For the Love of the Map

Episode 12: Boxing

• For the Love of the Map • Episode 12

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Our tale begins with the unexpected introduction to VR Boxing in October 2021 and morphs into a full-blown passion, as we take you through the rhythmic dance of boxing choreography and dive into the personal triumphs and tribulations of mastering 'Pros Only' sessions. We're sharing our wishlist too, from a smarter categorization of workouts to custom folders that make planning our fitness week a breeze.

Striking the right balance between workout styles is like finding the perfect pair of gloves; it has to fit just right. Join us as we intertwine tales of boxing and flow, highlighting the essence of variety to outmaneuver overuse injuries and the adaptability needed to keep our fitness fresh. We get real about the subjectivity of form, what feels right for us, and how injuries have forced us to rethink our exercise partnerships. Plus, we weigh in on the lingering impact of certain workouts and why choice is key in our pursuit of peak fitness.

We explore the intricacies of improving form, the underestimated power of the lower body, and the playful side of dodging to elevate our heart rates. We're not just about the punch; we delve into the fascinating world of workout algorithms and how this knowledge could revolutionize your training. Don't miss out as we reflect on the magic of feedback – because your voice could very well ring the bell for the next round of fitness innovation.


Visit our website at:

https://fortheloveofthemap.buzzsprout.com


For the Love of the Map’s Facebook Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1153000382332695/



We would love to hear from you!

Marla:

Good morning. Good morning Marla. How are you? I'm good. How are you?

Julia:

I'm doing great.

Marla:

Good, so I think I'm going to change something Instead of do you know what I want to talk about. I think we should change it to you. Do you know what?

Julia:

we want to talk about?

Marla:

oh yeah, I mean, it is our show. So, um, and I don't often change the topic ideas on you. Sometimes I, as soon as we press record and I say you know what I want to talk about today, and then I totally change what we're going to talk about and Julia's like oh okay, I'm just gonna run with it wonder why sweet tea has a deer in headlight look that's why so do you know what I think we should talk about today? I'm gonna, I'm gonna try these on.

Julia:

Maybe next episode it will be different, we'll see well, I think that we want to talk about the madhouses.

Marla:

Yes, yes, I do. I would love to talk about the madhouses, um, but I've got another plan for those at a later date we have another plan we do. We do have another plan for those, for sure, um also all right, all right all right, I can tell you what we don't talk enough about on this show, and what is that Boxing?

Julia:

Ooh, it's finally time to talk about boxing. I think we've put this topic off for a while. It has been on me.

Marla:

I have pushed this topic off for a while. It is on me. I just find talking about boxing difficult. I guess it's not. There's choreography in boxing. Obviously you know they're mapping. There is choreography depending on the music In my mind. I'm thinking choreography dancing, but we're boxing, but there are some boxing workouts that lend to dancing, right? So I've just put talking about boxing off for a long time, and today is the day well, I mean, we've all.

Julia:

We've gone on a journey with boxing. We've had our ups and downs and our loves and our hates. I mean, when I started, there was no boxing and I didn't have boxing for over a year. Well, maybe that's not right. It was under a year by two months. So boxing came out in October 26, 2021. Totally shocked me. I had no idea.

Marla:

In 2021? Are you sure it was?

Julia:

2021? Yeah, 2022 is when we got our knee strikes, so 2021, we got our boxing.

Marla:

You are right. Wow, where does the time go? No way.

Julia:

Because I questioned it too. When I looked it up, I was like.

Marla:

I think this is wrong.

Julia:

No, it's right. It's on the cards, right in front of us. I see it.

Marla:

I double checked you. I was like no, Really.

Julia:

I still don't believe you. I know it feels like to me that we waited longer for it than well. Not waited because I didn't know it was coming. I mean, I was running around the house at that time. I had a nurse here with my son she also played Supernatural and she says hey, did you see this? They just announced on the community page boxing. And I'm like nah, nah and I get on and introducing boxing.

Marla:

So wow, I felt like because, see, I started supernatural in august of 2021 yeah, I feel like I was doing flow much longer than that.

Julia:

Wow, my brain is officially I feel like I was I feel like I was doing flow for longer before I got. I mean, it feels like I did flow for like two years before we got the boxing. But yeah, but it may just be because when it came out well, I'm glad I could blow your brain, because yeah, I'm like often she's like no, you don't know, I'm still looking.

Julia:

I know what is this? 2021? Yeah, wow. Well, they threw these six boxing workouts at us on the first day when they released it, and which was really nice to get so many. We got two low flow, low flow See, we can't high. Well, no, that's not true. One high boxing workout and one pros only. We would know it was pros only if it had the square that said PO in purple next to it.

Marla:

Can we have that please?

Julia:

for everything.

Marla:

And then pros only wouldn't have to be labeled. Pros only than the name. It could just be the name and then like different categories within pros only. Oh, man, man, man.

Julia:

We shouldn't, even we're going to go off onto we're going to go get lost. But it's true, it'd be so much easier for me to find in this app, because I did want to pull all of these up and it's not easy to find a pros only workout if you're looking for it, and that is so frustrating, but the only way you can do it thoroughly is if you get in the headset and look from there under collections.

Marla:

They have updated collections. It has all the pros only in there and they're even in date order. They used to not be in date order, um, but that's the only way. The companion app, the phone app, which you and I use daily, multiple times a day, that's where I go. I don't want to look for things in the headset that's me.

Julia:

I don't either yeah, well when I get in the headset, I'm ready to work out. I don't want to stand and be like searching for stuff in there.

Marla:

I'm ready to go.

Julia:

I want to set my day up, my workout day, up in here. And you know, while they're at it, just give us some folders Right, so we can. I want to make a Monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday, sunday folder and then just put my workouts for the week in there, and then I don't even have to think about it.

