Box Squat Form Check

[DannyGi]

Following a thread i post about my back squat form check here my box squat!
My squat stalled and maybe switching tho a different lift will get my motivation on the right path.
I feel more secure doing box squat, seems i can handle more weight on my back!

295x1 - Box Squat form check - yes i know its not a real box but my gym sucks, so only alternative is those areobic step or a regular bench.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

 

[MMAPARADOX]

i'm a beginner but i'm pretty sure i heard somewhere that you shouldn't stay down that long on the box, for fear of injuries... i'm going to try to find the place where i read that

 

[Brawn Lesnar]

You need to sit back farther bro. On box squats you wanna make sure your shins are vertical.

 

[TrainingAdict]

Noob question, why is it essential to have shins vertical or past vertical with box squats?

Is more strength derived?

 

[Keosawa]

Noob question, why is it essential to have shins vertical or past vertical with box squats?

Is more strength derived?

I think the answer is that you're supposed to engage your posterior chain when training box squats and your power should come from flexing your gluts and hips at the bottom of the lift. That's how Dave Tate describes it - a glut-dominant squat variation.

I don't think it's "essential," but rather, an added benefit. The box squat allows for your shins to go "past vertical" (meaning the knee is behind the sole of the shoe) in a way that is impossible doing regular squats. In doing so, it becomes a very helpful exercise for posterior chain strengthening.

 

[Dani3L**]

i did box squats every tuesday and thrusday for 4 years while play football.

you only tap the box.... you dont sit on it. come down slow, then as soon as you feel the box, explode up. lean back and chest up when u do them. look up while you're doing them too. also noticed you dont have a spotter..... that would have been 25 up downs.

always have one... even with light weight (no offense)

 

[Origins]

i did box squats every tuesday and thrusday for 4 years while play football.

you only tap the box.... you dont sit on it. come down slow, then as soon as you feel the box, explode up. lean back and chest up when u do them. look up while you're doing them too. also noticed you dont have a spotter..... that would have been 25 up downs.

always have one... even with light weight (no offense)

Why do you need a spotter in a squat rack?

 

[plugchop]

You can handle more weight squatting this way because your range of motion is very restricted -- you're not even reaching parallel. Lower the safeties and lower the platform you are squatting onto.

And lulz to the guy saying you need a spotter when you are clearly in a rack.

 

[Tosa]

You rock back a little on the box. Don't. You have a very slow eccentric. I realize you don't want to drop down and smash into the box, but don't take your time so much. Also, maybe you already know this, but during box squats, it's absolutely essential to stay completely tight, even on the box. Relaxing even a small amount could cause injury.

I think the answer is that you're supposed to engage your posterior chain when training box squats and your power should come from flexing your gluts and hips at the bottom of the lift. That's how Dave Tate describes it - a glut-dominant squat variation.

I don't think it's "essential," but rather, an added benefit. The box squat allows for your shins to go "past vertical" (meaning the knee is behind the sole of the shoe) in a way that is impossible doing regular squats. In doing so, it becomes a very helpful exercise for posterior chain strengthening.

Having your shins past vertical changes the nature of the exercise entirely. I would consider it to be more of an accessory lift. I recently read that the ability to do Bw squats this way is an indicator as to whether or not the glutes are activating properly.

i did box squats every tuesday and thrusday for 4 years while play football.

you only tap the box.... you dont sit on it. come down slow, then as soon as you feel the box, explode up. lean back and chest up when u do them. look up while you're doing them too. also noticed you dont have a spotter..... that would have been 25 up downs.

always have one... even with light weight (no offense)

Box squats can be done either way. If it's just a tap, the box is only there to ensure consistent depth. If you pause on the box, it's there to reduce stretch reflex. Also, considering the gym he's at, he's probably better of relying on the safeties in the squat rack, rather than random people at the gym.

 

[Endo]

Why do you need a spotter in a squat rack?

Safer to get a little boost than it is for someone inexperienced to ditch the bar.

 

[Origins]

Safer to get a little boost than it is for someone inexperienced to ditch the bar.

I don't know. I mean, if you've got the pins at the right level, it's pretty simple to just drop down and let the bar catch on them. And personally I would rather not have some guy all in my business when I'm squatting.

 

[rckvl]

i did box squats every tuesday and thrusday for 4 years while play football.

you only tap the box.... you dont sit on it. come down slow, then as soon as you feel the box, explode up. lean back and chest up when u do them. look up while you're doing them too. also noticed you dont have a spotter..... that would have been 25 up downs.

always have one... even with light weight (no offense)

What do you mean "lean back"? You don't "lean back" you sit back, as in push your hips back out behind you. Also never look upwards when squatting, that's just stupid and asking for problems.

 

[cmonreally]

i did box squats every tuesday and thrusday for 4 years while play football.

you only tap the box.... you dont sit on it. come down slow, then as soon as you feel the box, explode up. lean back and chest up when u do them. look up while you're doing them too. also noticed you dont have a spotter..... that would have been 25 up downs.

always have one... even with light weight (no offense)

I dont have a squat rack, and i have had a spotter maybe 3-4 times. im still alive, healthy, and setting PRs. You just gotta know your limits and how you feel. *gets out of chair and begins to do a million up downs*

 

[miaou]

Danny, sit back instead of straight down. Making sure your heels are in front of the box, instead of on it's sides, can help you correct this.


...also:

 

[Dani3L**]

What do you mean "lean back"? You don't "lean back" you sit back, as in push your hips back out behind you. Also never look upwards when squatting, that's just stupid and asking for problems.

wasnt saying lean backwards.... i meant chest out, like your taking a deep breath in.

doing that and looking up keeps the bar off of you're neck and on your shoulders.

you're suppost to do both. if you dont, you'll be more likely fall forward or lose balance....





quick experiment if you wanna do it . . . get a chair, get in a squating position, then look straight ahead and bend down, tap the chair, then come back up. (simulating a box squat)

then . . . do it again, except this time.... take a deep breath in and look up... you when you have the breath in and look up... you should feel yourself go a little bit lower, have better balance, and feel more of you legs working than back. you definitely would with weight any ways.

if you cant tell then do 5 in a row of each.

 

[Dani3L**]

I dont have a squat rack, and i have had a spotter maybe 3-4 times. im still alive, healthy, and setting PRs. You just gotta know your limits and how you feel. *gets out of chair and begins to do a million up downs*

well at my high school we lifted pretty heavy . . . they tested to see what our max
was that we could do one time, then made us do reps of slightly lighter weight.

we always lifted on the border line of not being able to come back up... so it was nessesary.

paid off tho . . . my football team was 15-0 (43-1 in my 3 years of varsity), state champs, and #3 in the nation. :icon_chee

 

[rckvl]

You should be breathing air into your stomach, not your chest. You are right in that you want your chest up though. You are utterly wrong in your statement that you should look up during the squat. Do you want me to type up the entire section in Starting Strength detailing why this is a bad idea?

 

[cmonreally]

thats awesome. but noone gives a shit, because all of your posts are dumb as fuck and you need to read the FAQs before you start suggesting shit to people.

 

[turbozed]

You should be breathing air into your stomach, not your chest. You are right in that you want your chest up though. You are utterly wrong in your statement that you should look up during the squat. Do you want me to type up the entire section in Starting Strength detailing why this is a bad idea?

Nothing very wrong with looking up. SS advocates low bar squat and in that position it's more natural to look forward and down. High bar changes the eye line a bit. Looking slightly up gives a nice cue that engages your hips more.

These guys look slightly up when ascending:

 

[rckvl]

Looking forward is not the same as looking up. The cervical spine should be in a neutral position during the squat, not hyperextended.