How to Box Jump for Beginners | Shane Heins

Let’s take a comprehensive walk-through of the box jump exercise, including the proper way to perform it, the training you need to improve it, and how to incorporate it effectively

| What Is A Box Jump? |
While the exercise does clearly involve jumping from the floor onto a box, it’s not quite as simple as it seems. Not any box will do, and the object isn’t just to get up on top of the surface by any means necessary.

The box jump is a low-level plyometric exercise. That is, it trains the muscles’ stretch reflex to develop explosive power. You quickly lower your body into a half-squat to stretch the glutes and hamstrings, and then use the resulting release of elastic energy to help power you up in the air. So as not to come down too hard, the box is there to break your fall, but it also teaches you to land like a cat—decelerating your body mass and absorbing the force of your jump. These skills are highly valuable to athletes who jump and sprint, so the box jump is a staple in many sports training programs.

At the same time, because it’s not particularly complex or dangerous to perform (if done as intended), the box jump can be done by recreational gym rats who want to add a bit of power training to their routines.

The boxes used can vary in height from a few inches to a few feet, and can be constructed of hard wood, rubber, firm padding, and even steel. Whichever kind you have access to, make sure you start with one that’s not too high (more about this below) and offers a stable surface for your feet to land on—and an even base that doesn’t wobble. Some boxes have fairly small foot surfaces, so, in general, the wider or larger the platform you have to jump on to, the better. (You’ll have less chance of missing it!)

| How To Do The Box Jump |
1. Use A Moderate-Sized Box
2. Stand Far Enough Back
3. Swing Your Arms Up
4. Land With Control
5. Step Down From The Box

| What Muscles Are Used In A Box Jump? |
The box jump is a major compound movement that requires a transfer of energy through the entire body, so you can pretty much point to an anatomy chart at random and land on a muscle that’s involved in the exercise in some way. Of course, the quads, hamstrings, and glutes are the prime movers, creating the hip and knee extension that lifts you off the floor, and your shoulders work to drive the upswing of your arms, which helps to propel you upward.

However, because you don’t load the body like you do in a squat, deadlift, or other resistance exercise, you probably won’t feel sore in these muscles the next day, and you won’t see size gains in them from jumping alone. The box jump doesn’t create a great deal of muscular tension, or maintain that tension for a length of time, so it’s not going to build bigger muscles. Using it in place of a leg exercise for muscle mass is not a good idea.

You may be surprised, however, to find that your deep abdominal and oblique muscles are in fact sore a day or so later. That’s indicative of how involved your core is in transmitting forces to your arms for the takeoff. Remember that the goal of box jumping is power, and the result is a highly trained chain of faster, more explosive muscles that work together as a unit.

00:00 - Intro
01:21 - Progression 1: Calf Raise Up
02:12 - Progression 2: Drop & Load
02:35 - Progression 3: Drop & Load w/ Calf Raise
02:56 - Progression 4: Adding A spring
03:26 - Progression 5: Spring Forward
04:16 - Box Jump

========================================­=====

| Connect with Onnit |

Our mission is to inspire peak performance through a combination of unique products and actionable information. Combining bleeding-edge science, earth-grown nutrients, and time-tested strategies from top athletes and medical professionals, we are dedicated to providing our customers with supplements, foods, and fitness equipment aimed at helping people achieve a new level of well-being we call Total Human Optimization.

[brendadevries]

Thank you for breaking it down. This is an ACTUAL BEGINNER tutorial. I’m going to start on controlled lifting first.

[DavidCampbell-ig]

57, lost 140 pounds, serius knee and ankle damage plus arthritis. I'm new to gyms / working out and still sorting things out. I tried this yesterday and found only do maybe 4 or 5 inches. This helps. I had no idea how to set up for a jump like this.

[JoseAlvarez-dlhm]

Box jumps can be so fun and challenging, and I was recommended to do that exercise to increase strenght for judo, which requires strong legs and very explosive movements, and it helps quite a lot, I recommend them for any athlete who needs to work on his explosiveness

[jav.angel]

Great details! Thank you explaining the importance of good form

[nomadman]

I tried these tips right after watching and could tell an immediate difference. I wasn't giving my legs the proper pre-load which was causing the height of my jumps to be diminished. I was going down and kind of pausing a bit to prepare (probably more mentally than physically) for the jump rather than using the elasticity to rebound and propel me up and out. The whole move was just more fluid and explosive when I used the quick calf-raise and immediate energy transfer from the hinge/squat to jump.
I guess you don't realize some of the small details of certain movements, but man to they matter when it comes to getting the most out your body.

[vasilenap]

Really great and informative video! Thank you for all details and the importance of good form.

[zehravigna]

When we Land on the box, are the TOES touching first on the surface of thé box in order to réduce the schock to our knees ? I Land on the box with à flat foot position. Is that wrong ?

[JA-gxhb]

My problem with box jumps is I don't see anybody jumping very high. Watching you jump up on a 36 inch box it seems like you're only jumping about 6 inches, you're just moving your legs up quickly. So the best box jumpers aren't the best jumpers, they're just the most flexible and the quickest at moving their legs up. I mean sure, some guys are jumping pretty high to get up on a six foot box, but did they gain that jumping ability from doing box jumps or are they just showing off? Assuming you want to increase your vertical jump, like for basketball/volleyball, maybe you should try to jump onto the highest box you can with straight legs. Or maybe just jump as high as you can and skip the box. The guys jumping off boxes (depth jumps/drop jumps) seem to be the ones getting the best results. What exactly does jumping up on a box do for you?

[iforc]

You broke down so much of this but skipped right over the landing.