Just found this video while doing a little youtube surfing. Why a foam box? Does that help or challenge you in any way?
It makes the movement more muscle-dominant. It’s like walking in deep water.
I think I’ll get some foam for my box, my backside is so bony right now that my tailbone is sore for days after each box squat day no matter how gently I sit back…
[quote]jpuck wrote:
I think I’ll get some foam for my box, my backside is so bony right now that my tailbone is sore for days after each box squat day no matter how gently I sit back…[/quote]
You aren’t box squatting correctly then.
[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
You aren’t box squatting correctly then.[/quote]
Just what i was thinking…
i had this once… but i shifted to a sturdier box i was using 2 of those step benches on top of each other… and then it went away…
Oh yea… and the thinker says this "I will be replacing board presses with pressing off of some type of softer material from here on out. Never having tried this before I am now sold on it.
I used two airex pads that, when depressed with the loaded barbell sank to approximately the same thickness as a 2board or perhaps even less. The movement is much more natural feeling and less structurally taxing to the joints"
I didn’t watch vid but this probably simulates WSB when they would mix in squatting off a hassock for cycles. It’s definitely more challenging because you’re not pushing off something solid. It’s a nice way to mix things up and it’s probably good specific work for getting out of the hole because as we all know, there is nothing to push off in a legal squat. I’ve just about forgotten about it but now I want to go find an old hassock at a yard sale.
OK I just watched and quite frankly, I’m not sure what the purpose was. It definitely wouldn’t mimick squatting off a hassock but whether the foam block makes it any harder at all, I don’t know. You’re still compressing the foam onto something solid.
I seem to recall somebody saying that foam is used to more close mimic squatting in a suit. I could be wrong though…and this doesnt appear to be the case in the vid.
[quote]redroast wrote:
I seem to recall somebody saying that foam is used to more close mimic squatting in a suit. I could be wrong though…and this doesnt appear to be the case in the vid.[/quote]
I never heard that; doubt it. I don’t know of anything that mimicks squatting in a suit other than squatting in a suit 
I have great respect for westside and all they have done for powerlifting and strength training in general. There is no doubt they have produced some strong sob’s. My only problem with louie and crew, is it seems they try to get to creative and fancy. I’m all for advancing science and training, but come on squatting off foam? Whatever happened to just waving the volume and percent in the big 3 lifts to get stronger?
I recall reading something from Louie about the foam reducing the stretch shorten effect due to the way the foam absorbed some of the downward energy. I have a foot rest i bought from ikea as my box squat box and it is covered with foam and is way harder than box squatting of a hard surface at the same height.
Regards
Jack
Foam is meant to more closely mimic squatting Raw. Whether it works or not is another question. The idea is that a rubber top catches you, while foam will not.
I’ve never used foam, but I can say this, the guy in the video should learn how to box squat before he adds anything into the mix.
Hips came loose and he came way forward on the box, defeating the point of the box squat by creating another source of momentum.
As Tate once said about the bench press (paraphrasing) “People always ask about doing JM presses or board presses or benching with bands. Well maybe you just dont know how to fucking bench”
I’ve moved away from speed benching and box squats due to this. I mean the above comment. so many have crappy form and it becomes a more dangerous exercise. If you do them correctly, great. If not, you’re going to get hurt unnecessarily.
[quote]JackW wrote:
I recall reading something from Louie about the foam reducing the stretch shorten effect due to the way the foam absorbed some of the downward energy. I have a foot rest i bought from ikea as my box squat box and it is covered with foam and is way harder than box squatting of a hard surface at the same height.
Regards
Jack[/quote]
This. It actually makes it slightly harder coming off the box. It supports you on the way down and doesn’t help at all on the way up. It essentially cushions your decent into the hole, so you don’t get that little bit of spring “bounce” on the return.
It really isn’t a huge difference though.
I use soft foam a lot in training. It makes getting out of the hole much harder. Imagine bouncing a lax ball off a slab of concrete. Then imagine bouncing it off an overstuffed couch. Huge difference. Elastic and reactive energies are dispersed into the foam instead of adding to the reversal of the lift.
My favorite way to use it is as soon as my hamstrings hit it, I completely relax my hips until the foam completely shrinks, pause for a 2 count, then pray to God that I can get off the box.
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
I use soft foam a lot in training. It makes getting out of the hole much harder. Imagine bouncing a lax ball off a slab of concrete. Then imagine bouncing it off an overstuffed couch. Huge difference. Elastic and reactive energies are dispersed into the foam instead of adding to the reversal of the lift.
My favorite way to use it is as soon as my hamstrings hit it, I completely relax my hips until the foam completely shrinks, pause for a 2 count, then pray to God that I can get off the box.[/quote]
Here is where I get confused.
Doing touch and go off the box is a commonly used technique, but if your doing pauses on the box, you dont need foam, the pause alone takes away any stretch reflex or momentum you would get from bouncing. So I still dont see why foam is used.
Where do you get foam like this? Is it any easier on the posterior hip?
[quote]RussaldoStrong wrote:
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
I use soft foam a lot in training. It makes getting out of the hole much harder. Imagine bouncing a lax ball off a slab of concrete. Then imagine bouncing it off an overstuffed couch. Huge difference. Elastic and reactive energies are dispersed into the foam instead of adding to the reversal of the lift.
My favorite way to use it is as soon as my hamstrings hit it, I completely relax my hips until the foam completely shrinks, pause for a 2 count, then pray to God that I can get off the box.[/quote]
Here is where I get confused.
Doing touch and go off the box is a commonly used technique, but if your doing pauses on the box, you dont need foam, the pause alone takes away any stretch reflex or momentum you would get from bouncing. So I still dont see why foam is used. [/quote]
Sit down on a wooden chair…pause for 5 seconds…then stand up.
Sit down on your couch…pause for 5 seconds…then stand up.
See which one is easier.
[quote]Ty Carlson wrote:
[quote]RussaldoStrong wrote:
[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
I use soft foam a lot in training. It makes getting out of the hole much harder. Imagine bouncing a lax ball off a slab of concrete. Then imagine bouncing it off an overstuffed couch. Huge difference. Elastic and reactive energies are dispersed into the foam instead of adding to the reversal of the lift.
My favorite way to use it is as soon as my hamstrings hit it, I completely relax my hips until the foam completely shrinks, pause for a 2 count, then pray to God that I can get off the box.[/quote]
Here is where I get confused.
Doing touch and go off the box is a commonly used technique, but if your doing pauses on the box, you dont need foam, the pause alone takes away any stretch reflex or momentum you would get from bouncing. So I still dont see why foam is used. [/quote]
Sit down on a wooden chair…pause for 5 seconds…then stand up.
Sit down on your couch…pause for 5 seconds…then stand up.
See which one is easier.
[/quote]
Ok, so I did this modified.
I sat in my chair, waited and got up.
Then I took my couch cushion, put it on my chair and did the same thing. (I figured it represented foam on a hard box better)
I really didnt notice any difference at all, but then again maybe it would be different with 300lbs on my back.
Either way, Im definitely gonna have to go try this out.