Box squats

[oso0960]

Okay so I know how to squat ATG properly and have been doing so for many years. But there is no possible way I can maintain balance and keep my shins perpendicular on box squats. Basically, my knees MUST be infront of my ankles or I'll fall back. I've read everywhere that your knees should be perpendicular to the ankles and, if possible, past perpendicular. How do I fix this problem? Could it be caused by me not being flexible? My hamstrings are very tight.

Also, I used to be able to do pistols (1 legged squats) with ease, but now cannot balance myself and continually fall backwards.

 

[SouthernLord]

Tight hamstrings? You should really stretch them.

Try a lower bar placement and sit back, not down.

I know when doing ATG oly style squats I break at the hips and sit between my legs. almost on my heels. The same with front squats.

For proper box squats I have to carry the bar a lot lower, I still break at the hips, but I focus on siting back while spreading my knees hard.

Also, How wide is your stance?

 

[bblazer]

Wasn't there a Senator with a wide stance in an airport once?

But I digress.

I have to agree with our SouthernLord. ATG form is a lot different than say form for a PL type squat. You still need to keep the bar basically over the center of your foot, so you must take a wider stance, and sit back like you are going to sit in a deep chair. Try to "spread the floor" with your feet and force your knees to the outside. If you sit far enough back you will eventually get the weight on your heels where it belongs and you will lose the sensation of falling forward. In essence your ass is counter balancing you.

THe longer your femur is the more you will have to break at the hips.

B-

 

[oso0960]

Tight hamstrings? You should really stretch them.

Try a lower bar placement and sit back, not down.

I know when doing ATG oly style squats I break at the hips and sit between my legs. almost on my heels. The same with front squats.

For proper box squats I have to carry the bar a lot lower, I still break at the hips, but I focus on siting back while spreading my knees hard.

Also, How wide is your stance?

I have been working on the hamstrings starting today...they are pretty bad. Standing straight up and bending at the waist I can touch my knees...no further hah.

My ATG squat style is not the traditional olympic style. My stance is a little wider than shoulder width..what's comfortable for me. I place the bar on my back very low. I also sit between my legs.

When (attempting to) perform a box squat, I sit back as far as possible, but I always either end up with:

A: Falling backwards
B: shins are no where near being perpendicular

@BBlazer - that's the thing, the weight already feels like it's on my heels long before I reach the box. Then once I get past that point, I have the sensation of falling backwards.


Thanks for the replies

 

[SouthernLord]

Stretch those hammies!!!!!

I stretch them before and after cardio. I do dynamic flexibility drills before training. Static stretching after cardio and weights. Try to hold those static stretches for 1 minute while contracting your quads as hard as possible. Good luck.

 

[oso0960]

Thanks southern. How far can you go? like..can you touch your toes? Touch the ground? Palms on the ground?

 

[fortunatesun]

Keep your back arched. Everything should be tight except your hip flexors. Draw air into your abdomen so that you have your gut pushed out. This will help stabilize you.

If your hips are your drawback, you can strengthen them by squating to a box below parallel using a wide stance. Keeping the pressure on the outside of your feet will insure that you're able to get your knees wide enough on the way down If they're spread wide your shins have no choice but to be perpendicular.

Sitting back not squating down is key as bblazer posted. A couple practise sessions with lightened loads may be all you need.

 

[iggy]

i like a really wide stance with my feat facing outwards a little on box squats. sitting back on your heels and exploding. so fun. SL is right though, try stretching your hams out.

 

[b fold the truth]

I can't say that I agree with a lot that has been posted.

The first thing that you do on the box squat is GOOD MORNING the weight back with your hips, then open your knees to hit the box.

Never butt to the box, BALLS TO THE BOX!

Your hamstrings are WEAK not tight! If your glutes and upper hams are not strong enough, you will FALL onto the box instead of sitting on it.

Practice with a HIGH box. If you can't do it to a parallel box, how can you POSSIBLY do it to a low box? Start high for lots of sets and then work it lower as you get the feel through the workout and over time.

For a beginner I'd suggest box squatting AT LEAST 4x a week with nothing more than the bar or a plate a side. MINIMUM of 10 sets of 1 each day, 15 sets of 1 or 12 sets of 2 are easily possible, EASILY!



An easy 682 with belt only from a couple weeks ago. It's about a minute into the YouTube video posted above if you want to see how fast it was.

 

[oso0960]

I can't say that I agree with a lot that has been posted.

The first thing that you do on the box squat is GOOD MORNING the weight back with your hips, then open your knees to hit the box.

Never butt to the box, BALLS TO THE BOX!

Your hamstrings are WEAK not tight! If your glutes and upper hams are not strong enough, you will FALL onto the box instead of sitting on it.

Practice with a HIGH box. If you can't do it to a parallel box, how can you POSSIBLY do it to a low box? Start high for lots of sets and then work it lower as you get the feel through the workout and over time.

For a beginner I'd suggest box squatting AT LEAST 4x a week with nothing more than the bar or a plate a side. MINIMUM of 10 sets of 1 each day, 15 sets of 1 or 12 sets of 2 are easily possible, EASILY!



An easy 682 with belt only from a couple weeks ago. It's about a minute into the YouTube video posted above if you want to see how fast it was.

Thoes cues in cap letters are exactly what I needed. I wouldn't have guessed my hams and glutes are weak. I figured squatting ATG all the time would give them equal work as the quads. Would you also recommend I do GHRs to help bring up my hams/glutes quicker?

With the 682 pounds in the youtube video, it's okay to rock? Is that part of relaxing the hip flexors?

 

[b fold the truth]

Thoes cues in cap letters are exactly what I needed. I wouldn't have guessed my hams and glutes are weak. I figured squatting ATG all the time would give them equal work as the quads. Would you also recommend I do GHRs to help bring up my hams/glutes quicker?

With the 682 pounds in the youtube video, it's okay to rock? Is that part of relaxing the hip flexors?

Full OLY squats are NOT going to hit your hams like they need to be at all. They are a primarily a quad exercise. Ever see someone who can OLY squat 400 not be able to power squat 700? Yet you don't see it the other way around.

I should NOT have "rocked" although I'm doing it less than I see some people. I should have got to the box, not moved any at all, and then shot back up after a second. I just haven't gotten it all down myself yet (notice my right foot also tends to move).

GHR's are killers, 2-4x a week to build up those hamstrings.

 

[oso0960]

Okay so that was you. You hinted in the previous post. That definitely looked too easy for you.

Thanks B Fold, I'll implement both GHRs and high box squats for a while.

 

[b fold the truth]

Okay so that was you. You hinted in the previous post. That definitely looked too easy for you.

Thanks B Fold, I'll implement both GHRs and high box squats for a while.

Yeah, that is me...lol. I don't hide who I really am

I just watched a video of the Diesel Crew guys squatting WITH Louie Simmons from last weekend and they all had box squat form SIMILAR to mine. I seemed to rock just a little more than them, but they had some motion. Means I just need to tighten up my form a little bit. Also means I let my abs relax a little, which I don't need to do with heavy weights!

 

[b fold the truth]

Couple UGHLY pics!!!