Could someone please explain or give a link to an article about proper form on box squats? I have no idea what they are at all.
box squats are where you have the box behind you and you do a squat over it. you can pause on the box (make sure you keep everything tight) and then come back up. you can’t do as much weight, but they are supossed to take some of the press off your knees. go to www.hatchdome.com and ask them the same thing. someone on there might be able to explain it a little better than i can.
They are to increase rate of force development I believe, because It doesn’t allow you to use your stretch reflex to lift the weight. You squat down onto a box, pause, and then go back up explosively. I remember reading that you are suppose to relax when you are on the box though, maybe someone can clarify
You’re supposed to relax your hip flexors/extensors but keep your back&abs tight while you’re on the box. Louie always says how great box squats are because they break the eccentric/concentric chain. So you sit down&back on the box, relax your hips but keep your posture, then blast up.
Here we go again…
Leave it! :rolleyes:
This is the point I don’t understand with box squats. How is it possible to relax your hip flexors while maintaining anterior pelvic tilt to keep the lumbar spine in a neutral position?
You’re right. I shouldn’t have said relax the hip extensors. Thanks for pointing that out. Here is a description from one of Louie’s articles.
http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/archives/ls9.htm
"Now, how do you do a box squat? They are performed just like regular squats. Fill your abdomen with air, and push out against your belt. Push your knees out as far as possible to the sides and with a tightly arched back, squat back, not down, until you completely sit on the box. Every muscle is kept tight while on the box with the exception of the hip flexors. By releasing and then contracting the hip flexors and arching the upper back, you will jump off the box, building tremendous starting strength. Remember to sit back and down, not straight down. Your hamstrings will be strengthened to a high degree, which is essential. Many don’t know this, but the hamstrings are hip extensors. Some great squatters have large quads and some do not, but they all have large hamstrings where they tie into the glutes. Remember to sit on the box completely and flex off. "