and building more muscle while doing Muay Thai.
Can I Gain Muscle While Doing Muay Thai?
Gaining muscle while doing Muay Thai is possible if you incorporate training that involves resistance in your weekly routine, such as lifting weights or doing calisthenics. To build lean muscle mass, you must cause micro-tears in your muscles that will lead to hypertrophy, which only happens when you do resistance training.
You also want to make sure you’re getting enough sleep and allowing your body to recover adequately. Without these conditions, you won’t be able to build any force.
You Won’t Lose Muscle Doing Muay Thai
The takeaway from this article is that you don’t have to lose muscle by doing Muay Thai. It’s definitely easier for that to happen, as you can burn up to 600 calories per hour from vigorous training, which will then lead you to be in a caloric deficit.
But if you manage to meet the three conditions I’ve set in previous sections, you’ll be able to keep all your lean muscle mass while enjoying training more and avoiding overtraining.
The conditions are:
- Rest abundantly
- Eat adequately
- Incorporate strength training
Final Words
If there’s one thing I’d like you to take from this article is to not miss out on the endless benefits Muay Thai can bring to your life. It’ll improve so many parts about you. It’s actually astounding to me to hear success and transformation stories time and time again and still see doubtful people fill the internet.
No, Muay Thai will not harm you unless you’re deliberately putting yourself out there to fight professionally. And yes, it can be a platform to learn to fight, increase your confidence, and even reduce your baseline stress and aggression levels.
All in all, I don’t see why someone wouldn’t want to train in it.
To learn how long learning Muay Thai truly takes, follow this link to see a full timeline I came up with on when you’ll see results.
Here are other articles you’ll benefit from reading:
Muay Thai – How, Where, and Why Is It Popular?
Do You Need to Be Strong to Do Muay Thai? The Hard Truth
The Pros and Cons of Muay Thai – Is It Worth the Risk?
The True Cost of Muay Thai Classes – Beyond the Price Tag
Does Muay Thai Increase Testosterone?
