I am asked frequently by people about why I like the box jump. The answer is simple. I like the box jump because it is fun to do.
One of the things I really like about the box jump is that you can do it almost anywhere. You can put a box in the backyard, your bedroom, your garage, your office or even your basement. The most important thing is to make sure that you’ve got a stable ground underneath where you’re jumping. You should also ensure that you have enough headroom. Ensure that you don’t hit your head when you jump up. Always check what’s above and below you before you consider doing this exercise.
What Muscles is the Box Jump Good For?
The box jump is good for strengthening your main lower body muscles. This would include the glutes, hamstrings, calves and quads. Once you do box jumps for a while I am sure that you are going to want to adjust the height of the box and challenge yourself by using a higher height and more repetitions. This kind of exercise is good at building power and endurance. If you want to work on endurance use a lower box and more repetitions. To work on strength you can use less repetitions and a higher box.
What Do I Need for a Box Jump?
The first thing to consider is that you need a box. You must ensure that you have a box that is strong enough to withstand you jumping on it and landing on it with force. If you are going to work from home, you’re probably going to want to have a box that’s covered in carpet or some other soft material. You do this in case you don’t make it to the top of the box and scrape your legs against the side of the box.
You also want a box that’s the right height. Also consider starting with a height of about 50 cm. You can practice on this box until you get the form and process right.
Once you have the right place and a strong enough box to do a box jump the process itself is very simple.
How to do a Box Jump
- Stand in front of the box with your feet approximately shoulder-width apart
- Back into a squat and swing your arms behind your back.
- Follow that through with a swing forward with lots of force to lift yourself up off the ground.
- Attempt to land on the boxes soft as you can and try to land in the same position that you did when you started. That is, with your feet flat and your knees bent slightly.
- If you find that you have landed into a deep squat then that means that you picked a box that’s too high.
- When you have your balance on the top of the box, jump back down and try to land as soft as you can.
- If you have joint issues, you can also use a variation where you step down slowly one leg at a time.
Thee is a way to get an amazing workout and have a real challenge. Try doing box jumps until you can spell “Irina Marchenkova is a Personal Trainer in Ajax at Life Time Fitness” Backwards!!!
You can Work out with Irina at Life Time Athletics. Irina Marchenkova is a Fitness Trainer in Ajax doing Personal Training in Ajax at Life Time Athletic.