In the world of Olympic weightlifting, the box squat has been on the receiving end of a great deal of criticism and suspicion. This is potentially due to its popularization by Louis Simmons at Westside barbell, where budding weightlifters were instantly turned off by the manner and style of the geared powerlifting world. Despite this, the box squat is a fantastic tool that should be utilized by all athletes at specific times during their preparation, and that includes weightlifters, too. This article discusses the potential uses and applications of this squat variation specifically for Olympic weightlifters.

Box Squat Specificity

A common argument made against the use of the box squat for the preparation of weightlifters is that it does not reflect the ankle, knee, and hip angles present in a snatch or a clean. Front squat and back squats done in an Olympic lifting style, as opposed to a powerlifting one, will lead to an increased shin and torso angle closely resembling the bottom position of a snatch and clean. As such a box squat, by sitting back to the box, will lead to a reduction in shin and torso angle pushing back the center of mass and placing a much greater emphasis on the posterior chain. While clearly a deviation from the normal motor patterns seen in the snatch and clean, this change in posture is specific to the strength demands required of the snatch and clean, particularly when strengthening the pull is needed. Figure 1 demonstrates the biomechanical similarities between the box squat and the first pull of a snatch or clean.

The pull from the floor to full triple extension is 0 to 100 percent effort and is underpinned by individual technical ability, rate of force development and starting strength, all of which are important qualities needed for weightlifting. We have all seen lifters who seem to have a very slow pull but drive out like lightning from the bottom of a clean. A weakness in the posterior chain is evident in this case. If completed correctly, the box squat serves to break up the stretch-shortening cycle, and it targets the hamstrings, hips, lower back, and trunk tremendously. Furthermore, it teaches the individual the ability to contract the posterior chain rapidly by exploding off the box (McBride et al., 2010). The stretch-shortening cycle refers to the resultant increase in concentric force production following eccentric loading. What weightlifter doesn’t want to get stronger here? Some of the most common reasons for misses in the Snatch and Clean are an incomplete extension at the power position, usually causing the bar to be punched forward, and a collapse in posture in the bottom of the clean and snatch. The pitching the torso forward in the box squat serves to target the muscle frequently at fault for these misses. Furthermore, a study by Swinton et al (2012) the box squat at 70percent 1RM elicited 2.8x greater newtons per second recording (a common measure of rate of force development) over the traditional Olympic squat and a low bar powerlifting style squat. I have personally used box squats at multiple times throughout training my athletes and have seen a tremendous carryover, not only to the back squat and deadlift, but also the snatch and clean and jerk. Therefore, if your athlete is poor at producing force rapidly with moderate loads, the box squat is a fantastic variation to utilize, particularly when accompanied by plyometrics and maximal strength work.

Specificity is held by the principle of dynamic correspondence, in that the training means must largely reflect the sporting activity in terms of motor patterns and mechanisms of energy production, to increase an individual’s specific work capacity (Siff & Verkhoshansky, 1999). Specificity is also specific to the individual, their training age, and where they are in a training season. Simply put, the higher in training age you are or the closer to a competition you are, the more your training should reflect the task you seek to compete in, in order to maximize the transfer of adaptations from training to the competitive event. This is where the box squat comes in as a tool that can and should be utilized by the weightlifter in general training to maximize the adaptive transfer. The process evolves from training general strength qualities, with a focus on an individual’s weaknesses far out from a competition, to becoming more specific to the demanded task closer to the competition. At this stage, the goal of the weightlifter that has adequate technique should be to build the engine, get stronger and destroy weaknesses. This should be accomplished in a variety of ways; the larger the toolbox of an athlete or coach, the more opportunities exists to improve and grow. The minute we close off the athlete to a set number of small stimuli, the more likely they are to stagnate or worse, become injured. Only at the elite level of competition will the most specific means of training result in small competitive improvements. Furthermore, specificity in strength training is mostly referred to in terms of translating to sporting movements that are largely unrelated, such as swimming or baseball, where transfer from strength training may not be as direct as with other sports. Olympic Weightlifting is very similar in terms motor properties, muscle activation and the end result of the movement, all of which are key driving influences behind transfer, according to Frans Bosch (2010). An example of how the box squat can be phased into training can be seen in figure 2.

