Trying to Learn Box Squats

AS the title says, I am trying to learn box squats. For now, I am just using a bench as the gym does not have any boxes, but I should get a regular box soon. So basically, I am doing high box squats for now.
Anyway, I watched a lot of videos and diagrams of box squatting, but they mostly show them from front or back angle. Everyone is stressing the position of the shins but it is little unclear to me what position my back should be in. For example this article says the back should be just like during regular low bar squats (How to Squat, Squat Training Workouts - Diesel Crew - Muscle Building, Athletic Development, Strength Training, Grip Strength - scroll down the page), but other articles and videos claim the back should be as straight as possible.

Here is a video of my doing box squats. It shows it from 3 different angles, so hopefully you will be able to see what my form looks like and help me improve it.

Hard to say without knowing the reason you’re box squatting.

Does your gym have aerobics steps? Those work pretty well in a pinch.

IMO…you should try to control the eccentric phase more. The contact with the box should be soft; at any height, but especially at bench height. No ‘dropping’ on the box. Other than that it looks O.K. to me.

**few gyms will have boxes. Make your own…13" tall, you can set plates on top to vary the height.

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
IMO…you should try to control the eccentric phase more. The contact with the box should be soft; at any height, but especially at bench height. No ‘dropping’ on the box. Other than that it looks O.K. to me.

**few gyms will have boxes. Make your own…13" tall, you can set plates on top to vary the height. [/quote]

my gym has 3 boxes…if i could donate one i would lol

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
IMO…you should try to control the eccentric phase more. The contact with the box should be soft; at any height, but especially at bench height. No ‘dropping’ on the box. Other than that it looks O.K. to me.

**few gyms will have boxes. Make your own…13" tall, you can set plates on top to vary the height. [/quote]

I second this. You’re first movement is right – you are breaking first at your hips and pushing back. But somewhere along the line you just go limp and flop on the box. If someone told you to stop 1" above the box and squat the weight back up, you couldn’t.

Arch your back as hard as you can, push back with your hips. Simultaneously spread your knees out and push back to get to depth.

Box squats are one of the most gratuitously dangerous exercises that exist. Because they cause a large and sudden compressive force on the spine simultaneously from above and below between the bar and the box, you are just asking for spinal disc herniations.

[quote]seekonk wrote:
Box squats are one of the most gratuitously dangerous exercises that exist. Because they cause a large and sudden compressive force on the spine simultaneously from above and below between the bar and the box, you are just asking for spinal disc herniations. [/quote]

You are uninformed. Shearing forces are the real culprits of back problems such as disc herniations, not compressive forces. And box squats will cause back problems only if you’re plopping down on the box, not from landing softly on it.

[quote]seekonk wrote:
Box squats are one of the most gratuitously dangerous exercises that exist. Because they cause a large and sudden compressive force on the spine simultaneously from above and below between the bar and the box, you are just asking for spinal disc herniations. [/quote]

Bending over to pick-up a pencil from the ground carries more risk than a properly executed box squat.

[quote]forbes wrote:

[quote]seekonk wrote:
Box squats are one of the most gratuitously dangerous exercises that exist. Because they cause a large and sudden compressive force on the spine simultaneously from above and below between the bar and the box, you are just asking for spinal disc herniations. [/quote]

You are uninformed. Shearing forces are the real culprits of back problems such as disc herniations, not compressive forces. And box squats will cause back problems only if you’re plopping down on the box, not from landing softly on it. [/quote]

Bingo! forbes hit the nail on the head. In Stuart McGill’s work, he tried to intentionally rupture cadaver discs with compressive force. He finally got one to herniate, but with an absurd amount of force. The vertebral endplate is likely to fracture before the disc herniates, creating a Schmorl’s Node.

[quote]Dr J wrote:
a Schmorl’s Node.[/quote]

lol, you said schmorls node.

other than that, awesome post.

Thanks all for replies.

I definitely need to go into the sit position without dropping. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, currently there is not much consistency. Will have a mental queue next time.

The whole thing with box squatting at the moment is, that I feel that if I actually had a box and go to parallel, I’d just fall down completely. I can’t believe how hard it is for my hams and back to control the movement.

But that’s also the reason I started to do the box squats (as well as glute ham raises), because I feel that’s my weakest point right now, and obviously severely limits the weight I can deadlift and squat.

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:
Hard to say without knowing the reason you’re box squatting.

Does your gym have aerobics steps? Those work pretty well in a pinch. [/quote]

SEEKONK IS WRITE GUZY BOX SQUAT WILL KILL YOU. WE SHOULD GET A MASCOT TO GO AROUND TO SCHOOLS AND SAY BOXXY THE BUSTED UP POWERLIFTER SAYS DONT DO BOX SQUAYTS SHIT THIS GUY IS AMAZING.

It does look like you’re trying to do the right kind of box squat for the reason you’re box squatting. All I can really say in that regard would be to echo what the others have said already. You should be able to stop you’re squat at any position while you’re lowering it. You really have to control and own the weight. If you’ve gotta go lighter to do this, go lighter. If all it takes is this cue, than just do that.