The Box Squat: A Useful Tool for Fixing your Squat

I've seen you. Yeah, you over there doing that thingy where you bend your knees and try to get your butt close to the floor. You might call it a squat, but I'm here to tell you its not even close.

The squat is considered by many to be the single best exercise you can perform. It is a staple in strength and conditioning programs everywhere. If you think of any fitness related goal, the squat can help you accomplish almost every one. Sadly, I rarely seen this fantastic exercise done correctly. There are several elements that must be present to perform a proper squat:

• Ankle mobility
• Hip mobility
• Core stability
• T-spine extension
• Coordination

All of these elements must be present to some extent for one to squat correctly. The problem is, the evolution (more like de-evolution) of our society has most individuals sitting behind a desk and performing Krispy Kreme curls and keyboard smashing drills all day. This does nothing to address the aforementioned elements needed to do this staple of human movement. First, I'll tell you what happens when I see most people squat.

Common Flaws

I could probably write an entire post on this topic alone, but for the sake of those of you who don't speak geek, I'll keep this brief.

1. Poor Knee Tracking
This can be observed as the knees caving in upon descent (valgus) or the knees drifting too far forward.

2. Anterior Weight Shift
Observed as one falling forward  or an obvious weight shift to the toes.

3. Lack of Depth
Proper depth occurs where the crease of the hip is at or below the tops of the thighs. A lack of depth can be observed as the guy in the gym with too much weight on the bar and bending his knees. Exhibit A would be the guy in the background in the video below. Not only is he using gloves and a sissy pad ( = loser), but his female counterpart is showing him up and crushing some quality reps. Granted her technique is not perfect, but its always nice to see a female that's not afraid to get under the bar.

Epic Fail



4. Lumbar Flexion At or Around 90 Degrees
This one is the #1 cause of injury while squatting. Allowing the lumbar spine to go into flexion ESPECIALLY under load puts tremendous stress on the interverterbral discs and can lead to disc herniation. It can be observed as the pelvis rotating posteriorly at the bottom. Many individuals will sacrifice neutral spine position to achieve depth. This is always a bad idea. In the drawing below, the example on the left illustrates the correct position.

How to Fix It

You might think I am going to go into a huge rant about how corrective exercise is the only way to go about this and blah blah blah. I am a huge advocate of correctives. Especially when an individual is lacking the proper mobility and/or stability to achieve the correct position. However, squatting is a movement that must be learned, earned, and practiced to master. Consider a baby that is learning to move on its own. The child does not proceed directly to walking before it learns to crawl. It earns the right to crawl, then earns the right to walk. If it is not ready, it simply does not happen. This is the same approach you must take when re-learning how to squat correctly. As with many movements, the single best way to improve your squatting technique is to squat more often. The caveat is, you have to do it correctly through a range of motion that you are capable of without sacrificing proper technique.

Enter the Goblet Box Squat

The box squat has been used by powerlifters for years to strengthen the hips and work on achieving depth with a neutral spine. You can use it to correct any of the flaws listed above. It has several benefits:

• Teaches one to sit back and load the hips
• The box can be raised or lowered to accommodate each individual's range of motion while maintaining neutral spine
• Provides a sense of security and stability when learning or re-learning proper technique
• Can be used for any squat variation

To choose the proper box height, simply grab a friend or trainer and have them observe your position. Grab a light kettlebell by the horns and hold it at chest height. Start with a high box (24'' is usually a good place to begin) and squat down to the box, doing your best to maintain a neutral spine. Pause for 2-3 seconds when your butt touches the box. DO NOT RELAX. You need to stay tight through the entire movement to get the full benefit. Keep lowering the box height until you reach the lowest position you are able to maintain neutral spine. That's the depth that you will start with. Over time, you will be able to progressively lower the box height to the proper depth, then get rid of the box altogether.

Coaching Points

The coaching points below apply to any bilateral squatting variation. For the purpose of this post, I will be using the goblet squat. The goblet squat is the first progression I use when teaching the squat to my clients. If they are unable to achieve proper depth with a neutral spine, I put them on a box until they can.

1. Foot Placement
Place the feet shoulder width apart with the toes pointed out at 20 to 30 degrees.

2.Sit Back
You must initiate the movement with the hips first. The glutes are the largest and most powerful muscles in the body. Learn how to use them!

3. Knees Out
Pushing the knees out is one of the most important aspects of squat technique. When done correctly it activates the external rotators of the hip and creates space for the pelvis to descend between the legs. This is important because if the knees are not pushed out to the correct degree, the femur will run into the ASIS before proper depth is achieved. When this happens, the hips run out of room to move so the pelvis will compensate by rotating posteriorly, thus creating lumbar flexion. Pushing the knees out also helps the knees track the toes instead of migrating too far forward, which could cause knee pain. Take a look at the photo below to get a good idea of what this looks like.

4. Maintain a Neutral Spine
I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Maintaining a neutral spine allows the load to be shared evenly across the entire spine, allowing for a more efficient transfer of force between the trunk and lower extremity. It is the safest, and most efficient way to squat. If you observe the picture below, you will notice I maintain a neutral alignment with my chest out and chin tucked. If you are in the correct bottom position, you should feel a stretch in your hamstrings and adductors.

5. Drive Through the Heels and Hips
Begin the ascent by pressing the heels into the floor and driving the hips straight up into the air. Remember, the hips are the largest and most powerful muscles in the body. The hips, not the legs, are what drive you out of the bottom of the squat. When the hips begin to rise, the rest of the body should rise simultaneously. When approaching the top, finish the movement by driving the hips forward into full hip and knee extension.

Other Training Considerations

With the proper practice and patience, the box squat combined with the coaching cues mentioned above should do wonders for improving your squat technique. However, this alone might not be enough. Make sure you include some form of soft tissue work, mobility, and core work as part of your program. It also would be beneficial to seek out a qualified movement screening professional to determine what specific limitations need to be addressed.

If you want to learn more about the squat and take things to the next level, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. In this text, Mark covers the anatomy and all the finer points of technique needed to master all of the main barbell lifts. It did wonders for my squat and helped be become a better coach as well.