This is part two of the box jump which is an excellent exercise for building strength in your lower body. Adding box jumps into your workout routine is an effective way to increase explosive power in your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and hips. This drill really helps to increase performance in different sports like football and basketball along with CrossFit exercises and workouts.
In part one of the box jump instructional guide we talked about the progression, which is the step-up drill. We used a 6 inch plate. Today, we’re going to be working with a 20 inch box. Now, the twenty inch level is the level I tend to like to work with. In most of the CrossFit competitions, you will most likely see the 20 inch box being used. I see very few 24, 36, 40 inch boxes being used since it’s not really necessary. In this exercise demonstration, I will go ahead and show you the step-up first and then the actual jump itself using the box.
First, the step-up will consist of simply placing your foot on top of the box so the whole foot is on the top. Make sure to avoid placing only part of your foot there, we want the whole foot on top. Now take a deep breath, come up, get a full extension of the hip along with the quadriceps and then step down. You will step up, squeezing the glutes at the top, and then gently step down. This action is actually recommended as opposed to rebounding which is jumping up and down, up and down. We want to protect the Achilles heel by all means necessary.
So let’s talk about the actual setup as we discussed in part one of this box jump series. I’ll show you both ways. Keep your feet at about hip distance apart, bend and then push the knees apart with the hands out and then stand completely up.
From the profile view, I will bend down with my hands in the correct position and then come completely up, squeezing my glutes and hamstrings. You’ve also seen this movement in the Russian kettlebell swing and the barbell deadlift. It’s the exact same movement and you’re going to see this in several other CrossFit exercises that I will show you in an upcoming series that I’m creating for ShapeFit.
One of the most important keys to the box jump is that you want to make sure you get your body in the correct position so you can successfully do your box jump correctly every time. But please, always focus on safety first. Start with the plate and stack them to the height of your comfort level and then use those as your jump target until you move onto the box.
I recommend wearing socks because they protect the shins. If you can find them, they actually have a product called Shin Skins or Rock Guards and they look like socks except they don’t have the feet. They cover your legs and protect your shins very well when doing exercises like box jumps, deadlifts, cleans, snatches and while climbing rope. They’re lightweight and slightly compressive, yet offer the ultimate in protection so check them out so you can keep your shins safe while you’re working out. Thank you again for watching, stay tuned for more fitness videos from me. Stay blessed, stay fit, and I’ll see you soon!