Whether you’re striking hard or lifting heavy, mobility and recovery are the secret weapons to leveling up your performance. That’s where yoga comes in. At Gritbox, our Strength + Stretch classes are designed to support your workouts—helping you move better, recover smarter, and feel stronger from head to toe.
Below are some go-to yoga poses you’ll catch in class (and can do at home) that don’t just feel amazing—they actually enhance your workouts by improving flexibility, building strength, and activating major muscle groups. Pro tip: some of these directly translate to your kickboxing form. Let’s get into it 👇
Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana)
Targets: Hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, glutes
This one opens up the hips big time—perfect for anyone tight from squats, sprints, or too much sitting. A juicy low lunge improves mobility for lunges, kicks, and any lower-body work you’re tackling.
Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
Targets: Obliques, shoulders, inner thighs, hamstrings
This pose lights up your whole side body and challenges your balance. It’s great for building core strength and endurance—key components when you’re throwing combos and hitting those strikes like a champ.
Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
Targets: Quads, glutes, core, calves
Hello, burn.
Chair pose mimics the squat and strengthens all of the same muscles. It’s low-impact but high-activation, building heat in the legs and core to prep you for strength circuits or explosive movements.
Seated Forward Fold (Left & Right)
Targets: Hamstrings, calves, lower back
Folding over each leg individually helps isolate tight areas and increase hamstring flexibility. Perfect for recovery after lower-body days, or if you’re lower spine just needs a little extra TLC.
Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Targets: Shoulders, hamstrings, calves, spine
Is it really yoga if we don’t include this absolute classic? A full-body stretch that doubles as a strength-builder. Downward Dog lengthens the posterior chain and improves shoulder mobility—great prep for planks, punches, or just life in general.
Upward Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Targets: Spine, chest, abs, shoulders
A powerful backbend that opens the front body while strengthening the back. Great post-core burnout or after any upper-body heavy session. It brings length and space back to your spine, not to mention how great it is after rounds of push-ups, planks, or burpees.
High Plank / Forearm Plank
Targets: Core, shoulders, chest, glutes
You can consider this your core’s best friend. Holding plank builds serious stability and shoulder strength, making you react with more power and more control in every move.
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Targets: Lower back, hips, quads
Recovery never looked so good. This pose gives your body a moment to chill and breathe. Use it to reset in class or anytime you need to decompress after pushing your limits.
Final Thoughts
Mobility and strength go hand in hand. The stronger you are in these poses, the stronger you’ll be in in the studio and in your body every day. Join us for a Strength + Stretch class and give your muscles the love they need. Your kicks will be higher, your squats deeper, and your punches—well, those were already pretty badass. 🧘♀️🥊
