Clarence Biama

Box Squatting
A box squat, or chair squat, is an exercise that works the quadriceps, adductors, calves, glutes and lower back. You can make this move as easy or as hard as you need. For instance, it can be a good exercise for both elderly people and body builders alike, depending on how you set it up. For the simplest box squat, all you need is yourself and a chair, but you can also add barbells, weighted vests, benches, and/or bands.
Everyone loves squatting. Out of the myriad of fitness movements that are reflected in everyday life, the squat is far and away the most commonly performed. Everyone has their favorite style, be it the front squat, overhead squat or back squat. You can even get a little fancy and experiment with kettlebell squats, dumbbell squats or squatting with chains. Because the squat is such an obvious lift that transfers over to our movement patterns outside of the gym, we spend a lot of time focusing on how to do them properly, and how to get better at them. One such method that may sound foreign to you is to practice box squatting .
How to perform a box squat
1. The box squat allows you to squat to desired depth and develop explosive strength in the squat movement. Begin in a power rack with a box at the appropriate height behind you. Typically, you would aim for a box height that brings you to a parallel squat, but you can train higher or lower if desired.
2. Begin by stepping under the bar and placing it across the back of the shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your elbows forward, attempting to bend the bar across your shoulders. Remove the bar from the rack, creating a tight arch in your lower back, and step back into position. Place your feet wider for more emphasis on the back, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings, or closer together for more quad development. Keep your head facing forward.
3. With your back, shoulders, and core tight, push your knees and butt out and you begin your descent. Sit back with your hips until you are seated on the box. Ideally, your shins should be perpendicular to the ground. Pause when you reach the box, and relax the hip flexors. Never bounce off of a box.
4. Keeping the weight on your heels and pushing your feet and knees out, drive upward off of the box as you lead the movement with your head. Continue upward, maintaining tightness head to toe.
BENEFITS
Here is a list of some of the benefits of the Box Squat:
1. Build explosiveness
2. Takes pressure off the patella tendon unlike the Olympic squat (If you have knee issues, we highly recommend doing these more often)
3. One of the few movements where you will go through a “relaxed and overcome by dynamic movement” when you are on the box, (Going from a state of tension, relaxing on the box, and then contracting again.) This builds that explosiveness mentioned in benefit number 1.
4. You can add many different variations to a box squat by changing the heights of the box and you can change your foot position, or stance, to different heights as well. If you want to get real crazy, you can change what you sit on such as a hard object, soft pad, big cushion, all kinds of things.
5. Helps build strength for the Olympic lifts. In Weightlifting, when we pull from the floor we are going from that relaxed position to a demand of a lot of dynamic motion. See benefit number
Tags: Squat, quadriceps, thighs.

Box Squatting
A box squat, or chair squat, is an exercise that works the quadriceps, adductors, calves, glutes and lower back. You can make this move as easy or as hard as you need. For instance, it can be a good exercise for both elderly people and body builders alike, depending on how you set it up. For the simplest box squat, all you need is yourself and a chair, but you can also add barbells, weighted vests, benches, and/or bands.

Everyone loves squatting. Out of the myriad of fitness movements that are reflected in everyday life, the squat is far and away the most commonly performed. Everyone has their favorite style, be it the front squat, overhead squat or back squat. You can even get a little fancy and experiment with kettlebell squats, dumbbell squats or squatting with chains. Because the squat is such an obvious lift that transfers over to our movement patterns outside of the gym, we spend a lot of time focusing on how to do them properly, and how to get better at them. One such method that may sound foreign to you is to practice box squatting .

How to perform a box squat
1. The box squat allows you to squat to desired depth and develop explosive strength in the squat movement. Begin in a power rack with a box at the appropriate height behind you. Typically, you would aim for a box height that brings you to a parallel squat, but you can train higher or lower if desired.
2. Begin by stepping under the bar and placing it across the back of the shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rotate your elbows forward, attempting to bend the bar across your shoulders. Remove the bar from the rack, creating a tight arch in your lower back, and step back into position. Place your feet wider for more emphasis on the back, glutes, adductors, and hamstrings, or closer together for more quad development. Keep your head facing forward.
3. With your back, shoulders, and core tight, push your knees and butt out and you begin your descent. Sit back with your hips until you are seated on the box. Ideally, your shins should be perpendicular to the ground. Pause when you reach the box, and relax the hip flexors. Never bounce off of a box.
4. Keeping the weight on your heels and pushing your feet and knees out, drive upward off of the box as you lead the movement with your head. Continue upward, maintaining tightness head to toe.

BENEFITS
Here is a list of some of the benefits of the Box Squat:
1. Build explosiveness
2. Takes pressure off the patella tendon unlike the Olympic squat (If you have knee issues, we highly recommend doing these more often)
3. One of the few movements where you will go through a “relaxed and overcome by dynamic movement” when you are on the box, (Going from a state of tension, relaxing on the box, and then contracting again.) This builds that explosiveness mentioned in benefit number 1.
4. You can add many different variations to a box squat by changing the heights of the box and you can change your foot position, or stance, to different heights as well. If you want to get real crazy, you can change what you sit on such as a hard object, soft pad, big cushion, all kinds of things.
5. Helps build strength for the Olympic lifts. In Weightlifting, when we pull from the floor we are going from that relaxed position to a demand of a lot of dynamic motion. See benefit number

Tags: Squat, quadriceps, thighs.