Box Squat

The box squat has you squat down to a box or bench set at a specific height, briefly touch it with your hips without sitting your full weight down or relaxing, then drive back up, which teaches a controlled descent and removes any stretch-reflex bounce out of the bottom. Set the box height to your target depth, squat down under control with your hips sitting back toward the box, touch it lightly while keeping tension, then drive up powerfully through your heels. Because the pause removes momentum, it builds raw starting strength out of the bottom position more directly than a normal squat's continuous rep.

1. Set a box or bench behind you at your target squat depth
2. Squat down under control, sitting your hips back toward the box
3. Touch the box lightly while keeping tension, then drive back up powerfully

• Fully relaxing and sitting all your weight on the box instead of just touching it
• Setting the box too high or too low for the depth you're actually trying to train

• Pause box squat, holding briefly on the box before driving up for even more strictness
• Box squat with a slightly wider stance for more posterior-chain involvement