Take 60% of your 1 rep max back squat
Then, perform 10 sets x 10 reps @ 60%. Rest 90 seconds between sets.
This will be done for 3 weeks. Add 10# the next week if all
10 sets were successful. If not stay at 60% until all 10 sets are completed unbroken.
Post reps to comments and BTWB
Hello there box jump, my old friend, how have you been? By Courtney Shepherd and The RX Review (click here for full article)
Box jumps are a common exercises in the sport of CrossFit. A box jump is as simple as its name suggests: you have to jump from the ground, onto a box. The size of the box can vary from workout to workout, some Rx’d workouts might use a 24 inch box, while others use a 32 inch box. Regardless of the size, the most important thing to remember is the hip extension at the top.
To perform a proper rep, a full hip extension must be reached. That means, once you jump onto the box with two feet, you must then lock out your legs, and stand up with your hips over your feet, just like a deadlift. Once you have achieved this, you can jump back down and start again.
Box jumps are great for any athlete and have a number of physical benefits. These include:
Increased explosiveness – Springing from the ground to a box is a great way to increase you vertical leap. The movement utilizes a lot of fast twitch muscles and that will help improve your overall explosiveness. The more you jump, and the higher you jump, the more explosive your legs will become.
Improved Olympic lifting – High box jumps have a direct carry over to the Olympic lifts. The rapid hip flexion in the top part of the box jump is the same as the hip flexion needed in the third pull of the snatch and the clean. So doing box jumps will help create faster hip flexion.
Improved cardiovascular – Box jumps can be an exhausting exercise. Each rep uses a number of leg and core muscles, and after a few reps you will notice your heart rate start to rise. This exercise is not only good to improve leg strength, but also to improve cardiovascular fitness.
During workouts, box jumps can be tough. Many beginners will burn out early in a workout simply because they do not have the form, or technique for box jumps. However, the exercise can be made a lot easier, by following a few simple steps to improve box jumps.
Proper Technique
The most effective way to improve box jumps, is by getting the right technique. I know what you’re probably thinking, ‘there’s not much to jumping from the ground to a box, is there?’ Although the truth is, there is.
Just like a deadlift, just like a snatch and just like a clean, a box jump is a lot easier when you have the right technique. A good technique consists of keeping your feet together, and trying to land them in the centre of the box.
You want to try to have a soft landing, and keep balanced the whole way through. Looking straight ahead and focusing on a horizontal point is a good way of keeping balanced while box jumping.
Timing and Rhythm
The most important step, and by far the best way to improve box jumps, is the timing and rhythm of your reps.
Most beginners start from the bottom of the box, jump onto it, and then step down. Others simply jump up and back down to the ground and have a short break before going again.
The most effective and efficient way of doing box jumps, however, is to start and finish each rep on top of the box. If you need to have a rest, take it while standing on top of the box, and not on the ground.
The reason for this is simple. Jumping down and back up to the box in one swift movement utilizes the stretch cycle period, making it easier and more efficient to perform a rep. If you land on the ground, you have to re-generate power to get back on top of the box by bending you hips and pushing off the ground. Essentially, you are wasting more energy, the more time you rest on the ground.
Above is a video of Matt Chan explaining and demonstration these box jump points of performance. I consider this method to be efficient but I also see it as a more advanced technique. It’s a technique tool that should be put in your tool box and utilized at the appropriate time. But what is the appropriate time? When you feel confident in your box jumps. Proper technique, proper timing and rhythm are important but I think the one thing that is often looked passed in box jumps is the progression in using them. We know a natural profession in weightlifting movements, as we become stronger and more confident, we add more weight. We all know that we would not put an incredibly heavy load on the bar if we weren’t comfortable and confident in our abilities to lift it. Boxes do not come in 2 sizes, 24 inch and 20 inch. They come in smaller and bigger sizes. Some of us may not possess the strength in our legs and the speed in our hip flexion to comfortably and confidently jump to 24/ 20 inches. So why do we feel like we need to?
As stated earlier in the article, box jumps improve our cardiovascular fitness. . . assuming we are doing them with the intensity needed to get the cardiovascular component from it. If a workout has 100 box jumps in it, we can’t pick a box height that forces us to stop and think every single time we want to jump on the box. 100 box jumps should be something we can do easily without second guessing our abilities or the height or the fact that we might not make it. So grab a box height that allows for that to happen. Get comfortable staring in front of the box and jumping without thought. When it becomes an easy movement, add more height. It is a progression just like anything else, just because it’s not a loaded barbell does not mean it does not require our due diligence in perfecting it’s mechanics like it was a loaded barbell.
