Quads exercise
Barbell Box SquatHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hamstrings, Adductors
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Barbell Box Squat?
- Set a box behind you at a height that puts your thighs level.
- Rest the bar on your upper back and take a wide stance.
- Push your hips back and sit down onto the box with control.
- Pause for a second, staying tight.
- Drive through your feet and stand straight up.
Cues
- Hips back, shins tall.
- Sit, do not crash.
- Stay tight on the box.
Common mistakes
- Dropping onto the box.
- Relaxing and rocking back before standing.
- Letting the knees cave in as you rise.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
A firm box or bench sits behind the lifter, set so the hip crease is level with the top of the knee when seated on it (thighs parallel). The bar sits on the upper back as in the back squat, hands a little wider than the shoulders, shoulder blades squeezed. Stance wider than in a back squat, about 1.5 × shoulder width between the heels, toes turned out about 25°. Stand tall with the box about a foot's length behind the heels.
The movement
Push the hips back first, then bend the knees, sitting back towards the box. The shins stay close to vertical and the trunk leans further forward than in a back squat to keep the bar over the mid-foot. The knees push out over the toes. Sit down under control onto the box. Pause there for about 1 s while staying tight: back flat, trunk still, feet loaded, no relaxing of the legs and no rocking back. Drive the feet into the floor and stand straight up off the box, hips and shoulders rising together.
End position
Bottom: seated on the box with the thighs parallel, shins near vertical. With the hips that far behind the feet, the trunk has to lean about 45° to keep the bar over the mid-foot.
Tempo
2 s down, 1 s seated pause, 1 s up, 0.5 s standing.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stance, heel to heel | 1.5 × shoulder width | 1.3–2.0 × | [1] |
| Toe-out, each foot | 25° | 15–30° | [1] |
| Thigh angle at the bottom | parallel | within 5° | [1][3] |
| Shin lean from vertical at the bottom | 10° | 0–20° | [1] |
| Pause on the box | 1 s | 0.5–1.5 s | [2] |
| Trunk rock back on the box | 0° | ≤ 3° | [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 Barbell Box Squat 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
Sources
- Swinton et al. 2012, J Strength Cond Res, "A biomechanical comparison of the traditional squat, powerlifting squat, and box squat"
- McBride et al. 2010, J Strength Cond Res, "Comparison of kinetic variables and muscle activity during a squat vs. a box squat"
- Myer et al. 2014, Strength Cond J, "The back squat: a proposed assessment of functional deficits and technical factors that limit performance"
