Box Squats Video - I'm I doing them right?

[Mike_Rojas]

Box Squats Video - am I doing them right?

Here I am doing 12" box squats:

right click, save as please
http://216.171.173.34/misc/boxsquats.mpg

Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[gettinlarger]

See below ...

 

[benchmonster]

Dude, you got some potential troubles there.

First of all, you looked like you almost missed the box on one of those reps. That would be disastrous to your spinal health, to say the least.

Second, and almost as important, you have to sit BACK and not down on the box. When viewed from the side, a good squatter's knee's will never move forward out over his toes. Knees must stay in the same spot as when you are locked out. Think about sitting back to the point that your knees are actually farther back when sitting on the box, than they were while you were standing. It can be done, but only with a box squat.

I would also suggest to anyone doing box squats, that they invest in either a squat suit, and leave the straps down, or preferably, get some good quality breifs. These will really save your hips, which will take a terrible beating if you are squatting wide and deep.

But, you are box squatting, which is good. Only way in my opinion to know you are going deep enough every rep is to do it to a box.

One last thing, make sure you always sit completely down on the box, which it looked like you were doing. Don't just squat down till you just touch the box then spring up. Sit down completely, relax hip flexors, while keeping every thing else tight, then spring back up as fast as you can.

Keep at it, and work on those things, before you know it, you will have 4 or 5 plates (or more) per side on that bar.

B.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

Thanks for taking the time for this, benchmonster. I'll work on it as you suggested. It FEELS like I'm sitting BACK, but obviously I'm not.

One question - sometimes I notice people get a little rebound effect when they're at the bottom. Is that a good thing, or should you try to come to a dead stop then spring up?

 

[Mike_Rojas]

Ok, I tried to really sit back this time...

right click, save as please
http://216.171.173.34/misc/boxsquats2.mpg

 

[IronLion]

O.K. your getting better...2 things to work on right now

1. Work on flexing your erector muscles in other word arch your back hard and start your squat by pushing your ass back. To work on this put your hands straight out in front of you like you were going to fly like superman and sit back like I explained above-onto your box

2. Focus on holding your position solid until you touch the box then come back up, do not drop on the box, barely touch it for now.

Work on this over and over without weight until you can squat with your glutes and hips and hams only...no knee stress and no quads...this will help you more than what you are currently doing with the weight.

P.S. You will be rewarded in the long run b/c not many people have the balls to learn to do these things right and down the road they pay for taking the leg press route.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

O.K. your getting better...2 things to work on right now

1. Work on flexing your erector muscles in other word arch your back hard and start your squat by pushing your ass back. To work on this put your hands straight out in front of you like you were going to fly like superman and sit back like I explained above-onto your box

2. Focus on holding your position solid until you touch the box then come back up, do not drop on the box, barely touch it for now.

Work on this over and over without weight until you can squat with your glutes and hips and hams only...no knee stress and no quads...this will help you more than what you are currently doing with the weight.

P.S. You will be rewarded in the long run b/c not many people have the balls to learn to do these things right and down the road they pay for taking the leg press route.

Thanks! I fell back because I had no control. I will do as you suggest.

Can't beat this board. Free coaching from the best. Thanks everyone! I'm tired, I tried good mornings. I also used my new boxes for hyperextensions, straight leg situps, and calf raises. My hams are shaky.

 

[IronLion]

once your hamstring and hip flexor flexability gets better you will be able to balance better and will have much more control. Most of the people that I have taught catch on to the balance thing and learn to sit back after about a week or so...keep it up your on the right track

 

[Mike_Rojas]

I have a video in march where I squat 285x2. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong there, too . I don't know if you can get anything out of it - it only shows my legs.

right click, save as
http://216.171.173.34/misc/Mar_24Squat285x2.mpg

Guess I won't train too heavy until I get all the moves down pat. I know my hams and core are weak, and my flexibility sucks.

Iron Lion: are you really 322 pounds? What a monster!

 

[IronLion]

Yeah what is happening is that you are squatting by bending your knees instead of pushing your ass back...your depth is good but you will hurt yourself doing heavy weight like this. You will be a lot stronger with your squats when you learn to sit back and use your butt,hips, and hamstrings to squat. So by backing off and learning good form you will make huge progress weight wise.

and no I am down to 318 cause I been running lots

 

[jerkbox]

question: how high is that box you made, and how tall are you?


