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Benefits Of Box Jumps
Box jumps are an exercise used extensively in many vertical jump programs, and with good reason. You see the humble box jump has a lot going for it. It isn’t perfect however and in this article I will look at the pro’s and cons of this exercise, as well as give you some practical advice on how to get the most out of it. WHAT IS A BOX JUMPA box jump is simply jumping onto a box. To perform it correctly you should select a box height that challenges your jumping ability, but is not so high that it is your hip flexibility, rather than your muscular power that is allowing you to successfully complete the jump.
 WHAT MAKES THE BOX JUMP A GOOD EXERCISEBox jumps are an excellent exercise choice for increasing your vertical jump because it is a low impact exercise. What does this mean? It means that when you land from the jump the impact forces you have to absorb are much lower than a regular jump.For example, imagine you have a 30 inch standing vertical jump. This means that every time you jump with maximum effort you have to absorb the impact of landing forces from around a height of about 30 inches. Alternatively, if you jump up onto a 25 inch box, then you only are absorbing landing forces equivalent to a 5 inch jump. This is substantially easier on not only your joints, but also your muscles due to the reduced eccentric stress. These two factors have a couple of positive benefits for your vertical jump training in that it allows you to perform a higher volume of jumps and also it takes less time to recover. Another benefit of box jumps is that generally they are done from a standing still position (dead stop). This makes them very good for improving explosive concentric strength and rate of force development (RFD). WHAT MAKES A BOX JUMP NOT A GOOD EXERCISE CHOICEThe box jump is a terrific exercise, there is no doubt about it. But, like most exercises, there are also a few things that you should factor in when deciding whether or not to use them.The first problem with box jumps is that because you need to bring your knees up quickly to land your feet on the box, it can lead to athletes not getting full hip extension. The higher the box you use the more pronounced this becomes. Now before you all write in and comment, I have also those seen those clips of athletes jumping onto REALLY high boxes (check the image below of Greg Safko from Crossfit Sparta).  how to jump higher and increase your vertical jump">While this is damn impressive and yes, it does still require a very good vertical jump, there are other factors at work here such as hip flexibility, and the fact that they almost certainly do other things besides box jumps to develop their hops. The other downside to box jumps is that they are really best suited for improving standing vertical jumps or jumps where you only have a short take off. The reasons for this are that firstly, a box jump with its reduced eccentric stress doesn’t do much in the way of developing reactive strength. Secondly, because the landing area of a box is often quite small, and the boxes themselves are not always the sturdiest of things, it doesn’t really suit using much of a horizontal run up beforehand. Of course of you have a wide, solid platform to jump onto this isn’t as much of an issue. The third issue that you should consider is that impressive box jumps don't always translate into impressive vertical jumps, especially if it is running vertical jump height you are after. They build explosive strength, but if you lack reactive strength and movement efficiency, your running vertical might not benefit that much from them unless you incorporate other drills that work these areas (which of course Vertical Mastery does this for you). WHO SHOULD USE BOX JUMPSBox jumps are ideally suited for heavier athletes due to the reduced impact. They are also very good for athletes whose primary form of jumping is a standing or one step jump. These two reasons go a long way to explaining why box jumps are so popular with NFL recruits. Those athletes tend to be bigger and heavier, and the standing vertical jump test is a key performance indicator at the NFL combine.However, box jumps need not be limited to just heavy athletes. A few examples of non-football athletes that come to mind who could benefit from including box jumps in their workouts are volleyball and basketball players who often go for spikes and rebounds off jumps that have little or no run up, and soccer players who routinely jump to attempt to head in goals of corner balls, also off little or no run up. OTHER VARIATIONS OF THE BOX JUMPAside from a standard two foot box jump there are three other variations that I like to include in my training arsenal.The first is the single leg box jump. This is actually quite a good choice for single leg jumpers as it helps develop explosive strength at approximately the joint angle used for take-off in a running jump.
The second variation is the box jump off a step. Stepping into the jump allows you to use a slightly higher box, but you still shouldn’t go overboard.
