Box squat vs squatting to a box

deadshot138

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I’m told these are two different things and it makes me think I’ve never done a box squat. Louis Simmons said a box squat is a leg curl and I’ve definitely never felt that when I did these. Also you’re supposed to relax on the box? Relaxing with 400lbs on my back seems like a terrible idea. Anyone familiar with this subject?
 
You are not supposed to relax your entire body on the box.
Just the hips, the core should still be stiff and braced.
This is to create power from a deadstop instead of being so reliant on the stretch reflex to get out the hole.

The squat to box technique is used mostly to gauge depth so you dont go deeper then you need.
I know sheiko prefers the later for his lifters.
 
I've only done high box squats. I'm basically squatting onto the bench, so it has me a few inches above parallel. I can overload quite a bit. I only use it when I'm starting to try to peak towards a new 1RM. My knees are often aching at that point. The high box squat does not bother them, and it also acts as a tool to get used to the heavier weight on my back.

It's as spiderguardman said - you don't relax your whole body.
 
Box squat breaks up the eccentric/concentric chain. Squatting to a box helps reinforce consistent depth. I don't reccomend either.
 
I’m told these are two different things and it makes me think I’ve never done a box squat. Louis Simmons said a box squat is a leg curl and I’ve definitely never felt that when I did these. Also you’re supposed to relax on the box? Relaxing with 400lbs on my back seems like a terrible idea. Anyone familiar with this subject?

I assume that squatting to a box is what Sheiko has his athletes do. As an example, here's him showing how he coaches the squat.



As a comparison, here's Louis' version. Sheiko, in one of his many recent interviews, specifically said that they are ''not Louis Simmons style box squats.''



The box pretty clearly takes the load of the lifter+barbell in one, and not the other.
 
I’m told these are two different things and it makes me think I’ve never done a box squat. Louis Simmons said a box squat is a leg curl and I’ve definitely never felt that when I did these. Also you’re supposed to relax on the box? Relaxing with 400lbs on my back seems like a terrible idea. Anyone familiar with this subject?
Just go ass to grass and adapt from there.
 
Just go ass to grass and adapt from there.


Not everyone can or should do atg squats.
There are major differences in hip socket depth and other factors that will decide what squat is optimal for a trainee.
 
Not everyone can or should do atg squats.
There are major differences in hip socket depth and other factors that will decide what squat is optimal for a trainee.
Before sitting toilets people had to squat to poop. Everyone could atg if they take the time and effort. Ofcourse you if you never did this before in your life you will have difficulity and u cant change that in 1 workout but eventually you can. I am talking to normal people here by the way not disabled people.
 
From what I gather the leg curl is a reference on how it feels activating everything for the lift off the heels, on the box you rock back a little, relaxing the hip flexors but nothing else, this is to break the stretch reflex.

That's how I've been doing em anyway!
 
Before sitting toilets people had to squat to poop. Everyone could atg if they take the time and effort. Ofcourse you if you never did this before in your life you will have difficulity and u cant change that in 1 workout but eventually you can. I am talking to normal people here by the way not disabled people.


Yeah whatever ..

Read this and come back to the thread.


https://www.otpbooks.com/stuart-mcgill-hip-anatomy/
 
Squat to box if knees are healthy. Box squat if knees are shit.
 
Its the easy way to confirm that you cannot do something by reading it... I believe everyone can in their own way ofcourse. It does not to be with a barbell or weigths. Dont you think its weird if a human cannot sit on its heels? do you have this issue?


Sure its weird and most likely a adaption from sitting to much.
I know most asian can deep squat and alot of westerners cant.
If you actually read my link you would see that genetic differences will decide how deep one can squat without discomfort along with active mobility.


You are right that i cant squat very deep anymore.
I have serious back issues and can only safely squat to parallell on a box.
I actually messed it up by going deeper then i safely could from advice similar to the one you are promoting.


My point is that if you can safely go atg then go ahead.
But for most people its not realistic.
 
