Muay Thai at home

Key facts:

• No bag price and no joist rating. Do not hang a bag from plasterboard.
• RPE means how hard it feels. We are not prescribing heart-rate zones.
• 16oz is the UK sparring habit in our copy, not a requirement for shadowboxing.
• Catalogue gloves and wraps are £58.98 at catalogue prices if you need them, 8 Oct 2026.
• Stop if pain is sharp, a joint swells, or you cannot put the foot down.

Home session, no product placement

Before you start

Ten minutes: skip or jog on the spot, arm circles, and a few easy teeps into the air. You should be warm, not sweating through your shirt for its own sake. Clear a space wider than your kick. Warn anyone else in the flat. A lamp is not a pad holder.

Wraps go on for the bag, not for pure shadow, unless your wrists complain. Bare knuckles on a bag are how hands split.

Session A, shadow

Block	Time	Work	Effort
Warm-up	5 min	Joints, easy teeps	Light
Round 1	3 min	Jab, cross, teep. Switch stance only if you already know it	Easy, RPE 4 of 10
Rest	1 min	Hands down
Round 2	3 min	Add a rear kick to thigh height, both sides, slowly	RPE 6
Rest	1 min
Round 3	3 min	Punch, teep, step out. No spinning	RPE 6
Stretch	5 min	Hips. Pain that stops the stretch is a stop, not a cue

Session B, bag

Skip this if you have no bag. Do not hang one from a light fitting. The bag page explains why we will not quote a kilogram limit.

Block	Time	Work	Effort
Warm-up	5 min	As session A	Light
Round 1	3 min	Hands, then one kick each side	RPE 5
Rest	1 min
Round 2	3 min	A knee at the end of a punch. Standing leg soft	RPE 6
Rest	1 min
Round 3	3 min	Five low kicks each side, then hands. Stop the kicks if the shin is done	RPE 7
Ease off	5 min	Easy teeps, then hips and shoulders

Session C, conditioning

Block	Time	Work	Effort
Squats to a chair	3 x 8	Heels down	RPE 6
Push-ups on a counter if the floor is too hard	3 x 6	Straight body	RPE 6
Standing knee raises	3 x 10 each side	Hold a doorway	RPE 5
Easy skip or step-ups	3 min	Stop if a joint nags	RPE 5

This is not a fight camp. It is enough to turn up to a real class less cold. The beginners guide is the class. The training log is free.

Stretching

Hips and calves, after the session, not as a cold first move. We are not publishing a flexibility programme or a claim that stretching prevents injury. The NHS sprains page, read 10 Oct 2026, says to avoid strenuous exercise such as running for up to eight weeks after a sprain. Kicking is strenuous. Do not use session B to test a fresh sprain.

Sources

• NHS sprains and strains. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sprains-and-strains/ read 10 Oct 2026.
• NHS ankle pain. https://www.nhs.uk/symptoms/foot-pain/ankle-pain/ read 10 Oct 2026.
• Kit catalogue prices. catalogue 8 Oct 2026 gloves £39.99, wraps £18.99.

FAQs

Can I learn Muay Thai at home?

You can practise shadowboxing, bag work and basic conditioning. You cannot learn the clinch, or how hard to hit a person, without a partner and a coach. Use the three sessions on this page between classes. The beginners guide is the class. If you do not have a gym yet, the directory lists 671 UK gyms. A home session is not a substitute for one of them.

How long should a home Muay Thai workout be?

About 20 to 25 minutes for the shadow or bag session on this page: a five-minute warm-up, three rounds of three minutes, short rests, and a short stretch. The conditioning session is shorter still. That is a template, not a test. Stop if pain is sharp or a joint swells. We are not prescribing heart-rate zones.

Do I need a heavy bag?

No. Session A is shadow only. If you buy a bag, we do not have a dated UK price or a joist rating, so we will not invent either. Do not hang a bag from plasterboard. The bag guide covers filled versus unfilled without a fake kilogram figure. Gloves and wraps, if you need them, are £58.98 at 8 Oct 2026 catalogue price.

Is this safe if I have an injury?

No, not as a clearance. The NHS sprains page, read 10 Oct 2026, says to avoid strenuous exercise such as running for up to eight weeks after a sprain. Kicking a bag is strenuous. Ankle pain that stops you walking, a snap, or an ankle that has changed shape is an NHS 111 matter. This page is not a rehab plan.