I woulda made it deeper so that you have the option to sit back further.....that way you can basically walk yourself right to the edge of the box and not have to worry about overshooting the box.

the thing I use at the gym has a nice large square surface...it's constructed out of metal though....the one I use is about 18" high i'd guess...which may be a little too high for me.

anyway, I can certainly see you are rounding your back on the box squats.....

the other vid, all that is in view is your legs, so it's kind of hard to tell what the rest of you is doing. but, it does look like your knees are coming way out over your toes - which is not good. you can prevent that by doing box squats far back on the box. watch - your box squat again, your knees are where they should be.

you might need some more flexibility in your calves and hamstrings to be able to do regular back squats correctly.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

question: how high is that box you made, and how tall are you?

That's 2 boxes stacked... 12.5 inches high. I'm 6'. I could make some spacers to raise it up. I'm not necesarily trying to be a powerlifter, just want to be big and strong. I guess the way I've been doing squats has just developed my quads, but not my hams.

I woulda made it deeper so that you have the option to sit back further.....that way you can basically walk yourself right to the edge of the box and not have to worry about overshooting the box.

Yeah, I should have made them a couple inches deeper. I was just guessing . They're 16 inches deep. I think they'll work ok... I will just keep my ankles an inch or so from the box.

the thing I use at the gym has a nice large square surface...it's constructed out of metal though....the one I use is about 18" high i'd guess...which may be a little too high for me.

anyway, I can certainly see you are rounding your back on the box squats.....

the other vid, all that is in view is your legs, so it's kind of hard to tell what the rest of you is doing. but, it does look like your knees are coming way out over your toes - which is not good. you can prevent that by doing box squats far back on the box. watch - your box squat again, your knees are where they should be.

you might need some more flexibility in your calves and hamstrings to be able to do regular back squats correctly.

Rounding back- will work on that. Never been flexible. I've been too lazy to stretch regularly. Any tips on that, or is it just a matter of doing regular stretches?

Feels weird to squat with my ass way back like that. I have trouble just doing it without any weight on my shoulders. Got a long way to go before I can use any real weight. So this should allow me to squat more weight in the long run, huh? Is this a common problem, or I'm a just weird? At least I'm training at home.. don't have to look like a wuss in front of everyone

 

[jerkbox]

don't sweat it man.....it takes a while to get the form down....there are so many things involved in squatting....I recently showed one of my friends how to squat, and his first few attempts he looked like a complete shakey retard.....but eventually he picked it up.

squatting isn't the same without some weight on your back....just keep it light until you get the form down.


a few stretches I do everytime I squat, and after any cardio -

hamstrings - there's a million stretches for these, I like to use a bar (like ballerinas) or sitting down pull your chest as close as possible to your knees while keeping your legs straight - individually, or both at once.

for calves, which I think are pretty important to have good flexibility for squats - when my buddy first started doing squats, his heels were coming up off the floor, and he was squatting on the balls of his feet. that = bad. I like to lean low forward against something, and put one foot at a time as far back as possible, then try to get your heel flat on the floor....you will feel a great stretch....or you can do a deep stretch on a calf machine or something.

I would stretch your back, quads, and inner thighs as well.


you know you are flexible when you can do a narrow stance squat all the way down to the floor with your feet flat on the ground and you knees behind your toes

 

[PolishHammer1977]

Mike,

Keep the emphasis on form brother. You are on ther verge of great things.

 

[t3c]

Might I suggest lots of practice with less weight ontop of everything else people suggested?


What kind of shoes do you squat in mike?

 

[Mike_Rojas]

Might I suggest lots of practice with less weight ontop of everything else people suggested?


What kind of shoes do you squat in mike?

I'll definitely be practicing with the light weights.


I usually squat with cheap tennis shoes, but when I go heavy I wear my old boots I had in the Marines.

 

[PlatnumKowboy]

I noticed on the way up you lead foward with your upper torso and head with a rounded back and it pushes your knees forward. Try leading with your head and neck pushing back hard with the legs following louie simmons described it like this in an article I read.

 

[benchmonster]

All right, couple of things here.

1. Second vid was much better than first one. BUT, still trying to squat with quads. Also, try a higher box for a while. I cringed every time I watched you fall those last 4 to 6 inches onto the box. My box squat max would crush my spine if I did that. And I am probably 150 or 200 lbs behind DBCooper and some of the real monsters on this board in a box max. Gradually move the box lower as you get stronger and more flexible till breaking parallel.

2. Get some wrestling shoes, or Chuck Taylor Converses to squat in. Need a flat soled shoe that won't break over as you push out on the sides of them.

3. As you squat down, and as you raise up, you must push your feet out as hard as you can. Try to spread the floor apart with your feet.

