Box squat height???

Tren4Life

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I thought I knew how to squat till i started box squating. I found out that I was going down instead of back. I had to back up with my weight when i started using a box(a kitchen chair)
My question is how do i decide what the proper height is? I am 6 foot tall and the chair i have been using is 17 inches high. I just go back till i feel the chair touch.
My second question is . Should i actually be trying to unload on the chair, or touch and go.



Thanks for taking your time to look
S4L
 

PillarofBalance

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I thought I knew how to squat till i started box squating. I found out that I was going down instead of back. I had to back up with my weight when i started using a box(a kitchen chair)
My question is how do i decide what the proper height is? I am 6 foot tall and the chair i have been using is 17 inches high. I just go back till i feel the chair touch.
My second question is . Should i actually be trying to unload on the chair, or touch and go.



Thanks for taking your time to look
S4L

Use different heights... Just like your bench grip width thread - to be strong, be strong everywhere, leave no stone unturned. Mix it up. Use high box squats with super heavy weights to rep out and train the mind and CNS... Use low box squats to fuck up your knees. A box that puts you at parallel is ideal though. Knee joint to hip joint parallel. Don't use a kitchen chair, sounds like it might slide around on you.

Also, don't unload. That implies that you let your arch go and your muscles soften. You want to sit back onto the box, stay tight as hell, then fire back up hips/glutes first. Lead with the chest. Don't allow yourself to fall forward putting the weight onto the quads. A box squat is a leg curl...

Check out Clint Darden's yewtewbs channel to see what a box squat should look like. Hell post some vids of yourself or PM them and we'll critique if you want.
 

Tren4Life

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The video idea sounds good. It will take me some time to figure out how to make that work.
 

SFGiants

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I thought I knew how to squat till i started box squating. I found out that I was going down instead of back. I had to back up with my weight when i started using a box(a kitchen chair)
My question is how do i decide what the proper height is? I am 6 foot tall and the chair i have been using is 17 inches high. I just go back till i feel the chair touch.
My second question is . Should i actually be trying to unload on the chair, or touch and go.



Thanks for taking your time to look
S4L

17'' is called a high box for you and a low would be 12'', the ideal spot for you is 14'' to 14.5'' as at 15 your most likely no long bellow or at parallel.

Go with 14.5'' when looking for a box at depth at 6 foot.

I'm 6 foot and use 14.5'' as a spot
 

Tren4Life

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I tried to put up a video and it says file to large. I will have to make a new one next week
I will also try to get a 14.5 inch box.
 

heavydeads83

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parallel or below parallel brother.
 

PillarofBalance

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I tried to put up a video and it says file to large. I will have to make a new one next week
I will also try to get a 14.5 inch box.


Open a youtube account... Upload to there and then just link the vid. Good way to keep all your training vids in one place. You can watch yourself progress too.
 

Tren4Life

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Open a youtube account... Upload to there and then just link the vid. Good way to keep all your training vids in one place. You can watch yourself progress too.

That is what i thought too. I will work on that today.
 

AlphaD

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I have always found that between 12 and 14 inches high works best for me personally, but I am 5'10". I always incorporate box squats training into my routines. It is the best way to correct your form and bring up weak points. Done properly these will increase your squatting poundage over time.
 

Tren4Life

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Okay so this is my first try at this you tube thing.
This is just a warm up set

I leave my feelings at home so fire away.
Thanks fo taking your time to look
S4L
 

PillarofBalance

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You set the vid as private bro. You want to make it unlisted not private. We can't see it
 

Big Worm

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Everything was wrong. But that's how most people start out.

Too high
Knees forward
Didn't sit back
Touch n go

When I get to my computer and its not such a bitch to type ill try to help you.
 

Big Worm

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Ok, first thing.....A box squat is not a depth gauge. Its not meant to be used as something to bump into and tell you when to stand back up.

At the angle of the video I couldnt see where your feet were placed. How far apart they were. Judging by the stuff that happened you were probably too narrow.

No one wants to sit back because they think they are going to fall over. Arch your back, push your knees out and sit back onto the box.

If your knees travel forward its that much closer they get to the ground. Whats that do? Makes it that much lower you have to sit down to get to parallel.

Sit on the box but dont unload or get loose. If you are sitting on it, the whole bottom side of your leg will be on it. Not just the tip of your ass like you are doing with a touch n go.
 

Tren4Life

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Ok, first thing.....A box squat is not a depth gauge. Its not meant to be used as something to bump into and tell you when to stand back up.

At the angle of the video I couldnt see where your feet were placed. How far apart they were. Judging by the stuff that happened you were probably too narrow.

No one wants to sit back because they think they are going to fall over. Arch your back, push your knees out and sit back onto the box.

If your knees travel forward its that much closer they get to the ground. Whats that do? Makes it that much lower you have to sit down to get to parallel.

Sit on the box but dont unload or get loose. If you are sitting on it, the whole bottom side of your leg will be on it. Not just the tip of your ass like you are doing with a touch n go.




I will work on all this next week. Starting with a wider stance, and pushing my knees out.
 

Tren4Life

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I built a 14.5 inch box.
Form is going to take ALOT of work. This is this morning after 30 min of frog stretches, I was afraid to put any weight on for fear that i would stretch to far for the first time. I had to use the box for a depth guage today because i just couldn't go any lower.
As with most things in my life squating isnt going to come easy to me, but I will NOT give up.!!
 

SFGiants

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Never stretch like that before you lift NEVER!

Focus on pushing your knees out and sitting back not straight down.
 

Big Worm

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Looks better. I love how much pain you are in trying to get to depth. Hips are tight lol.

What is that weird thing you do before your first rep in both vids where you pop your hips forward before you squat. I thought it was odd in the first vid but then you did it again in the second.

Keep working on knees out and sitting back. It will get easier as you become more flexible.

I use horse stall rubber mats to adjust box height.
 

SFGiants

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Looks better. I love how much pain you are in trying to get to depth. Hips are tight lol.

What is that weird thing you do before your first rep in both vids where you pop your hips forward before you squat. I thought it was odd in the first vid but then you did it again in the second.

Keep working on knees out and sitting back. It will get easier as you become more flexible.

I use horse stall rubber mats to adjust box height.
Them mats add .5 inch per mat, great to have when training with people of different sizes or want different depth.
 

Tren4Life

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Looks better. I love how much pain you are in trying to get to depth. Hips are tight lol.

What is that weird thing you do before your first rep in both vids where you pop your hips forward before you squat. I thought it was odd in the first vid but then you did it again in the second.

Keep working on knees out and sitting back. It will get easier as you become more flexible.

I use horse stall rubber mats to adjust box height.

I just noticed that my self, i dont really have an answer other than i will try to remember to NOT do it next time. You are right about the pain my hips do not flex very well. I am thinking about yoga, I no that sounds odd but it works.
 

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