At-Home Master Class

Olivia Young's Box + Flow Workout

04/05/2020

Here's another fitness class you can do to keep the heart pumping—and the feel-good endorphins flowing‚ during quarantine: Olivia Young's Box + Flow. And while her New York-based studio, which weds yoga with boxing, comes complete with equipment like weights and punching bags, you can easily recreate the same workout at home. Here, Young shows us how and shares a high-intensity, boxing-inspired workout—complete with a cardio warm-up, shadow-box tutorial, and two alternate finishers. For extra inspiration, follow her on Instagram to take her livestream Box + Flow classes on IGTV.

The Workout

I. Warm-Up

Complete the following series three times:
15 jumping jacks
15 high knees
15 squat thrusts
10 burpees

II. Shadow Box

Follow along with this tutorial, using one to three pound weights if you have them available. Cans works great for this as well!
Choose three songs that are three to four minutes long, with a heavy beat, repeating the video sequence with each song. Some of my favorites for this shadowbox are here:

III-A. Finish Option 1: Plank (For a Mindful & Challenging Finish)

Choose an instrumental song—something that calms you and brings your heart rate down. I like to start with "Wind" by Emmit Fenn.
Hit a plank—high or low—and hold yourself up. Listen to your breath. Trust yourself. Hold this plank for one minute.
Then up the challenge to a longer song to hold a longer plank. Your goal here is to transition from a one-minute to a three-minute plank. Come into child’s pose, and release.

III-B. Finish Option 2: Flow (To Find Clarity & Reset)

Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly.
Find your heart beat, as you take one big inhale and exhale to let it go.
Bring your knees to your chest. Rock up and down your spine, three times. On your final rock, roll over shins to tabletop position. Move your body in cat/cow position, three times.

To begin the flow, start in downward facing dog, with your hips up and back. Pull belly to spine, as you get grounded in your hands and feet.

First Flow (3x)

Inhale, and roll forward to your high plank.
Exhale lower to low push-up.
Inhale to upward facing dog.
Exhale to downward facing dog.
Step or jump to the front of mat. With a flat back, inhale. Exhale fold and hang heavy. Inhale to rise and stand tall. Place your hand to your heart and belly as you reset intention.
Inhale hands high. Exhale fold. Inhale, halfway lift. Exhale, step back to plank pose.

Second Flow (1x)

Note: If warriors are new to you, skip ahead to abs or just do two more regular Flows!

Start in downward dog with your right side, then move into warrior one.
Exhale and open to warrior two.
Reach back, nice and long, and move into reverse warrior.
FLOW
Repeat on your left side.
FLOW

Abs

Bicycle crunches for 30 seconds
Regular crunches 30 seconds.

Stretch

Find your back. Lift up into back bend bridge or wheel, as you crack your heart and chest open.
Move into downward dog. Move forward to half-pigeon stretch on both your right and left side.
Release your head. Open your hips. Breathe.
Lay all the way down on your back. Last hug in tight. Knees to nose. Thank yourself for your strength, your softness, your fight and your flow.
Let go. Silence/stillness/surrender.

Jenny Short-Sleeved Dickey Jacket Saira Long Short

Portrait courtesy Liv Young

All other photographs via @boxandflow

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