Bottom Position Training v Box Squat

[Joe Funaro]

I've been watching the Brooks Kubik vids and like them. In his power rack training video, he mentions that he relies on bottom position training as his primary training tool. It really helps with exploding out of the hole.

From looking at it, it seems very similar to doing a box squat. In the box squat, you come down, pause, then explode up. The bottom training just takes out the initail coming down part. It also rests the weight on the pins instead of you (the box).

So is it pretty much the same thing?

 

[Standard]

KW also talks about bottom up training in the stickies, while usefull for gains i don' think it would be an effective primary tool. It is similar to box squats in that you are always going to hit the same minimal depth but the mechanics are a fair bit different, that and you don't need a box for bottom ups

 

[Zerocrew1984]

3 sec pause squats ftw

 

[DEVILsSON]

there's also difference in spinal compression between the two movements.

 

[joshetc]

3 sec pause squats ftw

Agreed. I'm not the best squatter, but I've found sitting in the hole for even 5-10 seconds for only a couple reps really makes you have to focus on glute recruitment to get out of the hole. I usually do it for submaximal sets, around 70% of 1RM from time to time. I stretch out as deep as I can then focus on exploding the weight up with as much force as possible.

The last bit beyond parallel is the hardest part of the squat, IMO. I have no problems doing slow negatives as much as 20 or 30% over my 1RM. It's that first few inches getting out of the hole that is the biggest challenge.

 

[ThinkGreen]

You can also do pause squats, squats with bands, or squats with chains to mimic the same type of movement/idea

 

[BlondeWarrior]

A great learning to squat tool is to use a lower-than-normal box, and use a thick foam pad on top, to teach yourself when you are sinking just to parallel. The thing that most people forget about is keeping tight though the hips when lowering, and then slow the descent when your butt hits the foam pad and you touch your butt to the box--keeping VERY tight through the hips--pause, and then explode off the box.

That tightness is what helps the "explosion"--some people when they sit on the box come down and sit like they are sitting on the toilet, rounding their lower back and such. Don't teach yourself to do this since this isn't going to be the way you're going to be squatting when the box isn't there.

Box squats are *super great* for learning and continued training with squats. For the explosion and fighting through that 1/3 of the way sticking point, train with chains. The chains get heavier on the way up as they come off the ground. Chains + box = help with the bottom and help exploding through sticking points.