Has anyone here built a box for box squats? What is the best material and way to built a trusty one? (14" and 17")
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I used one of the BIG orange paint buckets from home depor (or other usually white paint bucket). Its a little small, but I had 400+ and 200 pounds bodyweight on it not problem.I also used two of these, and added long 2 x 8s across them to adjust the height. Normally I think they are 14 1/2 inches.
also have used a double sized milk crate (about 12 inches by 24 inches by 11 inches high, and added boards.
I use cinder blocks with padding on top. Cinder blocks come in 8, 4, and 2 inch sizes. To adjust an inch or less use plywood.
Right now, I would get two double sized milk crates, turned 45 degrees, and use 2x8s with thin carpet on top (to prevent sliding)
Like so
I use a joint compound bucket.They’re sturdy as hell designed to be stacked upon, and free with every purchase of joint compound. Stacking carpet sounds good, I will try that.
Thanks all for the precious inputs, we’ll try the milk crates.
Staight from the Elite Q&A:
We build them out of 2x4 and plywood. The frame is built from the 2x4 at about 24x24, with a 2x4 running in the middle as well as on the frame. This is to act as support. This will create a 4 inch box, from there we use rubber matts and more 4 inches boxes to get the height we need.
I made a frame out of 2x4’s and covered it with plywood.
To make it useful for more exercises, I staggered the height of each side. The box measures 12 inches on 1 side, 15 on another, and 18 on the last side. That way I can do step ups at varying heights as well as use it for a box squat.
I used 2x6 from the cull wood section at Home Depot. cut them to 16" lengths, then alternate 3 boards at a time fastened together kind of like this
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7 layers gives me 11", then I just built 2 more sections (each with 2 layers of boards) that gives 14" and 17" when stacked. For the top 2 sections I nailed the boards together with 3" nails so there is a little bit of the spike sticking out one side - when placed on the 11" box, the nails grip it so it doesn’t move. Now if I can just get to the box with my new Metal v-type…
I’m curious what height you guys all prefer to use on box squats? I think I go down to just a lil bit past parallel.
I like using 2 and 4 inches below parallel, parallel and 2 and 4 inches above parallel.
14 1/2 inches put me right at parallel, but I gradually came to prefer 10 1/2-13 inches. Also, 4 inches above parallel the week before a max. When I did 445 parallel, I could barely handle 455 from 4 inches above the first week, but I did 10 singles there, came back the next week and got 520. I felt much stronger walking out, but I asked myself, if doing 10 singles with 455 got me to 520 the next week, why even do the next week? Now I do it just one week and then max. The rest of the time I rotate between 10 1/2, 13 and no box. by the way, these are not Dynamic effort squats, but max effort three rep maxes with doubled bands.