Box Squats And Their Amazing Benefits

Squats are a classic and unarguably the best bodyweight exercise that is highly beneficial for beginners and experts equally. If you want to target multiple muscle groups through one activity, several types of squats are an excellent choice, especially for the lower body.

This article will discuss an alternative of squats known as box squats and their valuable benefits.

What are box squats?

Box squats, the name depicts, are a type of squats performed with the help of a box, a bench, or any other support. They are done when squatting with a barbell, and the box offers support for the hips and keeps them parallel to the ground.

How to do box squats?

Here is the stepwise method of performing a box squat. Before starting, you require a weight that you can easily handle and a box or bench that matches the depth you want to achieve in your squat.

• Put the desired height box behind with your feet wide apart.
• Set up the barbell in the squat rack according to your height.
• The box should be a few steps behind you with a height that allows your knees to be at an angle of 90 degrees with the ground.
• Rest the barbell on your shoulders and place both hands on the bar.
• Remove the barbell placing it on your shoulders, and step backward.
• Sit down on the box, keeping a straight core and tight chest.
• Now push your feet to the ground to stand back up and drive your hips up.
• Straighten your knees and squeeze your glutes on the way up.

Benefits of box squats

Here are the top benefits of box squats that make them a highly beneficial compound exercise.

1.    Target posterior chain

Box squats help your body reach more back towards the surface of the support you are using. These are unlike regular squats in which your body is forced forwards due to gravity. It helps in engaging the posterior chain of your body more efficiently.

2.    Work more muscles

Box squats help target several muscle groups if done correctly and regularly, maybe even more than regular squats. They target the core, lower back, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, quads, and calves. They act as a great compound exercise that can work multiple muscles and help burn many calories.

3.    Improve squatting form

Having the correct body form is essential for every workout, and squats can be tricky to accomplish correctly. Many people struggle to hold the proper form while doing squats, and you can get carried away with that in regular squats.

When your squats end at a specific point on the box, you can be more aware of the height of your squat and the form of your body. You can also adjust the height of the box to achieve a certain depth.

4.    Put less stress on the knees

While squatting, there can be quite a lot of pressure on your knees to hold the weight of your body in the correct position. In the box squats, the pressure on the knees lessens, and the box takes the body’s weight.

5.    Improve balance

In regular squats, it can be very challenging to maintain the balance of your body and control your mobility. Box squats can be beneficial to prevent your knees from caving in and getting your heels