Marla:

What day would be?

Julia:

pros only day All of them.

Marla:

I'm thinking personally, I would make Thursday for sure pros only day. For some reason, thursday seemed like a good break, where you know, yeah, monday is more like a medium than a high day. Yeah, let's kind of ease in a little bit.

Julia:

Yeah, for sure, yeah, by Thursday and Friday just be doing all highs and pros only. There's no other, no other. So we got all six of these all in one day. The community was just going crazy. We, of course and I'll say we, as in me, I don't think you went in and did this. I'll let you say what you did on this day. But I went in immediately when my son's nurse told me that this was released, checked out what we had and I'm like I'm doing all of them. So that day I did all six. You know, my body has not boxed like this before I boxed a little bit and fit xr.

Julia:

Um, you know, before they released boxing in here, but I was not ready to stand and do six. I mean I there was training videos, you know, but I even did the pros only that day and so all of us.

Julia:

Yeah, the next day there was a lot of posts in the community like thanks, supernatural, for all six of our workouts. But we are all very sore and we were not. We did not make good choices, you know. We could not pace ourselves. We had to try them, try them all out. When this was released, what did you do? What did you think? What was your thought process?

Marla:

I like the rule follower.

Julia:

I am.

Marla:

No, I am a rule follower. Sometimes, when it comes to new things, like I always read the manual, I keep the manual. I have a folder for it, a file for it. If there's a tutorial in a VR game, I'm going to do the entire tutorial. I will never just jump in. I want to know all the things first. So, like the little follower that I am, I did all the tutorials, and I did them more than once, before I even got into the workouts. I did because I wanted to know how to do the things. It was I'd never boxed never, let alone boxed in BR and um. At the time I was very aware, like almost hyper aware, of injuring myself. I didn't want to injure. This was at the beginning of my fitness journey, so I did not want to injure myself and take, take myself out of the game of continuing on my you know, improving my fitness.

Marla:

So I think I did the lows. I remember the drop because I was thinking, yes, they gave us a drop for our first one. I'm definitely doing that. I did the medium, the game time one, and it wasn't until later that I did the high and in fact, that pros only legend. I have only done like two times in my life, and one was because Julie made me, julie's, made everyone do that. Okay, that's her obsession. Pros only workout. Look, this is the strange thing about me. I will go on and on about my love affair with pros only flow, but when it comes to pros only boxing, I'm like I don't like it.

Julia:

Yeah, yes.

Marla:

I don't care for pros, only boxing. In fact, my sweet spot in boxing is medium.

Marla:

I prefer medium boxing and it's not because I don't have experience with all the other levels I have. In fact, I spent most of all 2022 doing boxing and more boxing than flow. Remember when I used to do a ton of boxing and Julie and I all used to alternate we do a flow, we do a boxing, we do a flow, we do a boxing. But yeah, my sweet spot is definitely mediums. Some highs in boxing I really enjoy, but those are because they're movement focused and defensive focused.

Marla:

It's not just like an onslaught of flurries.

Julia:

Makes sense, those flurries we've had some workouts where just flurries come and it could just be them testing out to see, you know, how do we respond to different things that they give us. But they hurt my shoulders. If boxing hurts my shoulders and I'm not going to say all pros, only boxing's hurt my shoulders I have some that I actually like and I'll do them, you know, on occasion, but some of them just are relentless and they hurt the shoulders.

Marla:

I feel like I and this is going to sound funny to a lot of people because, again, I love pros-only flow but I feel like pros-only boxing doesn't allow you to keep boxing form and I know that's an argument by a lot of people in the community for flow Pros-only flow doesn't allow you to keep flow form, and so I would be interested to hear from are the pro boxers in our community?

Marla:

can you keep form and pros only boxing um, like a boxing, like legend, or are you standing there literally, just like this? I don't know. I personally can't um, I do, but then I I guess I just get tired and it wears me down, so I revert to more of like a laid-back boxing form I do too.

Julia:

I struggle keeping my arms up. I mean, like I said, I've gone on the journey of how I feel about it and sometimes I'm like boxing and I mean some days I get in and I just want to do boxing and that's what feels good to me. But I usually, like you said, I do alternate boxing and flow. I think it's important to to keep my body used to both. I don't want to just not do boxing and I have skipped out on boxing for a week and then gone back into it and been like, oh, but I never skip out on flow.

Julia:

Flow is always part of my daily workout, um, but yeah, it's. It's definitely a journey of, you know, form I'm always. I mean, even when I record myself, I get you know. I kind of feel frustrated because by flow, I mean I really feel like we've talked about this before. It could be your interpretation of what you want your form to be in flow. But in boxing, people think that boxing form should be rid, that rigid boxing form. But we, you know, have seen other videos in the community and it's not always, um, it's not always that way.

Marla:

So, yeah, I think it's. I think there's two groups of people when it comes to boxing and supernatural. There's those who want to have perfect boxing form and then there's those who just want to box in their own way and whatever form feels right to them, and both are correct. Not one is right over the other. It's what motivates you, it's what gets you in the headset, whatever prevents injuries. I know I do sort of a mixture. Sometimes I get a little bit more dancey with it, a little more loose where I'm not staying as rigid to boxing form. But one thing that I love is staying in guard. It activates my ab muscles more to stay in guard the whole time. So I do enjoy that. I do love boxing. I know I say you know people think I don't like boxing, but I do love boxing and there was a time where all I did was box the majority of the time.

Julia:

It was like I want to box.

Marla:

I want to box. I want to box. And then I had an overuse injury that took over a year for me to sort of correct. I wore KT tape for like an entire year and I did take breaks. I did take a week off twice that year trying to correct it. I went to PT. I do all sorts of things but it was legitimately an overuse injury.

