I hear it all the time: “I’ve been thinking about trying Muay Thai for a while now.” People say it when they first call the gym, when they watch a class through the window, when a friend tells them about it. And then, eventually, they come in. Every single one of them says the same thing after their first few weeks: they wish they hadn’t waited so long.

I’m 47. I have a VO2 max of 60, which puts me at an elite level of cardiovascular fitness for my age group. My body fat is around 15% and I carry more muscle than I did during my years as a triathlete. I started Muay Thai in 2016 as a student, competed at the amateur level, and went on to open Lotus Fitness and Thai Boxing here in Toronto. What I’ve seen in my own body, and in the hundreds of students who’ve come through our doors, tells a pretty consistent story.

Muay Thai works. And it works in ways that other training modalities simply don’t. Here’s why.

Is Muay Thai Good for Cardio? Yes, and Here’s the Proof

A VO2 max of 60 at 47 years old is not something you get from casual exercise. It takes sustained, repeated effort that pushes your cardiovascular system close to its limits. Muay Thai training does that in every single class.

A typical session includes skipping, shadow boxing, pad work, bag rounds, and clinching. You’re not resting between sets the way you would in a gym. The format keeps your heart rate up from warm-up to cool-down. It’s closer to interval training than anything else, except you’re too focused on what you’re doing to notice how hard you’re breathing.

Endurance athletes spend years trying to improve their VO2 max through structured training programs. In Muay Thai, those gains come as a side effect of learning the sport.

Does Muay Thai Build Muscle and Burn Fat?

When I was doing triathlons, I was fit. But when I compare photos from that period to now, the difference is noticeable. I’m leaner and I carry more functional muscle. That surprised me, because triathlon involves a lot of hours and a serious training load.

The reason is how Muay Thai uses your body. Every strike generates power from the ground up, through your legs, hips, core, and upper body. You’re not isolating muscle groups the way you would on gym equipment. You’re using your whole body as one connected system, and you’re doing it at high intensity for an extended period.

At 15% body fat, I’m not on a special diet or doing anything outside of training. Muay Thai handles it.

The other thing worth mentioning is that it doesn’t feel like a workout while you’re doing it. Your brain is occupied with the technique in front of you. The calorie burn happens without you obsessing over it.

Muay Thai vs. Gym Workout: Why Training with a Partner Changes Things

Most people, if they’re honest, don’t push themselves as hard as they could when training alone. That’s not a character flaw. It’s just how motivation works.

Muay Thai is built around partner training. Pad work, which is the core of most classes, requires two people. One person holds, one person strikes, and then you switch. When someone is holding pads for you and calling combinations, you work harder than you would on a bag alone. When you’re holding for your partner, you’re engaged and accountable. Neither person is scrolling their phone or going through the motions.

Group fitness research consistently shows that people train harder and stick with it longer when other people are involved. In Muay Thai, that isn’t a program feature. It’s just how the training works.

The Mental Health Benefits of Muay Thai Training

Muay Thai is called the Art of Eight Limbs because you’re learning to strike with your fists, elbows, knees, and shins. There’s a lot to think about. That’s actually one of the reasons it’s so effective for mental health.

When you’re on the pads working a combination, your mind is fully occupied. You’re thinking about your footwork, your guard, your timing. There’s no room for whatever was stressing you out before you walked in. It’s one of the few activities where people genuinely switch off from everything else for an hour.

There’s also something that happens over time with hard training that’s harder to put into words. The sessions are genuinely difficult. Some rounds feel endless. Learning to breathe through it, to keep your form when you’re tired, to not quit when it gets uncomfortable, builds a kind of mental toughness that carries over into the rest of your life.

That’s not something you get from the elliptical.

Can Beginners Do Muay Thai? You Don’t Need to Get Fit First

Our head coach at Lotus Fitness is the WMC Canadian Champion in his weight class and has competed at the IFMA level. He started Muay Thai in his 20s coming from a sedentary background. He wasn’t already in shape when he started. He got in shape by starting.

This is the most common thing I hear from people who are on the fence: “I want to get a bit fitter before I try it.” I understand the logic, but it’s backwards. Muay Thai is what gets you fit. You don’t need to pass any kind of fitness test before your first class. Every beginner starts from wherever they are, and the training moves them forward from there.

You just have to show up.

“I’ve Been Thinking About It For a While”

If that’s you, here’s what’s usually going on underneath it. People considering Muay Thai classes in Toronto and elsewhere tend to have a few hesitations in common:

• “I’m not fit enough yet” (it’s the training that makes you fit)
• “I don’t want to get hurt” (a fair concern, and one worth asking any gym about directly)
• “Martial arts gyms seem cliquey or full of serious fighters”

That third one is worth addressing honestly. Some gyms do have that culture. There’s a certain type of martial arts environment that can feel unwelcoming if you’re not already in the know, and that puts a lot of people off before they ever try.

We built Lotus Fitness specifically to be the opposite of that. No attitude, no cliques, no sense that you need to prove yourself before you’re welcome. People come here from all walks of life, at all fitness levels, and they train alongside each other. If you’re willing to put in the work and treat your training partners well, you belong here.

The Bottom Line on Muay Thai Fitness Benefits

At 47, I’m in better shape than I was in my 30s. That’s not something I expected, and it’s not because I’m doing anything extraordinary outside the gym. I train Muay Thai consistently, and it takes care of the rest.

If you’re in Toronto and looking for something that actually works, something you’ll stick with because you genuinely enjoy it rather than grind through it, Muay Thai is worth trying. The cardio, the body composition, the mental resilience, the community. It’s all there.

Come try a class at Lotus Fitness. Here’s some tips to get you ready. If you’ve been thinking about it for a while, that’s probably sign enough.