Strength Training · Powerlifting
Box Back Squat
The box back squat is a barbell squat with a brief seated pause on a box. It trains your legs and glutes while giving you a consistent depth target.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 3 min
How to do it
- Position yourself under the bar with it resting across your upper back, held firmly with both hands.
- Stand tall to lift the bar clear of the hooks.
- Step back into a roughly shoulder-width stance just in front of the box, with your toes slightly turned out.
- Lower your hips toward the box by bending your hips and knees.
- Sit lightly on the box.
- Pause for one second.
- Push through your feet to return to standing.
Form cues
- Brace your belly before each descent.
- Keep your whole foot planted.
- Let your knees follow your toes.
Common mistakes
- Dropping onto the boxControl the final inches of the descent rather than letting the box stop your fall.
- Rocking to get upKeep your torso angle steady during the pause instead of leaning backward to build momentum.
- Hips rising before the chestUse a lighter load so your shoulders and hips rise together.
Safety
Landing hard or relaxing under the bar can place abrupt stress on your lower back. A shifting box or failed ascent can leave you trapped beneath the loaded bar.
- Use a solid, load-rated box that cannot slide or tip, at a height you can reach without rounding your lower back.
- Set safety supports just below the bar's seated height; test their position with an empty bar before loading.
- Set the hooks slightly below shoulder height so reracking does not require tiptoeing, and secure plates with collars.
- Practice the box distance with an empty bar before adding weight; end the set when fatigue changes your technique.
If squatting or sitting onto the box causes back, hip, or knee pain, choose a lighter or higher-box version and seek advice from a physiotherapist.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell
- Barbell Collar
- Lifting Belt (optional)
- Plyometric Box
- Power Rack
- Rack Safety Supports
- Weight Plate
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 3–4
- Target
- 5–8 reps
- Rest
- 3 min
Start with a weight that leaves about two controlled repetitions in reserve.