Julia:

Yeah.

Marla:

But I don't get that with flow, only boxing Interesting.

Julia:

Well, and it was kind of sad for me because we work out a lot together and we had that flow of doing a flow of boxing, flow boxing, that's just what we did.

Julia:

And then when you got your injury and you're like, oh, I've got to pull back, I mean, obviously, as your friend, I totally understood, but it was like we had to find like a new balance and a new way. So I was finding myself trying to get in before you or stay in after you to kind of get that boxing in. Or sometimes we would break off and you do that and I'm going to do today's boxing and yeah, so I think that we've.

Julia:

We've found a sweet place with that. If there's a real good boxing that comes out, we are obviously gonna do it together. But we do not do pros only boxing together like we do flow that is not.

Julia:

It's a completely different thing for us and, to be honest, I don't think of boxing the way. I do flow, and let me explain. In flow I can remember songs, locations, choreography, the workout, what songs are in each workout. Like flow is this whole different thing for my mind. But boxing it's like you put them all in a bag, shook them up.

Julia:

I don't know what songs and what workout, I don't know what some of them I can remember, but a lot of the boxings, like I don't, I can't sit here like in flow I can tell you all my favorite ones. I can't do that with boxing, but I have so many more boxing that I just love. I mean there's not a lot of them that I wouldn't do. As far as you know, this one hurts me. I mean I feel like as long as it goes in, it goes with the music, it changes up, it has a good, you know rhythm to it. It's a good boxing to me. I'm not as rigid on my. I guess my what I feel about it you know, and so it's harder for me to, I guess my what I feel about it, you know, and so it's harder for me to.

Julia:

I have it's like compartmentalized different in my brain. I don't know if it is for you. Is it like that for you too?

Marla:

Like yeah, I think. I think it's because we love flow so much. It's not that we don't love boxing, it's just flow for us is front and center. And so we do remember these random bits about it. And but boxing, yeah, I mean, there are a couple, couple of boxing workouts that, in my mind, are a step above other boxing workouts, because they're innovative because they do new things that have choreography not just a pattern of punches, combos.

Marla:

It's actual choreography. You know, like when three portal magic happens and you're crossing your hands to hit combos. That way I remember those it's because it's trickering my brain, you know, and I I crave that, and I don't get that as much in boxing as I do in flow.

Julia:

So I don't know, maybe I think there was a time in which we started seeing more defensive moves. That helped give more movement to the boxing, because I think it used to be more often, you know, offense heavy. Then the defensive move started to become either as equal or sometimes more heavy, and one of our new favorite boxing workouts that came out is very dancey. One, two has great boxing choreography and it's hard to talk about choreography and boxing.

Julia:

And three, the way that the slips and the ducks and the blocks are in there. It makes you dance and I think you and I can agree in some of our very favorite top boxing that we love together are the ones that make us dance.

Julia:

And they truly do have choreography in them, which, again, I feel like is a really hard thing for boxing to do, you know, to have it's harder to. If you're flowing, you can be dancing and flowing, but in boxing it's just seems, you know, more rigid. But when that choreography is in there that actually makes you dance, and they're using those targets and the placement of all of that moving you around, making you dance, that's those give us that joyous feeling in a boxing that we want to go back and do over and over and over again For sure. Yeah, I think that's important.

Marla:

It is important, but I'm so glad boxing is there and one and I know I hear this in the community a lot that boxing gives a better workout than flow.

Marla:

And I think there's so many factors that go into this. All right, I think we get a little lazy in flow and don't do the full body movements or go as low as possible in our squats and lunges. Go as low as possible in our squats and lunges, but in boxing, we're so focused on staying in boxing form. All of our muscles are engaged. We're focusing on so many things. Okay, make sure you're stepping with your punches, make sure you know you're moving this way, and so maybe that's why our heart rates go so high.

Julia:

I don't know. I think so. The mental focus that has to go into boxing, maybe, maybe, I mean, it totally uses different muscles.

Marla:

Boxing info yeah, 100%, I don't know, dude, I think. Well, I definitely get like, if you compare high boxing with high flow, I can get my heart rate up into the max on both of them, depending on the effort that I'm giving. That's very true. I often don't try and go to my max heart rate because I train at a lower heart rate for my own goals.

Marla:

I personally avoid max heart rate, only go that far a few times a week and for short amounts of time, but that's my personal goals. So I know, if I just let go and really focused on my form and the movements for flow and boxing, I feel like my heart rate would be the same and maybe we should do an experiment on this.

Julia:

We should and.

Marla:

I think how much you enjoy the music and the movements also affect it.

Julia:

Oh, I agree, there's some of the songs in there that are like a get you riled up type song, and I mean I can go hard in those. But then and then the one that came out that I was talking about us dancing in. I mean, there's not a whole lot of of actual boxing targets in there, but the movement just gets you get your heart rate up so high. So another thing that I really think that we should touch on when talking about boxing is points. Look, dude.

Marla:

For those of us who are very motivated by points, boxing is a killer. You have to choose. You know, sometimes I want to box but I'm on a point mission for one reason or another and I can't. I feel like I can't because I'm exuding just as much, if not more, energy on a boxing workout, but I'm getting half of the points and I get that. We're earning the same amount as flow. The targets are the bobs and weaves are the same as triangles, but you still get a lot less points. It adds up that way. So when there are more defensive movements, it gets me excited because I think of it like triangles. Okay, at least I'm going to get some extra points here. Yeah, I think boxing should not have the same point weight as flow. I think what I mean by that is it should be more in line with each other, and so the targets. In order for them to do that, they would need to up the amount for targets in boxing.