Beginners Utilizing the Box squat

When beginning the journey of Olympic weightlifting, most new athletes will feel very uncomfortable in the low catch of a snatch, clean and squat. This is a slow journey of acquiring the mobility and stability in the ankles, hips and thoracic spine to be strong and stable in deep ranges of motion. Most youth athletes will have the necessary mobility but will be largely unstable in the bottom position. The opposite is true for a 40-year-old individual who has not trained a day in their life. For both of these individuals who wish to go on to learn Olympic lifting, the box squat in a front rack position or behind the head can be used to control depth and can be lowered progressively as they become more confident. Here the individual isn’t required to concern themselves with how low they need to go but simply sit to the box and stand. This takes out the guesswork and allows for a progressive approach. Pairing this with other mobility or stability drills at a lower threshold is also a great way to quickly improve movement quality in a controlled manner.

Examples of this include:
Box squat- 1/2 Kneeling KB Ankle Rock
Box Squat- Heel Sit T-spine Rotations
Box Squat- Band Assisted Squat
Box Squat- 90-90 Wall Sit

Since box squats are being used as a learning tool designed to carry over to a regular back or front squat, coaches don’t necessarily need to encourage a posterior weight shift. Here the individual can be cued to simply touch the box lightly, remaining tight, and stand up again. Slowly lowering the box in this manner as needed until the required depth is achieved. Some individuals will not need this, but it is yet another useful audible in a coach’s toolbox.

Rehabilitation

Assuming they are medically cleared to do so, an individual recovering from a knee injury can use a box squat in a similar way to a beginner, to control the depth and serve as a transitional exercise while slowly regaining the confidence required to sink into a deep squat again. The posterior weight shift in the box squat also serves to control and reduce knee flexion, which will reduce torque and shear forces, and which also serves to increase posterior chain activation. All of these factors are vital to improving stability in the recovering joint and give the athlete a strong motivational boost that they are on the road to recovery.

Posterior chain strength is vital in all athletic populations as a large disparity between hamstring and quadriceps strength is frequently used as a predictor of knee injury. Here unbalanced and overly developed quadriceps will in turn reduce co-activation of the antagonist hamstring during knee flexion and extension exercise, dramatically increasing an athlete’s susceptibility to an ACL tear (Rosene et al., 2001). That’s not to say that all of us lifters are each going to get ACL injuries if we continue to squat in this way, as that is simply not the case. But, as with all factors in training (and life), balance is the key. Moreover, in a sport that is innately so quadriceps dominant, a period of training focusing on the improving posterior chain will allow for a sturdier, stronger athlete, suitably preparing them for the rigors of future loaded knee flexion. Oh, and it will also bring about some nice personal records along the way.

Notes On Technique

As a coach, I live by the adage “keep it simple, stupid!”. These wise words are not my own but ring into my mind whenever it wanders to the finer details of technique. At the end of the day, not everyone gives a damn. So, while keeping things as simple as possible, here are a few important points to think about when box squatting—a lot of which carry over to the regular squat as let’s face it, they are pretty similar.

Q: Where do you place the bar?

A: Go with what is comfortable. Usually, where you place the bar on a back squat will work just fine for the box squat. Wherever you put it, think about bending that sucker across your back to stay tight and upright as you descend.

Q: Where should I put my feet?

A: A slightly wider stance than normal is more appropriate for a box squat mainly to allow for room for the box between your legs. This is variable and depends on how big the box and your legs are, but it also serves to further increase posterior chain activation, which is somewhat the goal with this lift.

Q: How far should I sit back?

A: Don’t get crazy with this, but think about an initial push back with the hips, with the knees breaking swiftly after. The important thing in a box squat is to stay tight throughout the duration of the lift. Like a regular squat, you never want your chest to drop forcing you to good morning it up. That’s just not pretty at all. Moreover, a common mistake frequently seen when box squatting is the rocking back of the torso then the individual has hit the box. This is not desirable as you will lose all the tightness you had fought to maintain on the way down, as the hardest section of the lift is still yet to come. Don’t rock back, but think about sinking through the box, staying tight and exploding out of the hole.

This should give you some ideas on how you can incorporate the box squat into your training or that of your athletes given the context of their situation. Whether you want to improve the athletes’ pull or their confidence, when this variation is performed correctly, it will complement you on your quest for strength.

**To see figures 1 and 2, download PDF