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The box squat can be a valuable tool to increase your squat. However, it is very easy to do wrong and end up with little or no gains.
I have seen countless people box squat incorrectly and wonder why they are not getting results.
Box Squat Muscles Worked?
The box squat is a great exercise to overload the muscles involved in your squat. When you set up on a box, most of the weight will be shifted onto the glutes and hamstrings.
In addition, when sitting back onto a box most lifters will use their hip flexors to maintain balance. This actually helps to strengthen the hip flexors! It’s also easy to overload. You simply add weight each week to keep getting stronger.
How to do Box Squats
To execute the perfect box squat, place a box behind you. It should be between 12-16 inches high. Keep your shin close to vertical when sitting back onto the box.
This will keep shear stress off of your knee and allow you to sit back on the box with no weight on it. After you sit on the box, come up by driving with your hips while squeezing the glutes.
Keep your chest up and push out against the box to help you explode back to the starting position.
Box Squat Benefits and Drawbacks
There are numerous benefits when compared to back or front squats. The greatest benefit is that it puts you into a deep position without stressing your lower back, knees or hips.
When done properly, a box squat can save you a lot of pain and injuries by limiting the range of motion.
The drawbacks are that you can’t go as heavy as other variations, and many people sacrifice form to compensate for the loss of weight. It is also very easy to do reps incorrectly by bouncing off the box.
Front Box Squat Benefits
I love using the front box squat with people that have injuries or bad knees. People with less-than-optimal mobility can still sit back and get into a deep position without stressing their knees, hips or lower back. In addition, you can go very heavy on front squats as they are not limited by the weight of the bar.
The front box squat is actually my favorite variation of the box squat. I do not know why, but it just feels right to me.
I am sure it has something to do with the bar being positioned over my center of gravity instead of behind me like in traditional back squats.
Front Box Squat Drawbacks
The biggest drawback to front box squats is that you will have significantly less weight on the bar. This makes it harder to overload the muscles involved in your squat.
I like to start people out with front box squats at least until they can do multiple sets of 8 reps without breaking form (ie; leaning forward, rounding their back, etc). Once they are able to use proper form consistently, I will progress them to back squats.
Front Box Squat Muscles Worked
The front box squat works the same muscles as the back squat. However, since you are sitting more upright, it will put more emphasis on your quadriceps and less on your posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings).
Box Squat vs Squat
The box squat is a great alternative to the traditional barbell back squat. It does not require good mobility or a high degree of core strength/stability.
In addition, many people get knee, hip and lower back pain from heavy squats. The box squat limits the range of motion and allows you to still overload your muscles without stressing your joints.
The downside to box squats is that you will not get as strong as a barbell back squat because you can’t go quite as heavy, and it doesn’t train your body to squat through a full range of motion.
This means there are benefits to doing both variations (back squats for strength training and box squats for rehab/conditioning).
Box Squat Dumbbell
The dumbbell box squat is one of my favorite variations for the lower body. It’s essentially a front box squat, but you hold two dumbbells down by your side instead of barbell in front of you (which makes it more like a back squat).
I prefer to use this variation with people that want to do squats but have a shoulder injury or don’t feel comfortable holding the weight in front of them.
Bodyweight Box Squat
The bodyweight box squat is a great way to help beginners learn how to sit back and use their glutes properly.
It’s also a good variation for people that want to do higher reps or just need an extra day of rest from heavy squats.
Box Squat Height
You can alter the box height to fit your squat needs. However, most people find that their optimal box height is between 8-12 inches.
I believe this is due to the fact that if you go too high with the box, it is hard to sit back and overload your glutes. If you go too low, you are not limiting the range of motion enough.
Box Squat Variations
You can alter your box squat in many ways to meet your individual needs. Here are some of my favorite ways to change it up:
1. Change bar position (high or low) – This will affect how you sit during the movement. If you move your bar lower, it will force you to get more upright and use less glute. Conversely, positioning the bar higher up on your back forces you to lean more forward and use more glute.
2. Add chains – Wearing chains will overload your top end of the movement and increase your speed off the bottom (due to the increased weight).
3. Use bands – Bands are great for accommodating resistance because they build more tension as you approach lockout (top of range of motion). For this reason, I prefer to use bands because it allows you to overload throughout the entire movement.
Box Squat Alternatives
If you do not have a box, I recommend doing goblet squats (one dumbbell in rack position). You can also use different objects around the gym that are roughly knee height.
Bulgarian Split Squat
The Bulgarian split squat is a great way to overload your legs and add single leg stability. If you don’t have dumbbells, you can hold a weight in front of you (or use an adjustable bench).
To perform this exercise, place one foot back on a bench so that when you bend forward your knee does not go over your toe (don’t let the knee cave in). Keep your torso upright and drive through your front heel.
Lunge with Knee Drive
The lunge with knee drive is one of my favorite exercises for teaching people to use their glutes properly during hip extension. It’s also a great posterior chain exercise that can help strengthen your glutes and hamstrings.
To perform this exercise, hold a weight in front of you and take a big step forward and drop your back knee to the ground (drive it towards the ground). Keep your torso upright and drive through your front heel.
While these two exercises are great for repairing glute function, they can also be used to overload your legs. Make sure you have adequate supervision or a spotter for safety reasons.
Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift is one of the best exercises for helping people to drive through their heels and extend their hips properly. If you don’t have dumbbells, you can hold a weight in front of you (or use an adjustable bench).
To perform this exercise, make sure that your back stays flat throughout the entire range of motion. Keep a neutral spine and push your hips back as you lower the weight (it should almost feel like you are doing a good morning).