Julia:

Well, I know that I have weeks, like you were saying, when you're really going for a goal. If I'm pushing hard for a goal, a points goal, I'm not going to do a lot of boxing Unless something new comes out and I just have to do it. I'm not going to go in my boxing library and be like I want to do all these favorite ones from the past Like, so that aspect of it really does keep me away from the boxing the points that you know.

Marla:

I just I need the points sometimes, and usually for me, though, it doesn't matter, but sometimes it does, it's true. I think for you it doesn't as matter as much as it does me Like I'll get hyper-focused on points. I'm like no, I got to get these points. I can't be doing, and I know that a lot of other friends are like that too.

Julia:

So it feels like you're putting in the effort but you're not getting back the reward, sometimes on the boxing.

Marla:

Agreed.

Julia:

So for that to be maybe looked at and adjusted. I don't know.

Marla:

I guess we need to email, right? Yeah, I doubt they will ever change that, though Probably not, I mean it's been going on for so long. They have never changed, Even in flow. They've never adjusted how much the targets are worth or the triangles are worth. So yeah, the triangles are worth.

Julia:

So yeah, so what is one of your favorite coaching moments in boxing and I'll tell you mine so I can kind of. I know I just sprung that on you.

Marla:

One of my favorite things is Coach Doc saying close your mouth.

Julia:

I love that he knows.

Marla:

He knows when your mouth is just hanging open, like when coach doc calls out the combos. See, this is why I was interrupting you, because I thought you were about to use mine.

Julia:

We didn't even talk about this. I didn't even know what yours was. So.

Marla:

I like when coach doc calls out the combos and I notice him doing it more often. He used to do it a lot in the beginning of boxing when boxing first started and it was very helpful.

Marla:

But I really enjoy it when we're doing a really hard, like a high intensity, and he starts calling out the combos, because then my mind is ready, I'm like okay, okay, I'm ready, I got this, I got this. But yeah, closing the mouth thing he does ready, I got this, I got this. But yeah, closing the mouth thing he does know. He always knows, they all know.

Julia:

It's just he says it and I'm like yep.

Julia:

Yep Mouth's just hanging open over here Right, breathe through your nose, take a deep breath. Yeah, I, I think this happens across all the workouts, but it's the whole like blink your eyes, take a breath, breathe, you know, breathe, yeah, yeah. And that is cool when they, you know, say the targets out loud and it all. It kind of always breaks my brain, though, because I'm like could you imagine coaching, try and remember what you're trying to say, all these targets coming at you and naming them like half the time I'm like what kind of target was that? So?

Marla:

yeah, don't, don't get me to name combos I have no do it. I love uppercuts. Yeah, uppercuts, yeah, and I'm okay with uppercut flurries if they are paced well and it gives you a little bit of space between them. Um, but like straight jab flurries, uh-uh, go on with you, you don't want that, you don't want that no.

Julia:

I like the fast slips oh, I love and I also, like the newer, I'm seeing it more the block targets being put in to really make you move and dance and I just love to dance in boxing.

Julia:

I, I mean you, like I said, you see some so much form. There's a video, it's one of my favorites out, and the reason why it's my favorite is because you see the two extremes. It's Jessa and April, and if you don't know or want to know, april has a lot of videos in the community with some great boxing tips and tutorials. If you need that, there's also another one and I cannot think of his name right off the top of my head.

Julia:

I don't know jose yeah, jose has some too um, and they're great to go back watch and they're very extensive in their content so if you, if you want some information, go find them in the community.

Julia:

They're great resources. But anyway, april and Jessa, they are kind of in it like a little boxing match. Of course it's just for fun, but April is very rigid boxing form and by rigid I don't mean that as a bad thing, but she is in the boxing form and jessa in her dance flow boxing form, um, and it's really cool to see the both of them and you get a good workout doing either way, either I've actually tried jessa's style.

Julia:

I mean I'm sure it was nothing near the way she does it, but if you watch her, the way she's moving and weaving and duck she's, it's a full body workout and it will raise your heart rate through the roof. But the dance boxing that that I usually try to do, and step and do the rocking that Coach Doc told us to do I love doing that in boxing as well, especially if it's like just a call to arms boxing, where you, just using your arms, can freely move the body more. But just to see everybody's form. I don't want anyone to feel scared or bad to make a video and put it out there, because I have in the past. I want to encourage people to make your video, put it out there and the form you use is the form you use, and I think that everyone should be their own and celebrate that. We should never tear anyone down for the form that they use and I know that that's happened in the past that people's put out things.

Julia:

And now if I'm asking someone like I have asked April for help and put a video out, and she's like you better get your arms up, that doesn't bother me because I asked for it, right? But you know, if you're just going out there putting your video, I think it's important for people to move how it feels good for them and we've talked about that in flow as well to do your own thing and have fun, because if you're not having fun, what's the point?

Marla:

you know, yeah, and this reminds me, have you ever done boxing in super sense?

Julia:

oh yes, your face, you're like I tried it once and I don't. I've never done it again because it was so awful to me. I feel like you have to be on beat with the boxing. I mean, I still was able to do it, but it just feels so wrong to me. What intensity level did you?

Marla:

try high, yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't care for it either. I have a friend who loves it, uh super sense boxing, but I it wasn't for me we'll see.

Julia:

I don't know if it's one of those things that I should just try. You know, do more and try more.

Marla:

Maybe I would like it but, maybe yeah I was a one and done I don't care for super sense, because I want to see the choreography that's me and in. Super Sense. You're not seeing the choreography anymore because it's disappearing in front of you. That is very true, I visually want to see the targets. I mean, super Sense is fun to try. I know there's lots of people who only use Super Sense mode, which I find completely fascinating.

