Quads exercise
Box JumpHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Calves, Cardio
- Equipment
- Box
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Box Jump?
- Stand a short step from a sturdy box, feet hip-width apart.
- Swing your arms back and dip into a half squat.
- Swing your arms up and jump onto the box.
- Land softly with both whole feet on the box, knees bent.
- Stand tall, then step down one foot at a time.
Cues
- Land as quietly as you took off.
- Knees in line with your toes.
- Step down, never jump down.
Common mistakes
- Picking a box so high you land in a deep squat.
- Landing with straight legs or knees caving in.
- Jumping backwards off the box.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
A sturdy plyo box, 40 cm high, on a non-slip floor. The athlete stands facing it, toes about 15 cm from the front edge, heels hip-width apart or a little narrower, toes forward. Arms hang by the sides. Shoulder blades down and back, trunk braced, eyes on the top of the box.
The movement
The take-off is the jump squat (parent): hips back and knees bent into a half squat while the arms swing back, a brief turn-round, then the arms swing forward and up as the hips, knees and ankles straighten together. The body travels up and slightly forward. In the air the hips and knees bend to lift the feet clear of the box edge; the feet stay level and parallel to the box top. Both whole feet land on the box at the same moment, roughly in the middle of the top, mid-foot first then heels. Hips go back and knees bend to absorb the landing, landing no deeper than the take-off squat. The athlete stands fully upright on the box, pauses, then steps down backwards one foot at a time: ball of the foot, then heel, then the second foot joins it. The step down ends where the jump started.
End position
Dip: half squat. Take-off: hips and knees straight, ankles pointed. On the box: a quarter-to-half squat, then fully upright. A gym client with an arm swing jumps about 35–45 cm ([3] measured 32 cm with arms crossed), so 40 cm is a box the avatar can reach. Because the knees and hips flex in the air, the feet can clear a box a little higher than the rise of the hips. Landing knee flexion in the soft-landing range of [4] (75–88°) is the upper limit; a box landing should be shallower than the dip, or the box is too high.
Tempo
Stand 0.4 s, dip 0.5 s, drive 0.3 s, flight 0.35 s, absorb on the box 0.3 s, stand up on the box 0.6 s, pause 0.4 s, step down (first foot 0.6 s, second foot 0.6 s), settle 0.4 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box height | 40 cm | 30–50 cm | [1][2] |
| Stance, heel to heel | 1.0 × hip width | 0.8–1.0 × hip width | [1][2] |
| Knee flexion at the bottom of the dip | 95° | 75–110° | [3] |
| Hip and knee at take-off | 0° | 0–10° | [1][2] |
| Knee flexion on landing on the box | 70° | 50–90°, and less than the dip | [1][4] |
| Standing on the box before stepping down | 0° hip and knee | 0–5° | [2] |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Box Jump is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
