Box Squat (Barbell)
The Barbell Box Squat is a compound strength exercise where you squat down to a box or bench before explosively standing back up. It emphasizes the posterior chain—specifically the glutes and hamstrings—while teaching proper squat depth and mechanics.
Since the box squat is often used for maximal strength development and breaking plateaus, the AI analyzes your RPE and weight trends to prevent central nervous system fatigue. By cross-referencing your sleep quality and lower body recovery status, the app can adjust your load daily to ensure you are driving explosive power without risking injury. If you have a history of knee pain, the system monitors intensity closely and can suggest alternative box heights or regressions to minimize joint stress.
Form Cues
- Set your feet wider than shoulder-width with toes pointing slightly out
- Initiate the descent by pushing your hips back to reach for the box
- Maintain full core tension while pausing briefly on the box
- Drive your shins to a vertical position and push the floor away to stand
- Squeeze your glutes forcibly at the top of the movement
- Don't rock your torso back and forth to generate momentum
- Don't relax your core or round your spine while sitting
- Don't crash down onto the box uncontrollably
- Don't let your knees collapse inward as you drive up
- Don't lift your heels off the floor at any point
Common Mistakes
- Crash-landing onto the box
- Rocking the torso for momentum
- Relaxing muscle tension at the bottom
- Knees caving inward (valgus)
- Stance too narrow for the movement
Muscles Worked
This exercise shifts the emphasis from the quadriceps to the posterior chain, heavily recruiting the glutes and hamstrings to break the static position on the box. The erector spinae and core muscles work isometrically to maintain a rigid, neutral spine under the load of the barbell throughout the pause.
Primary
Secondary
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