Julia:

That is definitely not me, though no, I mean I guess it's for that extra, um, I don't know, to make it harder, just an extra what I meant the word yeah, yeah, mental challenge. Yeah, the challenge, the extra challenge, but yeah, the uh super sense for me, even in flow. I'm not. I would. I think I would use it more if I remembered it, but it's not on the forefront of my mind and it's not something that I remember to use.

Marla:

I don't hate.

Julia:

SuperSense, but I definitely like it better in flow than boxing. It's not.

Marla:

For sure, not for sure. Well, now that you say that you like super sense and flow better than boxing, one thing I really like about boxing overflow is knee strikes I feel like knee strikes in boxing make sense oh yeah, more so than in flow personally for sure. Yeah.

Julia:

Sometimes they just feel like they go there when you're boxing. I think it's a stance you're in I've talked about this too and flow the way I'm standing waiting for triangles. Sometimes I can't always get that knee up, but in boxing it feels a whole lot more comfortable for me. Now I have done a boxing where the knees weren't like. I'm like oh, I don't like these knees as much, but to me they make the more sense.

Julia:

Like you, were saying yeah in boxing than flow the the boxing knees feel like you're doing. What do they call it? It's not kickboxing, but it's some other form of boxing maybe we should kickboxing, kickboxing. Maybe it is kickboxing? I think so, and sometimes we do kick them. So Some other form of boxing, maybe we should look it up. Kickboxing, kickboxing. Maybe it is kickboxing, I think so, and sometimes we do kick them, so I've uppercut them, done all kinds of things with the knee strikes.

Marla:

That's funny.

Julia:

But I like when they use the knee strikes in boxing to make you turn to the next portal.

Marla:

Oh yes, yes, I do love that too or several in a row.

Julia:

But I mean, these things can go for for flow too. But I do remember at first I did feel like I I was kind of shocked.

Marla:

I was like I don't really like these in flow as much as I like them in boxing the day that knee strikes came out, they did something similar to what they did with boxing gave us a whole bunch of workouts all at once and, um, I did all the, all the boxing, every intensity level that featured knees, and then I went to flow and I was like, ew, I did.

Marla:

I said, ew, I like hold on a second. This is not right. Maybe I just need to get used to it. And so I went to the medium and I was like, hmm, I don't know how I feel about this. And then I went back to boxing and was like, oh, I love this.

Marla:

And then I went back to flow, like I did this whole go back and forth and I think it was just because I was so used to doing my own thing in flow that I had to adapt. And I do like them in flow now if they're good knees, but I definitely prefer knees in boxing. They just feel at home there you know, they do.

Julia:

I'll agree with you on that one. So yeah, our journeys have definitely been, and I can't tell you why. On my journey I've had love-hate relationships with boxing and I think I think my journey I know you had an injury so you had to stop for a while, but mine I did have like a tennis elbow situation for for little while when it first started and I think I was overextending my punches and hurting my elbow and I put Kinesio tape on that too. Y'all get you some Kinesio tape. If you hurt somewhere, just take it off, though Don't wear it.

Marla:

It was a whole process, man. I would take it off and leave it off for a little bit, and then it was a crutch. And then I it was a crutch, then I'd be like, put it back on. It feels so much better with it on. I just I. I felt so much more um, what's the word I'm looking for? Like everything was safe and secure. And as soon as it would come off, I felt like I was just oh, my neck's going to fall off my head.

Julia:

It's like a brace for you.

Marla:

And then when your partner said he wouldn't put it on anymore.

Julia:

You were begging all of us to come. Someone, come and videotape my neck.

Marla:

Because I couldn't put this one section on by myself. I could put some of it on by myself, but he refused. He was like I'm not putting on you anymore.

Julia:

He's like you're done. I'm enabling you you are finished.

Marla:

No more, oh man, yeah, but it's doing much better now. I'm just careful when I box and how often I box.

Julia:

I'm picturing you with like a copper sleeve, like turtleneck around, because I'm thinking about a copper sleeve on my elbow. You know, those are good too, oh man, a copper sleeve on my elbow.

Marla:

You know, those are good too.

Julia:

Oh, man is so good though just don't overuse it but my journey. I do believe the reason why I was frustrated was because I was trying to use a specific form that I really think that just did not work for me and I just didn't feel comfortable with it, and once I kind of let go and kind of came into my own boxing form, because we're not in a ring actually fighting someone.

Marla:

So it's okay, it's okay, we're not.

Julia:

you know, I mean, don't do anything, that's going to hurt yourself. Right, but you know, be mindful of that.

Marla:

But if you're not having fun, of course you're not gonna like it you know, yeah, so and I, I think one of the one of the things about boxing form like true boxing form and I know april when she helps people in the community she says just work on one thing at a time so if you want to make sure you're getting your steps with your punches moving your feet, just work on that and then move to something else.

Marla:

Then move to something else. For me personally, it feels like when I correct one thing and then move to another, the other thing breaks that's exactly exactly because she was doing that with me.

Julia:

She was like okay, here's these two things I see I need you to do, and so I'm like okay, I'm moving on to this thing. And then, exactly like you said, my other thing that I had just fixed is now broken. So the boxing has so much more components and thoughts and things to deal with and that's probably why your heart rate gets higher on it.

Marla:

Because there is a lot more when it comes to body mechanics becomes to form and engaging your muscles than flow. So when I start picking back boxing more, like if I do more than one or two boxings in a day, which is very rare for me now um, I mean I can do like five or six flow in a day, but more than like two boxings I'm like no, no, no, I can't do anymore. Um, anyway, I get such a calf workout.

Julia:

Did you?

Marla:

notice that when you started doing boxing that your calves hurt all the time.

Julia:

Yeah.

Marla:

Um, so I've been trying to replicate that and flow and it's basically doing like calf raises while I'm doing doing flow.

