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Box Squats - Leg Exercise

By Elliott | May 12, 2008

Primary Muscle: Quads

Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes

Equipment Needed: Squat Rack, Barbell, Box

Mechanics Type: Compound

About: Box squats and box squat variations are a staple in FSS program. I love box squats for beginners and veterans for different reasons. First of all when you are working with a beginner the box squat is the easiest way to teach them how to squat and to prepare them for the more demanding back squat. Also because their confidence at this point sucks they feel more comfortable with a support structure underneath them. As for the coach it takes a ton of the frustration out of teaching young weaklings how to move.

When it comes to more advanced lifters the box squat shifts from being a technique and strength builder into a Super Speed and Power exercise. This is due to the fact that when you box squat the demand on static to dynamic strength increases. Essentially you need to generate enough power to get off of your ass from a low box with massive amounts of weights on your back. This can also be done with lighter weights for speed.

The box squat develops hip, glute and hamstring strength without the typical soreness associated with back squats. So, this means that you can go heavy on squat day and still have enough energy to give 100% in practice the next day. Below are pictures and descriptions with the essential cues that you must master in order to get your body squatting BIG.

Technique:

*Stance – With the box squat you are going to use a high box (thighs above parallel) or a low box (thighs below parallel) depending on the strength and flexibility of your athlete. Also, you may want to design boxes of various heights (18-21”) for shorter or taller athletes. Before I had a box like to one in the picture I would simply use a bench. Just remember that safety is paramount and that you use a sturdy structure.

This picture is a bit misleading and doesn’t tell you the whole deal. Here is what you need to know: in my opinion it is best to squat and box squat in a squat rack. Because I couldn’t get a good shot for you in the rack I took it out. Now, with this type of squat I prefer the power lifting stance, this is with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width and toes pointed slightly out. Also, your knees should be spread open- like your showing your crotch! Athletes with weak glutes have a tendency to let the knees buckle in, you correct this by cueing them by saying “show your crotch” or spread your knees.

* “Butt Out & Chest Up” – Ok, once you’ve lifted the bar off of the rack you will need to take a few tiny steps backwards and position yourself in front of the box. The heavier the weight gets the less you are going to want to move back towards your box so make sure that it is basically situated right behind you or your athlete.

Here is when you begin the decent of the squat movement. You are going to want to keep your eyes straight ahead, your chest up or “spread” and stick your butt out like a chick in an MTV video. This will ensure that your back remains tight or in a “C” position.

It’s very important that you stress proper form with this exercise. An athlete that is too weak to keep his chest up or stick his butt out is going to have a hard time handling heavier weights. Make sure that you can perform this movement properly for several reps with the bar alone or even with just your bodyweight before you begin to add weight. Once you get the form right ½ the work is done, your nervous system will begin to adapt to the new movement and your strength will go up very quickly – but don’t rush!

Another thing, your feet should remain flat on the floor. ALL of your foot should receive the same amount of weight-distributed trough out it. Most young or weak athletes will end up on their toes with their heels lifted as well as placing too much weight on the insides of the feet. More often than none I have to tell the athlete to press the floor with the heels and outsides of their feet.

As far as hand and elbow position is concerned, I tend to have my athletes grip the bar about 6 –8 inches outside their shoulders. Many coaches and power lifters have them grab the bar wider but I feel that the closer grip forces the athlete’s shoulders into external rotation especially if the elbows are tucked under or pointing down. This is important because most young athletes have poor posture and tight pecs; my technique exposes this weakness so that it can be corrected. I’m not saying that the others are wrong, just that this is what works for me. The cue I use for this is “Tuck your elbows.”

“Sit back on to the box & show your crotch.” - At this point in the movement you should be reaching your ass out or sitting back onto the box while keeping your knees spread. I know is sounds like I’m giving you a ton of different phrases and cues for each of these movements but sometime one cue works for 90% of your athletes and another for the 10% that didn’t get the first one. Sometimes I spend weeks trying to coach someone a move and one day they finally get it, so I ask them… “What made it click today?” and he’ll tell me “It was when you said BLANK____.” All it takes is the right descriptive term and someone who is hard to coach becomes your best student when you repeat the magic phrase.

Anyway, sit back onto the box without crashing down onto it. This is important, as many athletes will think of sitting on the box as a rest when it couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact you want to keep some tension in your legs and your feet firmly grounded when you are sitting on the box.

From this position you then want to push your feet into the ground and stand up tall. I say “tall” because many athletes will only come up partially and keep their hips flexed. I want to you explode off of the box and stand up tall. A good cue to use is to tell your athletes to imagine that there is a rope attached to the top of their head and it is pulling them up towards the ceiling. This will keep them tall throughout the entire movement. Stand tall and then repeat.

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