The last variation is the weighted box jump. When combined with a step as shown in the video below this becomes probably my favorite version of the box jump.
When I trained exclusively for vertical jump height this type of box jump featured very heavily in my training programs. I felt that the ability perform higher reps, the resistance of the vest, and the ease at which I recovered made this an excellent exercise choice. I give a lot of credit to performing one step box jumps with an X-vest as a big reason I was able to hang off a 10 foot basketball rim with two hands comfortably off only one step. More practically it also allowed me to become a WAY better rebounder and shot blocker at age 33 then I had ever been in my life. A PAINFUL STORYA quick word of warning about box jumps is warranted. You do have to be careful with them as you definitely don’t want to use either too much weight or too high of a box. Let me share a painful personal experience of what I mean.One fine November day here in Melbourne I was performing a training session before a friend’s wedding. I had sore hips from doing a lot of squatting and probably should have called it quits anyway, but it was a nice day and I thought I had plenty of time to get ready. My wife felt otherwise and yelled out for me to hurry up. So I said to myself I would just do 4 more jumps, then go inside and get ready. At this point I am guessing my mind switched off because on the very next jump I didn’t quite make it and landed right on my shin (on the stone wall shown in the one step box jump video no less). I was extremely lucky not to have broken my leg. I required a trip to the hospital and stitches, and ended up missing the wedding ceremony. However, I got there for the reception (the yummy food) and I had the best excuse to not have to dance so I guess there was a silver lining. There are a couple of lessons to be learnt from this. The first is that despite me making that jump 100’s of times before with no problems, on that day I was sore already, and was not concentrating fully. I should have stopped. This comes right back to one of the golden rules of vertical jump training being about quality of effort over quantity of effort, even if you think you can do more. The second thing to take away is that despite my injury and setback, this is still an awesome exercise. However, given the slight risk of a crash landing I feel that the safest way to perform this exercise is always with your arms free. You should be trying to jump with your arms free anyway as this is how you jump in a game or in a standing vertical jump test. It is also beneficial to keep your arms free as if I had not been able to put my arms out to break my fall I probably would have broken my leg. It is for this reason that my preferred method for performing weighted box jumps is to use a weight vest. That said, if you do not have access to a weight vest you can of course use dumbbells and medicine balls, just take care to select an appropriate height box. Now, before I sign off on weighted box jumps, I want to reassure you guys that it is not only one of the best exercises I have seen for increasing an athlete’s two foot vertical jump, but it is also perfectly safe as long as you are smart about it. I performed literally hundreds of weight box jumps in my training and had one accident which was caused by my own stupidity. Be smarter than me and you will be fine. CONCLUSIONThe box jump is a classic exercise that can be very beneficial for athletes who jump from a standing position or off short run ups. It is great for building concentric power in a very specific manner, and it is easy on the joints.If you avoid the common mistakes of using too high a box, and you mix it in with some other vertical jump exercises to form a well balanced vertical jump program you will find that the results speak for themselves.
If you found this article or website helpful, please tell someone about it!
If you found this article or website helpful, please tell someone about it!
RELATED ARTICLESLow Impact Training - Jumping is hard work on your body but it doesn't have to be. Follow a few of these simple low impact strategies and give your joints a break without sacrificing your gains.X-Vest Review - Our review of the X-Vest weighted vest. It is America's number 1 selling weight vest because it is a quality product. Weight Vest Training - Weight vest training would have to be one of the most effective means of improving your vertical jump. Find out why we love this simple training aid so much. Why NFL Players Can Jump So High: Why can NFL players jump so high? It is a common question. Here is your answer. Exercise Selection - Smart exercise selection can be the difference between a massive vertical and a mediocre one. Find out what you should be thinking about when you decide what exercises you want to use. Vertical Mastery - Revolutionary vertical jump training program. Feel Free To Comment About This ArticleIf you feel like you have something to say about this article - go for it! What Other Visitors Have SaidClick below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Box Jumping for Older Athletes
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Land on your heels?
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Justin Darlington World Record
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Box Jump with Weight Vest = VERY EFFECTIVE
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