Before sitting toilets people had to squat to poop. Everyone could atg if they take the time and effort. Ofcourse you if you never did this before in your life you will have difficulity and u cant change that in 1 workout but eventually you can. I am talking to normal people here by the way not disabled people.
Squatting to shit is different than squatting under load. This argument has been debunked along with the “squat like a baby” meme.
 
Before sitting toilets people had to squat to poop. Everyone could atg if they take the time and effort. Ofcourse you if you never did this before in your life you will have difficulity and u cant change that in 1 workout but eventually you can. I am talking to normal people here by the way not disabled people.
There is a huge difference between shitting in the woods and squatting with heavy weights on your back. Ask most non trained people to squat down to the ground and their heels come up and/or their back rounds excessively. Lower back rounding is a result, most of the time, of the neck of the femur hitting the hip socket because there is simply no more room in the joints to flex your hips. Having that happen when shitting in the woods or sitting into it is fine, but that repeated bone on bone contact with heavy weights will most likely damage/hurt your back and/or your hips. That's why you see anterior femoral hip impingement exploding after crossfit became popular.

Yes, hip sockets matter. Here's some anatomy for you. Femur neck angle, hip socket depth, hip socket angle and so on will all effect the room availiable in the hip to do flexion before bone hits bone.

to1-figure-9.jpg

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dysplasia1.jpg


This is a very rough generalisation, but Asians and Eastern Europeans tends to on average to have shallower hip sockets with more anteverted femurs, meaning they have more room in their hips to flex and can achieve greater depth without any problems. Nothern Europeans and Germanian ancestry tends to on average have deeper hip sockets and more retroverted hips resulting in the reverse. In reality though, individuals differ.

Again, squatting ass to grass is fine when you're shitting in the woods or just doing BW/light load stuff, actually it can be beneficial. However with heavy weights some people really shouldn't.
 
The purpose of always squatting "ass to grass" is to justify shitty squat numbers.
 
Yeah whatever ..

Read this and come back to the thread.


https://www.otpbooks.com/stuart-mcgill-hip-anatomy/

Learning about hip structure and how it will influence the way you squat, specifically from Stuart McGill as in your link (as well as jts), was a pretty big game changer for me. My toes are pointed out and feet spread much further apart than before. Everything just feels way stronger.

Contrary to what Rippetoe would have you believe, when it comes to the squat, everyone really is a special snowflake.
 
How quickly times have changed. I remember arguing this point a few years ago when he ATG craze was going and the responses were quite different, to put it mildly. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with going ATG. I mean, if you're doing olympic lifting it's an important part of the sport. It's just not something everyone should do.
 
How quickly times have changed. I remember arguing this point a few years ago when he ATG craze was going and the responses were quite different, to put it mildly. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with going ATG. I mean, if you're doing olympic lifting it's an important part of the sport. It's just not something everyone should do.

There's just so much going on with the barbell squat that bullshit arguments have a lot of rope to work with. Remember when hamstrings were prime movers in the squat? Pepperidge farm remembers. Not even going into the hip structure, just basic anthropometry can really influence how someone squats. I am 1.92m, and my girlfriend is 1.74m. Our femurs are the same length. Several PTs told her that she had to work on her ankle mobility in order to squat to depth. To be fair, her ankle mobility is quite poor but it's sufficient to perform the movement. The real culprit was her gigantor femurs. All we had to do was put her in a raised heel shoe and widen her stance.
 
There's just so much going on with the barbell squat that bullshit arguments have a lot of rope to work with. Remember when hamstrings were prime movers in the squat? Pepperidge farm remembers. Not even going into the hip structure, just basic anthropometry can really influence how someone squats. I am 1.92m, and my girlfriend is 1.74m. Our femurs are the same length. Several PTs told her that she had to work on her ankle mobility in order to squat to depth. To be fair, her ankle mobility is quite poor but it's sufficient to perform the movement. The real culprit was her gigantor femurs. All we had to do was put her in a raised heel shoe and widen her stance.
I've heard buttwink being explained by tight hamstrings (which obviously doesn't make sense), but did people really think that hamstrings were prime movers? I don't understand how something like that can perpetuated in circles with people who make physical activity part of their identity.

Sure, proportions matters too.
 
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