The box squat is widely used in the strength and conditioning community. However, it is very arbitrarily used. You must have a specific reason when implementing anything in an athlete’s training program. We use the box squat fairly often in the training programs that we write, and today I’m going to tell you why we use the box squat, when we use it, and how we would like it to be done.
Why Box Squat?
At Force Barbell we use the box squat in our training programs for a few reasons. Most people when they come to us have a hard time knowing how to move through their hips in a squat. If they don’t seem to be responding to coaching cues to correct this movement pattern, we will set them up with a box squat, whether that be a box goblet squat or box back squat, etc. This is our primary use for the box squat. Putting athletes and clients in a position so they have to use their hips, and that is exactly what the box squat does. I will go over how the box squat does this in the, “how to box squat” section.
When To Box Squat
When do you box squat? Is this something that should be utilized in your training programs all the time or something that should be thrown in every once in a while? It is your job as a coach to make this decision. All athletes respond differently to different stimuli. Some might respond very well to a box squat, while others have a harder time reaping the benefits. Obviously, we are going to use it more for the people that respond better to it.
A more specific answer I would like to give is that we use the box squat when people flat out can’t get their hips any where sort to parallel without their heels coming off the floor. These are “knee benders.” Ideally, we would like everybody to be “hip and knee benders.” We also use the box squat for people who have nagging knee injuries and can’t seem to squat consistently without their knees aggravating them. To make strength gains through your lower body you have to be able to squat and the box squat is a great addition to throw in the mix.
Generally speaking we like to use the box squat when people are just overly quad dominant, because the box squat takes the quads out of the equation for the most part. Even a sport like Olympic Weightlifting, where much of the movement is driven from the quads, we will use the box squat to attack weaknesses these athletes have in their posterior chain.
So, having trouble using your hips? That’s when you should utilize the box squat if it can be done correctly. Next, I will go over how to box squat correctly, or for the purpose we are trying to use it for
How to Box Squat
Here is a short video tutorial that briefly explains what we are looking for during the box squat.
We like to be in this position when box squatting because it allows us to open our hips up and utilize our hips to initiate and complete the movement. It also allows us to be in a position where we can’t use our quads as much because of the lack of bend in the knees. Basically, the positions we want to achieve in the video above put the hips in a leveraged position where they have to work.
To give you a better idea of what to look for, next are a few lists of what you want to see and what you don’t want to see in the box squat.
What to see:
Feet wide and out in front of the knees when sitting on the box
Knees always tracking in line with the toes
Torso inclined forward to start the movement
Hips coming directly off the box to initiate the movement
Bar over the base of the foot during the whole movement except when sitting upright on the box
Holding tension when squatting back on to the box (aka not collapsing or relaxing)
What not to see:
Shins facing forward with feet behind the knees
Knees diving in or sliding forward when coming off the box
Hips sliding forward on the box – this is a huge one because it is exactly what you will see with most people. It is hard for people to move through their hips so they will slide the hips forward on the box to start squatting up. This will happen because it allows someone to use the quads more to stand up, which we are not focusing on during the box squat. An easy way to tell if this is happening is to see if the knees are diving forward over the ball of the foot when squatting off the box.
Bar not over the base of the foot through the whole movement
Collapsing on the box
Conclusion
At Force Barbell, we have a specific reason why, when, and how we want to use the box squat to train our athletes and clients. We find this way most beneficial to get people to move better while still making strength gains. You might have a different “why, when, or how,” but as long as you have one that makes all the difference.