Barbell Box Squat
Squat, barbell, quadriceps and glutes
The barbell box squat lowers you onto a box behind you with the bar on the back, pauses and stands up. The box sets the depth and the pause teaches the drive out of the bottom. It suits lifters learning to squat to depth and anyone who wants a consistent squat.
Setting up
- Set a box behind you at a height that puts the thighs about parallel when you sit.
- Take the bar on the upper back from a rack and step back until the box is just behind the heels.
- Stand a little wider than for a regular squat.
How to do a barbell box squat
- Brace the belly and push the hips back.
- Sit down onto the box under control, shins nearly upright.
- Pause on the box without relaxing.
- Drive up through the whole foot to stand tall.
Breathing. Breathe in and brace before you sit and breathe out as you stand up.
Muscles worked
- Mainly
- Quadriceps and glutes
- Also
- Hamstrings, adductors and lower back
Common mistakes
- Dropping onto the box. Control matters on the way down, so sit softly.
- Relaxing fully on the box. A loose trunk loses the bar, so stay braced while seated.
- Rocking forward to stand. Momentum skips the hard part, so drive straight up from the pause.
Guide
Guide
