The squat. Back squat. Front squat. Goblet squat. Box Squat. Squat with bands or chains. Bodyweight Squat. And all of the other variations that I missed. The squat is one of my favorite exercises. It’s one of the most functional exercises out there, meaning that it translates well to all sports as well as activities of daily living. It is more functional than the leg press because you are on your feet and using the musculature throughout your body to support your bodyweight and the additional load. Like other movements in weightlifting and sport, this multi-joint movement can have its dangers if it not taught/performed properly.
Proper squat technique should be a staple of all personal training/sports performance programming. Whether you’re training for athletics, competitive lifting, or general fitness the squat has a crucial role in lower body development. However, the client cannot reap the full benefits with improper technique. Too many times I have witnessed individuals let their ego get the best of them and put too much weight on the bar only to perform an ugly squat. One of my favorite examples and lines that I’ve heard on this subject took place in a college weight room. One individual loaded up the bar with 250+ pounds, set himself up under the bar, unracked the bar, performed four reps of what might have been a quarter of a squat, and confidently re-racked the barbell. After witnessing these attempts, his buddy in the rack next to him immediately asked, “Did you even move?!” The weight on the bar may look cool, but it’s not doing much good if you can’t perform the exercise properly. Getting back to teaching the movement properly and my focus for this article, I am a big proponent of starting my clients with some variation of a box squat when I have them learning or re-learning the squat.
Setting up the Box Squat
In selecting the proper box (or combination of boxes, plates, benches, pads, or whatever you can use in your weight room), I like to use a box that reaches just below the knee joint level for the individual while in their squatting stance (feet slightly wider than the hips, for most). This height gives the lifter an idea of where a parallel squat is for them. By parallel squat, I mean that at the bottom of the squat the lifter’s thighs will be parallel to the floor. I aim for at least parallel on the squat, because at that depth the musculature through the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps are firing. If an individual can get below parallel in a controlled fashion that is great, but most have a hard enough time getting to parallel to begin with due to tight hips and other issues. By training to squat to parallel, we can work on some of these issues.
I like to place the box down so that a corner of the box will be between the lifter’s feet as he sets up. I do this rather than using the flat edge behind his legs because this gives me an increased confidence that my athlete will not miss the box. I’ve seen squats to a bench where people have come very close to missing the bench because they do not push their hips back enough, I like to avoid the suspense.
Your feet will be placed just outside the hips and slightly turned/angled outward. Your body should be centered over the box and the feet should be equidistant from the box on each side.
Execution of Movement
Starting from a standing position, push the hips back, bend at the knees and lower down towards the box in a controlled fashion. Reach your tailbone back so that it sits on the backside of the center of the box (X marks the spot). Pause in the seated position keeping the muscles active (do not relax at this point!). Push through the heels, keep the chest up, and return to the starting position.
Where Things May Go Wrong
- Halfway on the descent to the box, the common thought is “Hmm there’s a box below me, it’ll catch me, I’m going to crash down like I do on the sofa after school/work.” Bad idea. If you were to relax and “plop” down on the box, your muscles would not get the full benefit of the movement and your spine would get pretty mad at you for all of the force that it would absorb. Be nice to your spine. Typically your low back takes enough of a beating throughout the rest of your day as it is. Control your descent as you push the hips back until you meet the box.
- Now that you’re on the box, pause for a second before you move upward. Just like we don’t “plop” onto the box, I don’t teach athletes to bounce off of the box. Even with a controlled descent, a bounce off of the box can be painful on the tailbone. When teaching the movement, I use a one to two second pause just to help the squatter “feel” the depth and get the muscles used to being in that position. When using the box squat for power or speed training, longer pauses on the box may be used.
- When paused on the box, some athletes tend to let their body relax. Typically the core softens and the back rounds. This is not a desirable position in any circumstance, especially when you may have a loaded barbell on your back. Keep the core engaged, upper back pinched, and the heels driven into the ground.
Aspects I Like About Teaching with a Box
Depth
The box gives the athlete a visual and tactile reference point for when they reach proper depth. Now an audible cue, like a coach in your ear, with a free standing squat can be just as valuable and effective, sometimes more valuable and effective, depending on how that athlete learns. Once the athlete gets used to the feeling of his muscles at parallel on the box, this feeling will translate to free standing squats in the future.
Confidence
Along with the visual and tactile cues, I believe that the confidence that the box brings to the squatter (especially in adults who may have not squatted in 15+ years) serves as a great contribution to proper squat technique. Knowing that the box will catch them allows the squatter to push his limits in what he feels is the range of motion that he is strong in. Many cautious, first time squatters may only reach half of their depth with a free standing squat because they do not want to fall down if they get too low. The box gives them a landing pad if needed and can help them to develop strength through the entire range of motion. This full range will help the client to become more functional in his everyday movement patterns by adding strength to muscles that may have not been activated in a long time.
Ability to Analyze Movement
Having a box below can also give the squatter an opportunity to breakdown his squat technique at the bottom of the movement. While it can be done with a free standing squat, it is easier to have a client freeze on the bottom of a bodyweight box squat and look around. Here they can notice, with the help of a knowledgeable coach or properly placed mirror, where the knee is in relation to the ankle, if the weight is on the heels of the feet, if the hips are back far enough, and if the chest is up. This is valuable feedback even for experienced squatters.
The squat is one of the fundamental movements of weightlifting. It is crucial that it is taught and executed properly. Improper technique can lead to increased risk of injury. When teaching this movement to the people that I work with, I prefer to use the box squat for the reasons mentioned above. Coaches/trainers, how do you teach the squat? Clients of trainers/athletes, how do you feel that you would best learn this movement?