Marla:

Um, it's been fun. Yeah, because I noticed that like I'm not giving as much of a calf workout as I once did, because I try and isolate certain muscles during certain movements. And, you know, when you've been sitting here doing this for as long as we have, you've got to find some new sort of way to get engaged, you're right. So doing sort of calf raises where I lift and go up to hit up, hits is like my new favorite thing that I've been doing lately. I like that.

Julia:

But that that reminds me that when I started doing flow, when I started Supernatural, I was using just all my upper body. But you know, in boxing I kind of did the same thing and now I focus more on my lower body and making sure. I think I have a hard time with my pivots. But when I get out of a boxing now, which before I was hurting because I was trying to punch as hard as I could, and not thinking about my feet and my legs.

Julia:

And now, when I box though my legs, sometimes I'm like give switch the stance please.

Marla:

My legs.

Julia:

sometimes I'm like switch the stance please, like I need a break and sometimes, if you've watched any of my boxing videos, when the stance does change, I'll like lift my legs up in a really high walking, because I'm like I got to stretch these legs out. So I am now trying to put a lot of my power into my legs instead of my arms and older videos of me boxing I'm like I mean, if you were standing in front of me, you're going to be on the floor, but now I'm not putting as much power. I'm not even. We haven't even talked about this. I'm not even focused on my boxing power. I used to try to get that number.

Julia:

Oh, my speed, thank you. I was trying to get the speed power all the way up. I'm wanting to be up here. You know, my friends are telling me theirs. Everybody's talking about their power numbers and I'm like, oh well, my power numbers need to be where my friends power numbers are. No, no, my power number is fine at 4.8 to 5.2. That is my sweet spot, and as long as I consistently keep it there, for me I am all good Right.

Marla:

It's just all about how everybody's is different. Doc said once and this is when it really clicked for me speed for boxing is calculated like you would snap a towel. So say like I was messing with you in the kitchen and I decided I was going to snap you on the butt with a towel. That's what the husbands do.

Marla:

So that's what you want to do when you're boxing, and this is why I absolutely love staying in guard, and this is probably one of the reasons why my neck hurts. I try and stay relaxed, but I'm staying in guard for as any time, even if I'm hitting with one arm, the other arm is always up in guard, and so my snapback is much faster because I'm staying in guard. So my speed? That's why my speed is harder. It's not because I'm hitting harder, it's because I'm snapping back from the hit faster.

Julia:

Yeah, and that's how it's calculated.

Marla:

Yeah, if you're looking to get a faster speed, try that. Try staying in guard closer, and that's what I was doing.

Julia:

I was trying to punch out as hard and fast as I could. Instead of it is that pulling back that calculates your speed.

Julia:

So, um, if people are trying to figure that out and I think that is hard that you come to it eventually you do, but I think that that's a thing that's like like an aha moment for a lot of people because, you're going to hurt yourself if you're trying to get it by just punching something as hard as you can, but the coaches tell you you trying to get it by just punching something as hard as you can, but the coaches tell you this isn't about punching something as hard as you can. So they tell you in the workouts but sometimes we don't listen to our lovely, wonderful coaches Most of the times.

Marla:

But back to the leg focus. In boxing, your power, your speed, your movement should all come from your legs. It's the same thing in flow, but we want to use our upper bodies. I think once you make the shift to less upper body focus and more lower body focus, things completely change.

Julia:

It's very true.

Marla:

Yeah, like for me. I never have issues with my shoulders because I'm not focusing my movement from there, if that makes sense, like I just let it loose and let them move and flow. My energy is coming from my legs, right coming from my legs right.

Julia:

Well, they say to like it would be like attaching a ball and making the ball move from your hips instead of yeah, so that's where that movement needs to come from, like a tennis ball. I don't know if that made sense on a tennis ball on a rope hook to your hips and you're in. April has a video that explains that, and Jose May probably does also about how that movement needs to come from your lower body.

Julia:

And she actually had a video where she, you know, had her arms up and she said just go in a low and don't even move. Don't move from this, like, stay here with your fists by your cheeks, by your face, and move your lower body to hit the targets, and it really will teach you how you need to move and shift to not don't be reaching with your arms, because then you probably will hurt yourself, you will, and this reminds me of an experiment that I did once in boxing.

Julia:

Half of your experiments. You're always experimenting, yeah I'm always so.

Marla:

I didn't hit any targets. What I was doing was I was dodging and moving my body away from all of the targets, so acting like it was a bob and weave. Um, a target would come and I would move out. You know, duck, I would move out of the way and Bob, it was a ton of fun. It was tons of movement, wore me out and maxed my heart rate out. It was like a 15 minute workout and I was on the floor afterwards. It was a lot of fun. You should try it. You should try it. If you've never done it before. I think we should all try it.

Julia:

You know what I think you told me about that and I don't think I ever did try it. If you've never done it before, I think we should all try it. You know what I think you told me about that and I don't think I ever did try it, because my brain needs to hit those targets it's hard to go in there and get a zero. Let's let's go get a zero. We need, everyone should try it.

Marla:

it's a lot of fun. It's different, um, it makes you really move your body um out of the way, and it's really funny. Eventually, eventually, I started hitting them like I couldn't take it anymore, like my brain, you know, it was like hit them, hit them, hit them, and then I would hit every once in a while and then I would go back to avoiding them. It's just funny. I practice and do a lot of experiments randomly in the headset just to see what will happen with the algorithm or if it's a new way to work out something.

Julia:

Yeah, we should have an episode about all the experiments. We've put together, a lot of things that we've done to break our brains inside of the headset? Yes or?

Marla:

figure out the way supernatural works. That's probably my biggest. Motivator is more how does the algorithm work? I'm going to figure this out so that I understand um, and once you understand the way it works, you know your idea on power and your scores will completely change for the better and I advise everyone to experiment and try and learn yeah, how everyone should.

