Friday, June 14, 2013

Box Squats, something new for the arsenal.

Recently, I have become obsessed with box squats. The Westside Barbell powerlifting team are the masters of the Box squat so I have been trying to learn as much as possible from their articles and videos. These guys claim that they have been able to squat heavier in competitions by employing the use of box squats and deadlifts. I will try to chronicle my own experiences with box squats but so far I really enjoy them alot.

The technique 
Similar to regular squats you want to keep your chest up and eyes forward. Next remember to keep everything tight (core, back muscles, everything). With 100s of lbs on your back it is essential to keep everything engaged or you are really running the risk of serious back injury. Slowly lower yourself down to the box and once you hit the box, sit down and pause for a second. Chins should be beyond perpendicular to the ground, drive your heels into the ground and power up. That is the basics of the movement!

Sets and Reps 
I have posted an article where Louie Simmons recommends using about 55% to 60% of your regular squat one rep max. With that weight you would then try to perform 12 sets of 2 reps with about 60 second recovery. I haven't try that method yet but I will give it a try next week. Personally, I have been using rep ranges of 8 to 12, for about 4 to 6 reps. Give it a try!


Here is a video of me box squatting 305. I have since moved from that bench to a lower bucket
but I have yet to try 305 at that lower depth. I like to think my form is also a lot better now as
this video was shot a few months back. Here is some video of the master Louie Simmons giving tips on proper form.


Article by Louie Simmons on Box Squatting

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