Squat Progressions: The Box Squat, Part 1

Let’s talk about squat progressions!⠀

The Exercise: Barbell Box Squat, Part 1⠀

With younger or untrained athletes, I’d never start them underneath a barbell. So this progression assumes that the athlete has already properly progressed to this point and is ready to barbell back squat.⠀ ⠀ To be clear, there are many different ways to squat depending on the goal, sport, injuries, build, etc. In this initial progression, we’re training the pattern of reaching back with the hips, maintaining proper positioning, and achieving adequate depth. ⠀

In Part 1, you’ll notice that the athlete comes to a full sitting position on the box. This will actually make things more difficult on the concentric component because it dissipates the elastic energy that otherwise would’ve been stored following the eccentric lowering phase. Don’t go heavy when using this for technique development, as the intention is to train a movement pattern. You can also use this as a squat variation with more advanced athletes, as the lack of stored elastic energy will be more challenging. ⠀