Julia:

Yeah, I agree because it's. I mean, look at you being a little gamer yes, yes, I occasionally am a gamer. I apparently chris would be speaking of harder things games.

Marla:

Oh he would be he would be so proud.

Julia:

You'll just show him this part of the podcast.

Marla:

I'm a gamer. See, I'm a gamer.

Julia:

Pros only boxing. Well, we are 47 minutes in, so we probably shouldn't go too deep into this one.

Marla:

Maybe this should be an episode. I can't go too deep into it.

Julia:

Yeah, that's very true, because you haven't done many. I mean, we have thoughts, but we have like 10 or 11 pros, only boxings. I don't have them in front of me because we didn't want to get into them, but uh, what are your thoughts?

Marla:

I think some look. First of all, the intensity of pros only boxing is so widespread. Yeah, one pros only boxing is not the same intensity as this other pros only boxing. You just don't know what you're gonna to get and I feel like the early I was about to say early episodes, but the early workouts, pros only workouts.

Marla:

They were trying to figure it out, yeah, and now they're backing off to what I think is a more reasonable intensity level, um, and focusing on movement. But there's there's a core part of the community that wants that hardcore density for their targets in boxing, and I personally do not. I personally don't like that style of boxing.

Julia:

It's not for me, it's so funny, because what we like in Pros Only Flow. We're like give it to me. Yeah, we don't want in boxing, exactly.

Marla:

We're the complete opposite.

Julia:

There are people out there that do and they want that and they want that hardcore, and I'm glad it's there for them. Now there aren't as many, probably, as they would like, and I do think they've been really trying to put out some, some pros only boxings, um, that way that that they're there, um, and obviously they're, the releases of those aren't as often as regular releases so um, but the, like you said, the intensities are just. I mean some of the pros to me it feels like a high or a high plus.

Julia:

Yes, and so I have to do them all to see what we're going to get, and, of course, we rely on our, you know, the friends that we know that will get up and do them. We're like all right, how was it? Was this like one should I should avoid, or is this?

Marla:

was it like legend or was it like Vroom? Which one of the spectrum is it?

Julia:

Yeah, I remember doing legend and was like what in the world? I mean I actually have force quit more boxing sessions than I have anything else and I don't force quit.

Marla:

I've heard you be frustrated with boxing quite a few times, yeah.

Julia:

I probably have gotten more angry in boxing workouts like ones that have tons of flurries or movements that are just, but I mean, I guess that's the point really, If you're in a real boxing match.

Julia:

You're not going to know that somebody is going to be punching you. I mean, you got to stay at the ready, stay at the guard. You're going to miss punches, you're going to get punched. You know it's. I guess it's the nature of it and I think that in some ways it can't always be fun and it has to be. You know, some people want that like real boxing match workout.

Julia:

I mean they did put out the one that was a 12 round, uh boxing, Remember that one with doc, and it kind of went. It was lower in intensity and then it kind of went higher.

Marla:

I do remember that one, yeah, that was a good one. It was a good one and I think it was an interesting take on on doing a monster form for boxing, so I agree they were trying to. I think they try new things just to see how they go, and I love that.

Julia:

I do too. I don't think they should ever stop, and even if they're like, well, what if they hate this?

Marla:

Give it to us, we'll tell you we may love it. It's how innovation starts Always experiment.

Julia:

I know I think it's great, but the go ahead, the pros only boxing.

Marla:

I would like to see more focus on movement and more focus on complexity in the way that we see that in flow. I feel, like there lacks a lot of complexity in the majority of boxing workouts and it's just here hit all these targets and, as we know, and I continue to say, my brain wants the complexity, it wants the trickery, it wants to be like what just happened to me. How do I nail this combination that's coming out of four portals and my brain thinks it's impossible.

Marla:

And then you nail it and it's like yes, I don't have that same desire and push to nail, getting hit in the face by a bunch of dense flurry jabs.

Julia:

I don't know how else to explain it, other than I want more complexity I think it's a fine line of getting in and, like you said, having that oh wow, what just happened? I need to go back in and figure this out. Or okay, I hated that, I'm never doing that again. That made me angry. I think there's a very fine line. I don't know where that is or why it happens and I mean I have gotten angry about and I say angry, but frustrated by a target hit or a workout or one song in a workout, and then gone back to it and changed my mind. Yeah, um. So I think it's always good to go back and try something again, because mindset can kill a workout sometimes it's, and you can go back in again and be like oh well, this isn't the same.

Julia:

I don't feel the same about this. So I do think it's good to revisit and I have revisited some of the pros only boxing or even some of the highs that felt like a pro. Can we talk about that?

Marla:

Yeah.

Julia:

Oh man. Yeah, we had a pro come out and I think the next day we had a high boxing come out and that high boxing was harder than the pro that came. I think it was a. A high boxing quick hit came out and that saturday we got a high or a pros only boxing and that quick hit high boxing berian.

Julia:

Yeah, yeah, that one was the holidays yeah so the pro boxing was like a high and the trend trans-siberian. It felt like a pros. There was it. It got talked about in the community. I mean it sparks conversation. But yeah, I think it's something that is definitely not even across the board and I do understand that sometimes a pro might need to be a higher pro or a lower pro, but it's, it's all over.

Julia:

But boxing is newer, you know, than flow. Flow is out there longer. It's a. It's a whole conversation that that could be had about it and everybody thinks differently and feels differently. I think about what they want in a boxing. Like flow is different to me. Flow is like the movement that you have in the dance, versus boxing, you know, can be this hardcore thing. Or I want dance boxing because most of the boxing that I love are the dance. Are there? They're the fuegos, they're the dance around the worlds, dance around the worlds. Those are the type of boxing and I almost feel like I'm flowing when I'm boxing. We just want flow. No, I'm kidding, I love boxing too.

