Box Jumps are a Method of Plyometric Training
Plyometric exercises are often overlooked when it comes to working out, but they have numerous benefits for people ranging from beginners to professional athletes. They don’t require large amounts of equipment and can be done in a limited space. So they’re a great addition to anyone’s fitness program.
It seems like every year a new word is introduced into the fitness lexicon. One of the most popular buzzwords in the last few years is “plyos” or “plyometrics.”
So what do they mean? If you want to get technical, it is the application of a rapid stretch-shortening cycle that utilizes a muscle’s elastic properties. But let’s just cut to the chase.
Plyometric exercises are designed to get your muscles working quickly and in a way that is similar to how they are used in everyday activities. That means jumping around, squatting quickly, and moving in a fast and athletic way.
Some people may tell you to do plyometrics if you want to improve your vertical leap. But there are many other health benefits from these types of exercises, as well as physical ones.
There are three main benefits to plyometric training:
6 Proven Benefits of Box Jumps
Why This Exercise Should Be a Part of Your Routine
Among the various forms of plyometric exercises, box jumps are among the most popular. It is among the best vertical jumps exercises that you can do and is geared towards building explosive power.
A Box Jump can improve your speed, shuttles, concentration, jumping ability, punctuation and turns. It is a good drill for all levels of athletes at high athletic colleges, schools, and of course, for the personal trainers looking to improve their clientís fitness. Here are 6 of the most proven benefits that you can get from Box Jump exercise.
Vertical and Explosive Jumping
Considering that box jumps are exercise that takes place on a box, the obvious benefit is that you can do a lot of vertical jumps. By jumping off a box, you can also practice gaining more explosiveness into your jump.
Furthermore, box jumps are among the best plyometric exercises that you can do, which are really effective in increasing the elasticity of the muscles in the legs. When the muscles are elastic and powerful, they are able to build higher jumps and runs with more energy consumption.
Leg Strength and Power
Most of the strength training exercises you can do can be categorized as horizontal or vertical strength training. Vertical box jumps exercises are among the few exercises that can help you gain both vertical and horizontal strength.
Box Jumps Help Develop Power
Training for dynamic, explosive movements in the weight room is absolutely crucial if you want to have the ability to produce power and speed in a real-life situation.
Box jumps are a great way to develop these qualities. Since you have to jump onto a box at high speeds and have to control your body to land safely, box jumps are superior for developing explosion and control at the same time.
Since box jumps greatly improve this kind of athleticism, they should be a part of every training program.
Box jumps also help develop acceleration. Training these qualities is extremely important for performance in almost every sport.
In addition to improving power and speed, box jumps are a great tool for training athletes for starting ability, which is a key component of performance in football, soccer, hockey, and basketball.
Box jumps almost always need to include a down phase (a step down) in order to safely contract your muscles and set your body in a good position to produce maximum force. Slow phases like this one are a great way to develop starting ability.
Knowing how to properly set your joints in a strong position for a big start helps you to blast out of the blocks much faster.
Box Jumps can Help You Get Conditioned
Box jumps are a total-body exercise that works every muscle group in your body as you launch yourself onto a wooden box and then jump back down to the floor.
The explosive power needed to jump onto a box requires not only a strong leg and core, but also quick reflexes and coordination. Box jumps help to build explosive power that can assist in making an awesome vertical leap. All athletes who need to move quickly in the air, whether speeding down the court in basketball or trying to run to first more quickly in baseball, will benefit from working on their box jump technique and building up the strength needed to perform explosive jumps.
Box Jumps Are a Total-Body Exercise
Doing box jumps will get you sweating and your heart pumping really fast, so you’re likely to burn a lot of calories.
Of course, box jumps aren’t the easiest exercise you can do, and you’ll feel them in your quads, hamstrings, hips, glutes, abdomen, and calves.
Box Jumps can Make Your Bones Stronger
This exercise can help make your bones stronger and your muscles better able to handle the stress of everyday movement.
They help strengthen your major muscle groups in your lower body: your quads, hamstrings, and calves. When your muscles are stronger, they are better able to handle the demands of exercising, and they can even help prevent lower-leg injuries.
Box Jumps have been shown to improve balance, coordination, and agility. You also use your core muscles to jump up onto a box, meaning that these exercises incorporate both lower-body and upper-body movements.
Even if the only thing you learn from this post is that box jumps improve bone density, then you’re in luck. This is probably the most solid case for using box jumps, as it’s very clear that doing them will make your bones stronger.
Box Jumps Make Progression Easy
A beginner box jump starts out just running towards the platform and jumping up onto it. That's not all that hard. And that's the best thing about them – it makes progression easy!
That’s also why it’s a great exercise for athletes. It improves your ability to change direction, land properly, and increase your explosive power. And this is all heightened because of the lower body strength involved.
Box Jumps Improve Power
Box jumps strengthen your legs, but also increase your power. This is because you aren’t just using your legs to move up the distance. You have to pull, push, and jump. Think of it like a curl—only with the jump being the curl. That’s how you increase the amount of power that you need to lift a heavy object.
Box Jumps Work Your Muscles in Multiple Ways
Box jumps hit multiple muscle groups at once. Your legs and butt are a major part of the way that you jump up. But they also work your lower back, butt, and arms. In fact, when you build up the power, your first instinct will be to swing your arms to keep your body close to the box (otherwise you’ll fly off the other side.)