Go to growordie.com and look at some of the box squat video's on there. There are 800 and 900+ squatters training on that site, so go find out how the really strong guys are doing it.

B.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

All right, couple of things here.

1. Second vid was much better than first one. BUT, still trying to squat with quads. Also, try a higher box for a while. I cringed every time I watched you fall those last 4 to 6 inches onto the box. My box squat max would crush my spine if I did that. And I am probably 150 or 200 lbs behind DBCooper and some of the real monsters on this board in a box max. Gradually move the box lower as you get stronger and more flexible till breaking parallel.

2. Get some wrestling shoes, or Chuck Taylor Converses to squat in. Need a flat soled shoe that won't break over as you push out on the sides of them.

3. As you squat down, and as you raise up, you must push your feet out as hard as you can. Try to spread the floor apart with your feet.

Go to growordie.com and look at some of the box squat video's on there. There are 800 and 900+ squatters training on that site, so go find out how the really strong guys are doing it.

B.

Thanks. I'll add a box and work at it. I tried some more with just the bar... won't put up the video 'cause it still looks like sh*t. Guess I'll start with a broomstick and work my way up . It's a very humbling experience. I thought I knew how to squat. My lower back and hams feel all jittery from the little nothing I did. Also, I didn't realize I rounded my back. I didn't know squats were so complicated. I'll look into getting some new shoes.

Spatts and gang told me about my messed up deadlift already. I wonder what I'm doing wrong with the bench? Probably everything as well. Next week all my workouts will probably consist of just moving the dang bar.

 

[IronLion]

Look at it this way: it means you will make considerable gains in a short period of time just by mastering the technique

 

[t3c]

hey man, i forgot to say that I had a REALLY high box for a while...a good deal above paralell...then i just lowered each week until i got the height i needed. You should try that.

I don't know what tennis shoes are like or your boots but i would grab some chuck talors cheap so you can really push out and in turn keep your knees out.

 

[coolcolj]

That's 2 boxes stacked... 12.5 inches high. I'm 6'. I could make some spacers to raise it up. I'm not necesarily trying to be a powerlifter, just want to be big and strong. I guess the way I've been doing squats has just developed my quads, but not my hams.

incorrect - your hams get worked as well, quads only extend the knee, and obviously your hips are extending
Just that by sitting back you shift the stress more to the glutes


man I don't know how you drop down like that ontpo the box - ouch. I think that box is too low for you at the moment.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

incorrect - your hams get worked as well, quads only extend the knee, and obviously your hips are extending
Just that by sitting back you shift the stress more to the glutes


man I don't know how you drop down like that ontpo the box - ouch. I think that box is too low for you at the moment.

Naturally hams are used anytime the hips bend, I just feel them a lot more in the hams than before.

Now I'm going to get more stress to the glutes - great. Just what a need, more butt. I got more than enough as is

I agree, box is too low... I'm just trying to figure this stuff out. I didn't mean to drop like that - I just lost muscle control when my ass was way back there. It was only 95 pounds, so no biggie.

I'll work on it. Thanks everyone for the help!

ps: Is it really possible to go ATF while keeping your knees in line with feet? I usually see this:

 

[Mike_Rojas]

Go to growordie.com and look at some of the box squat video's on there. There are 800 and 900+ squatters training on that site, so go find out how the really strong guys are doing it.

B.

OK, I looked over the site and saw the WIDE stance that Tommy uses - wow. So I tried to go wider and angle my feet out more and it was much easier to go down to the box.

 

[coolcolj]

only if you go wide on your stance and lean forward a lot

it's a balance thing - I don't think having the knees go forward is a bad thing, Doesn't bother me one bit

 

[Deepsquat]

I don't feel that anyone emphisised this enough...you are dropping too fast ...control the weight ...I damn near shit my pants when I saw you bounce on the 3 rep 1st video and 2-3 on 2nd video.....you can severly fuck up your spine doing that ...stop it today....... Pl;ease ...this is one reason why when my friends ask me about bench squats I tell them to avoid it at all costs...It can take just one bad rep and POW! Your back is dust for the rest of your life..please study other videos and learn to squat BACK and you can do this safely ...I bodybuild..not powerlift ...but I understand what you are trying to do ...but safety first!