Julia:

I just want flow, she just wants flow. Marla's like if the boxing's now all of a sudden gone tomorrow, oh well, not my problem. There would be an outrage in the community because you know I've met a lot of people that just like the boxing. I've met a lot of people who only do boxing. Yeah same. And it blows my mind. I'm like why don't you come over here and try some flow?

Marla:

a little.

Julia:

I mean you might like it, the flow against boxing.

Marla:

Now I do love boxing. There are a few boxing workouts that I would be so sad to see leave the library. They're just different. They're unique. The vibe to them is less offensive boxing and more defensive boxing, and that is the style that I prefer personally. Same.

Julia:

Same.

Marla:

So, Same.

Julia:

Yeah, it's a great conversation. Boxing is not as straightforward, in my opinion, as flow is. I feel like there's just a whole lot of varying opinions and things that could be said about it.

Marla:

And it's funny because I actually think the opposite of you. I think the community thinks boxing is very straightforward and it should be boxing.

Julia:

It should be straight, like you would go and learn how to box yeah, um, but as we've all learned, exercising in a VR environment allows you to change things from the norm and allows you to do what you want, whatever works for you the boxing that has different songs that, like I said, get me riled up that I do go into more rigid boxing form in those, just because that's what feels right. But I'm all over the place boxing, it's all over the place. I think that's why I don't film side by sides as much in them. Sometimes I'll watch them back and I was like I know I was moving more, more than that. I know I was punching harder than that, but who knows, maybe it's harder to see than blow, I think.

Julia:

But anyway, we'll have to open a discussion in our Facebook community about boxing and just get a lot of different thoughts and opinions on it, because it's very fascinating to me the way other people think about it. So we will wrap this up and give a weekly workout suggestion and this one Marla added this one this morning and I saw it and I was like I need to go do it. The mood booster called Drippin Sunshine. It's such a cool looking card with Coach Dwana. High intensity, 19 minute boxing workout from 8, 12, 23. Go do it, do it twice.

Marla:

Why do they need to do?

Julia:

it twice, Marla.

Marla:

Because there's trickery in it. There's brain trickery in there, Also because our friend Julie absolutely hated this workout. The day it came out, she sent me a message right away. Yes, I'm putting her on blast. What did they do? They were trying to do too much. This workout was insane. What was happening? And I laughed, manically laughed. When I read the message. I was like you're entitled to your opinion you know, but like, this is what boxing should be.

Marla:

Think about it, think about it. And it's because she's always trying to get diamonds on boxing and if she doesn't get a diamond, her first play means she has to continue to keep playing it. Right, she did not get a diamond on this play first time out. It broke her brain, aggravated her but now she has it did and, and, and the complexity that this offered you know, was so different than boxing workouts that came before it.

Marla:

So it's the whole thing of this is new. We hate it. I got to get used to it, but now she loves this workout and often brings it up. We'll say, like that time I didn't like that mood booster, and now I love it yeah.

Julia:

Yeah, this is good. I think the day it came out I played it like three times so good, but it does have trickery three portals with like yeah, white and black, on the opposite sides of what your brain thinks it should be. So you gotta pay attention. Moving exactly. Things are moving everywhere. I mean, they did do a lot and I love it. Same too much and I love it.

Marla:

Exactly this. Um, the style of this high boxing reminds me of that most recent dance around the world High boxing that we both love. So every once in a while, a new boxing will come out and I'll freak out about it. I'm like, oh my gosh, everyone go do this. Boxing is so good. I'll freak out about it. I'm like, oh my gosh, everyone go do this boxing, it's so good. And so I know it seems like I don't want to talk about boxing often. It's not that, it's just I like a very particular style of boxing.

Julia:

And I don't really care for the others unfortunately.

Marla:

That doesn't get me going and motivate me to kick butt in boxing.

Julia:

Well, I know, when you rave over a boxing, it's gonna be a good boxing right thank you, I appreciate. If you don't, I'm like, okay, well, she didn't like it, but that doesn't mean, but when you do, like a boxing, I'm like, okay, I'm going in right now because right, it must be really good so I don't cause your standards.

Marla:

Yeah, my boxing standards.

Julia:

I love a boxing here, marla's.

Marla:

Marla's gonna be like and a lot of them are great. They're okay they're good yeah, you know, but they're not. Wow and yeah, listen, I know it sounds like I'm just a snob all around. No, I know you like what you like and that's okay and I don't expect every workout to be mind blowing and wow, trust me, I really don't but when they do come out, man, they get me so excited for that workout and for the future, what's possible for the future.

Marla:

Like if they could take elements of these two high boxing workouts that I really love the dance around the world and the mood booster and make a pros only version with those elements. That would be ideal to me over just an onslaught of dense targets agreed, agreed's the onslaught for the people who need it. Yes, this is also the way I view pros flow. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that I would want that in boxing as well. Sorry, yes.

Julia:

But this one does give you a lot of joy too. When you get out, the music's great, it's a good time it is a good time. And when they finish, what do they need to do?

Marla:

Rate the workout. Look to left and do the needful Rate the workout. They want to hear from you. They want to know why you like it. Is it the movements? Do you love the coaching? Maybe you don't like the music. Fair enough, don't check the music. Maybe you love it so much and you have so many notes you pause between songs and wrote them down. I don't know people like that at all, but maybe that, maybe that happened to you on occasion and so you'll want to hit other and then they will prompt you to um, have an email and you can just copy and paste all those notes make them a little bit more presentable and hit send in an email format, send it.

Julia:

That's right. Well, we really appreciate that. You stopped in listen to us today, took time out of your busy day to hang out with us and don't forget the real joy and love of supernatural is found on the journey you go on bye.