how to preform box squats

[bolo]

i wan't to know how to preform box squats, i here of them but never seen anyone do them

 

[wedge]

box squts

I did them years back by putting a chair in front of the squat rack.

1. start w/ just the bar to feel the balance.

2. get the chair into position

3.just like a regular squat but now sit down in the chair ( box ).

4. come back up. ( this really makes U work )

Thats the way I was taught.
wedge

 

[brandonjpowell]

Be sure you can handle the weight and do not sit down to hard on the box. You can really hurt your back and neck if you do.

 

[bolo]

what part of the leg does this work other than squats, or is there any benefit to these over squats

 

[redneck 6]

Go to the articles section on www.elitefts.com and you will find everything you need to know about box squats.

 

[xcelbeyond]

I squat alone, at home gym, in a power cage. Safety bars are set low enough to keep me out of trouble.

I just started doing box squats. I use a plastic milk crate turned upside down (open end up) and taped a flat USPS Priority Mail Box lightly filled with packing peanuts on top. This is what I consider a "tool" to assure that I descend far enough. I experimented with different heights and this just breaks parallel (at top of legs).

I was DEATHLY afraid of what brandon said up until I thought about how to do it safely. If you have a hard box/seat and you actual put ANY weight on it, you're taking the stress of your back and neck. then putting it back on whe you go upwards - just asking for injury.

With my setup, if I fail, my ass goes in the box and weight ends up on safety bars!

 

[brandonjpowell]

xcelbeyond, that is a great idea. I have never seen anyone use a soft seat, like a box that would cushion your descent if you should fail on the lift. That would take nearly all of the risk out of injuring your back or neck.

 

[bolo]

thanks guys, i'll give them a try

 

[squatter]

I'm in the same boat as xcelbeyond because usually I can't find two guys strong enough to spot me, so I go at it solo in the rack.

Box squatting has really helped me jump out of a rut. I always use a slightly wider stance w/ box squats than regular squats in order to over exagerate the hip/hammy involvement. I sit slowly onto the box and then sit back and exhale. sitting back unloads the hips. I then lean forward and explode upwards with max effort, trying to develope as much speed as possible. I like doing sets of 5 or less. higher reps don't work for me on the box. chains work well with box squats too.

best of luck to you!

Dave Tate sells a good box, but if you want something cheaper, newyorkbarbell.com sells a cheap one that actually isn't too bad.

squatter

 

[Mr_Magoo]

xcelbeyond, that is a great idea. I have never seen anyone use a soft seat, like a box that would cushion your descent if you should fail on the lift. That would take nearly all of the risk out of injuring your back or neck.

but xcel is usin his box differently than the method powerlifters use it.....if u r a powerlifter........u need a hard seat...because u have to relax the hips at the bottom

 

[Sandblaster]

Magoo is right and furthermore, you aren't 'sitting' on the box. You are sitting BACK onto the box and that is much different. Push your ass backwards while arching your back and bending over.

That is not sitting back WHILE ON the box either. That is a different method and my old coach used to teach us to rock on the box. WSB doesn't do that kind of thing. I use both kinds in my training, the rocking method emphasizes much more quad than hip like the WSB method.

SB

 

[bolo]

ok now i'm confused a little , do you just go down and as soon as you feel the box go up, or are you going down and sitting on your as for a second and then back up

 

[Sandblaster]

There are different ways to do it....you can do it either way.

SB

 

[KillerStack]

There's a video of box squats here:

http://www.joeskopec.com/assist.html