 

[Mike_Rojas]

I don't feel that anyone emphisised this enough...you are dropping too fast ...control the weight ...I damn near shit my pants when I saw you bounce on the 3 rep 1st video and 2-3 on 2nd video.....you can severly fuck up your spine doing that ...stop it today....... Pl;ease ...this is one reason why when my friends ask me about bench squats I tell them to avoid it at all costs...It can take just one bad rep and POW! Your back is dust for the rest of your life..please study other videos and learn to squat BACK and you can do this safely ...I bodybuild..not powerlift ...but I understand what you are trying to do ...but safety first!

Thanks Deep. I should have started out lighter. I usually do work sets of squats with 225 (in my apparently wrong technique), so I didn't think I'd have a problem with 135 and 95. Now I'll play around with just the bar or a broomstick.

 

[benchmonster]

high free (non-box) squatting 225 does not mean you are able to handle X amount of weight for a box squat. A box squat is a different creature altogether.

Get those feet out, and push out with feet, not down, to raise and lower onto and off of the box.

Also, arch your back hard, and try to bend the bar over your shoulders. This will help keep you tight. Got to maintain tightness at all costs. When you drop fast on the box, it looks like you have lost all tightness.

B.

 

[spatts]

I don't feel that anyone emphisised this enough...you are dropping too fast ...control the weight ...I damn near shit my pants when I saw you bounce on the 3 rep 1st video and 2-3 on 2nd video.....you can severly fuck up your spine doing that ...stop it today....... Pl;ease ...this is one reason why when my friends ask me about bench squats I tell them to avoid it at all costs...It can take just one bad rep and POW! Your back is dust for the rest of your life..please study other videos and learn to squat BACK and you can do this safely ...I bodybuild..not powerlift ...but I understand what you are trying to do ...but safety first!

This is what I noticed too. He was falling to the box. You have to fix that now, because pulling that crap with several hundred pounds on your back will leave you crippled. Concentrate on pushing your knees out, and lowering yourself to the box with your hamstrings.

For years people told me to sit back more, then I realized that what they were referring to was NOT a need to sit back more, but the illusion that I was sitting back more. The squat is a back and forth move...not down and up. Until Bob Youngs asked me which muscles I was using to lower myself, I couldn't squat for crap. When I got my shower curtain rod and headed out to the garage, two things came of that question. First, when lowering yourself with your hams, you add a stability and potential for reversal strength to the lift, and it's easier to recruit the hips for that F**k the Bar move that really is how you squat. Secondly, it caused me to realize that there are two ways to look like you're sitting back more: you can either sit farther back on the box OR you can spread your knees out more and not sit as far back. This second point was the key for me. I knew somebody would say one simple thing and my squat would finally click, and I have Bob to thank for that. I practiced with the curtain rod for almost an hour that day...doing it over, and over, and over. Then I spent days visualizing it so I wouldn't forget the new pattern. When my comp rolled around about 3 weeks later, I added almost 100 pounds to my squat, just having figured out how to squat with my hamstrings.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

Thanks everyone. I added another box, so it's like 19" - that's above parallel, but I will lower down as I get the hang of it. I'm practicing over and over with a rubber pipe that weighs about a pound. I'm glad I have my camera, 'cause I think I'm doing it right, then I watch the video.. errr.

 

[IronLion]

First, when lowering yourself with your hams, you add a stability and potential for reversal strength to the lift

Mike this is the key to a bigger better squat. This is how I learned to do it: I make a focused effort to flex (arch) my lower back hard. Once this is done you simply have to push your ass back, not down, and let biomechanics take over. The tension in your hamstrings is what allows you to balance on the way down and stabilize.

My advice is to work with that pipe at the just below parallel box. You should try to flex your back and hams like I talked about and then make an effort to SLOWLY decend until you barely touch the box.

1 more thing the problem most have when they first start squatting like this is that when they start to get deeper they do not lean forward enough (with low back still arched hard) to keep from falling backward...think about it

 

[spatts]

Not to mention that the more you recruit your hamstrings, the better protected your knee is as it passes through the planes of depth. In fact, the lower you go, the more hamstring muscle is recruited, and the safer your knee is. It's right there at parallel that it's important to know you're making use of those hamstrings.

 

[the People's Champ]

I think a really simple thing that will help you indefinitely is to keep your head up. look up at a 45 deg. angle. that will keep your back in its natural curvature, and prevent from rounding your lower back.

 

[Mike_Rojas]

I think a really simple thing that will help you indefinitely is to keep your head up. look up at a 45 deg. angle. that will keep your back in its natural curvature, and prevent from rounding your lower back.

thanks. Sometimes the simplest things will make things "click". Just gotta remember head up, ass back, keep back tight, push feet out, control the weight.