Box Squats for the Raw Powerlifter

I have heard that box squats improve the deadlift more than the squat even though it mimics the squat motion. If someone were to squat and deadlift on different days when should they box squat? Is the box squat even worth doing for raw lifters? Thoughts?

You’re 15 years old, focus on the basics and gain some muscle mass before you start experimenting with stuff like this.

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I figure I should use some form of accessories even though I’m young. Is there any reason to avoid box squats? If so what accessories should I be doing? I’ve mostly been doing sldl, pause squat, and front squats. I’ve also started pause deadlifts.

Is sldl is a variation that’s hamstring intensive, and front squat is quad intensive, box squatting is “hip intensive.” The box allows you to squat with a wide stance, comfortably. You can have your feet out, and not blow up your hip joints at the bottom.

You could use it as a “lighter 2nd lift” or Secondary lift on either squat or deadlift day.

I think you could rotate it in, the same way you use pause squats, or front squats. Do it for a few or 6 weeks, get something out of it. Then rotate to switch the focus to something else.

I do agree with Chris that you don’t need to be messing with Dynamic Effort Speed Box Squats with freaky bars and reverse bands. Keep it simple.

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It can throw off your technique. Squatting down to a box and box squatting like they do at westside are two different things, the first is good for someone who is just learning to squat and needs a target to squat down to. The second is mostly beneficial to equipped lifters, there are some raw lifters who use box squats but the technique is totally different from a raw squat and it can also be hard on your hips. If you watch some Westside videos you will see that some of the guys wear squat briefs or a suit with the straps down, this is to protect the hips. If your squat technique is solid and you know what you are doing then box squats have some potential to help you, but at this point I can’t see a good reason for them. Right now you should be working on improving your technique with the competition lifts and adding some muscle mass.

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Thanks!

If you decide to mess with them, don’t be a joker! They are not some short range ego lift, or some spine smashing bounce B.S.

Here are some ugly ones.

Here is my hero, an advocate for box squats, doing some good ones.

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The box squat is virtually useless for the raw strength, BUT… if you have a problem with the depth of a classic squat, a low box squat is a fairly effective tool for improvement.

The Benefit of Box Squats for Raw Strength, Power and Speed

The Box Squat is a good Auxiliary Exercise increasing Raw Strength, Power and Speed dependent on how you write the program.

  1. Heavy Loaded Paused Box Squats: Pausing on the Box kills the Stretch Reflex. Thus, Strength is developed out of the hole with Heavy Load Box Squat.

  2. Moderate Load Paused Box Squats: Performing a Paused Box Squat with Moderately Load Explosively, increase the development of Power out of the hole.

  3. Light Load Paused Box Squats: Performing a Paused Box Squat with a Light Load Explosively facilitates Speed Development.

Pause Squats

Pause Squat provide a somewhat similar effect as Box Squat when the Loading Percentage are the same: Heavy, Moderate and Light.

Kenny Croxdale

If you copy a few sentences from an article, and you do it often, try think more before. :slight_smile:

If you are the raw lifter, you only need squats, not (high) box squats. If you want to train anything but squats at any cost, so more rational for the raw lifter are squats with a pause.

I dare say that no solid lifter (raw!) in the IPF don’t train the squat box. If I’m wrong, fix me.

Mike Hedlesky went to IPF worlds and won a gold medal in the deadlift (beating Mike Tuchscherer) while training Westside/conjugate and doing box squats, but not exclusively box squats. There was a Westside thread here that he started, I believe it was deleted because he got banned. It’s unfortunate because there was lots of good information, even if you don’t want to actually do Westside.

There are a few other raw lifters like Matt Wenning and Burley Hawk who train or trained at Westside and use plenty of box squats. I don’t think it’s better than squatting without a box and I don’t see a reason why I should do it myself, but the point is that it can work.

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I think those who train according Westside Barbell and are still in the IPF can’t say it publicly because they are in danger of being sanctioned. I once read a article some blogger that competed in IPF for 6 years, and he wrote that he sometimes discussed with Simmons. About two weeks later, a strong warning from the IPF came in the email. He disobeyed, and so the functionaries excluded him.

The IPF is retarded. I recently heard that Dennis Cornelius was not permitted to compete at the Arnold because he did the LA Fit Expo, which is a USPA meet, despite the fact that it was not an international meet and there were no lifters present who were banned from the IPF/USAPL. Not only that, they told him he was not allowed to compete at the Arnold before he actually did the USPA meet. He says he is dropping out of IPF worlds to go to the US Open and if USAPL won’t let him go to nationals then he is done with them. The IPF is insane, they act like they own people but they don’t pay them a cent (the Arnold payout is what, a couple thousand?) and this kind of thing where they ban their best lifters is not going to turn out in their favor, it will just bring more attention to other feds. USPA is just about as big as USAPL and doesn’t have half the amount of bullshit.

As for someone being banned for talking to Louie, they should ban themselves for dealing with Schwarzenneger and Mark Bell. Fucking hypocrites. Where can I sign up for an Ed Coan seminar?

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Going on a tangent here (kinda) but can box squats be used for squatting too deep? Like putting a box down at depth but Im not allowed to touch it?

I have a feeling this is going to get a pretty aggressive response, but what do you have agains Mark bell? I’m not particularly pro mark I just don’t know a whole lot about him and I’m just curious what you have against him.

This is their “normal” course of action. Unfortunately, the IPF is starting to be a strange sect. Still, this federation still has the most lifters.

However, in one federation in EQ lifting, they banned lifters who only wrote a decent critique on Facebook about referees of federation.

Robert Frederick (main translator of texts by Sheiko) wrote that only a soft touch is used.

My problem is squatting too deep. Can I do it similar way but to restrict depth not to practice hitting depth?

I think Chris doesn’t like Bell’s way of marketing and presenting opinions.

For any misunderstanding (from my translation) I apologize, but I don’t think you have a too deep squat. No stress.

Set the box height as best suited to you.

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