Box Jumps can Make You a Better Runner
And other things you may not know about this exercise.
Do you want to improve your speed on the track or make a quantum leap in your distance per stride?
If so, then you need to start incorporating box jumps into your training.
Read on for the top six reasons why box jumps are such an effective training technique and why you need to try them.
The Benefits of Box Jumps
If you are like most runners, you probably think that when it comes to leg training you can just focus on squats and lunges. But what you probably don’t know is that box jumps can have a big impact on your track times. They can:
Boost Your Fast-Twitch Muscle Fibers: The box jump is essentially a plyometric movement. Plyometrics are exercises that involve a quick muscle contraction, allowing you to exert more power (by increasing the speed of your muscle contraction).
Training with plyometrics allows you to quickly and suddenly load the muscles during short intervals of time which leads to increased strength and muscle size.
Box jumps help you train your fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are used during sprinting. They create greater power during the beginning of the sprint which leads to improved starting times.
Make You a Better Trainer: Another reason for improving your fast-twitch muscle fibers is that it helps you build more explosive leg strength. This will help you train muscles harder and faster.
Box Jumps can be Combined with Resistance Training
When it comes to exercises, box jumps can be a great addition to any fitness program. The benefits of box jumps are many. They do not require much space and are not costly to implement into your fitness routine. Box jumps not only tone up the body but also boost your energy levels. It is great to do them after a cardio workout because it helps you to burn more calories.
They also help improve your cardiovascular endurance, increase your stamina and enhance your performance levels. You can do the exercise even if you have strained your back or have a bad knee.
Box jumps can be done individually or in small groups. They can be done in a small space and without any equipment.
Try to include box jumps in your routine at least three times a week. The exercise can be performed at home or in the gym. Using a box which is between 12 and 20 inches high can be ideal.
If you are exercise at the gym, have a spotter to catch you in case you miss the box. The idea is to land on the box and rebound off it. If you land poorly or awkwardly, there may be damage to the knees or ankles.
The height of the box should be raised as you improve. The area where you do the box jumps should be treated as a power zone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Box Jumps
What is a box jump?
A box jump is a type of exercise performed by jumping from a stationary place onto a box onto a stationary place. A box jump is often distinguished from a stair climb due to the height of the box. In most cases, the box should be high enough that your feet do not touch the floor upon landing.
What are the benefits of box jumping?
Box jumps have been known to help build your quadriceps, calves, glutes, and hamstrings. They also help strengthen your core and lower body muscles that give you better flexibility and quickness. Box jumps can even help improve your balance, which benefits your posture as well.
Get better at box jumps and you’ll notice an increase in your overall speed and strength. You may also be a little more coordinated.
Before you get your hopes up too much, though, it’s important to note that box jumps are often considered too risky to be a part of your actual training regime. They are more of a warm-up exercise than anything else, but that lack of focus may be a good thing. The high intensity of box jumps, combined with the fact that they push almost your entire body to work at once, can lead to injuries if proper technique is not used.
Are Box Jumps Good for Building Muscle?
Box jumps can be a great part of a muscle building workout, but this is not the goal of the exercise. You will be using light weights because you are explosive and not trying to overload the muscle. However, you can still build muscle with box jumps.
You do this by using the weight of your body as resistance at first. The muscles will build to match the resistance provided by the weight of your body.
You can also use your body weight to get a cardiovascular response as well. Box jumping will get your heart rate up to get a cardiovascular workout. If you are seeking complete muscle failure, however, you may want to choose a weight training routine instead.
What Muscles do Box Jumps Work?
Time Required: A single workout can last up to thirty minutes if you are doing various techniques and exercises.
Equipment Required: You will need a box that is approximately a foot in height, an exercise mat, and some free space to jump around.
What Muscles do Box Jumps Work?: The gluteus maximus muscle, quadriceps muscle, gastrocnemius muscle, and hamstrings muscle.
What Are Box Jumps?
Box jumps are one of the best lower body exercises you can do to improve your power, in addition to your speed and strength. They are similar to the regular squat jumps except that they are much more responsive to an increase in weight, distance, and repetitions, making them one of the best exercises to optimize strength and endurance. Here is a quick guide to box jumps to help you understand how to do it and why is it so beneficial.
How to Do the Box Jump Exercise:
Step 1 “ Stand in front of a box that is approximately one foot tall. The distance should be about twice your leg’s length.
Step 2 “ Bend down and grab the bottom of the box while keeping your knee straight.
Tips for Incorporating Box Jumps into Your Routine
Final Thoughts
Since box jumps are a great exercise for developing power in the lower body, it’s an excellent choice for developing athleticism and high-velocity movements. They’re also quite simple to learn, and you can start implementing them into your routine today.
The biggest challenge that you’re likely to run into with the box jump is that you must jump down as much as you jump up, so you’ll need to make a mental adjustment to deal with this new setup.
If you’ve ever considered adding more power training to your routine, box jumps are a great option. You can really pump up the intensity of your next workout by starting a ladder and trying to clear as many boxes as possible in just a few minutes. Additionally, if you want to train your explosive power, box jumps are equally effective when done with a single stride.
Box jumps are a very efficient exercise because you can use a lot of weight without losing range of motion in your hips, knees, and ankles. Because it’s limited, you can focus on keeping the weight on your heels and exploding each time you jump.