Box Squat
Squat to a box with a pause to train starting strength. It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back and hamstrings.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 1.7× bodyweight (135 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 1.2× (72.5 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Box Squat
- Set a box or bench behind you at about knee height, take the bar on your upper back and step back until your calves are close to the box.
- Push the hips back and sit down onto the box with control, shins close to vertical, without collapsing onto it.
- Pause for a moment seated with the core braced, then stand up by driving through the heels.
- Keep the back flat when you touch the box; the box sets a consistent depth and teaches the hips to work.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Quads | Quadriceps femoris |
| Primary | Glutes | Gluteus maximus |
| Primary | Adductors | Adductores |
| Secondary | Lower back | Erector spinae |
| Secondary | Hamstrings | Biceps femoris |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- The base of leg size
- Whole-body strength and a real metabolic cost
- Bracing that transfers to every other lift
Strength standards for Box Squat
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 1.1× | 0.8× | 87.5 kg | 47.5 kg |
| Gold | 1.7× | 1.2× | 135 kg | 72.5 kg |
| Platinum | 2.25× | 1.55× | 180 kg | 92.5 kg |
| Diamond | 2.8× | 1.95× | 225 kg | 117.5 kg |
| Obsidian | 3.5× | 2.45× | 280 kg | 147.5 kg |
| Painite | 4.2× | 2.95× | 335 kg | 177.5 kg |
| Antimatter | 5.6× | 3.9× | 447.5 kg | 235 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Box Squat, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Box Squat work?
It works mainly the quads, glutes and adductors, with help from the lower back and hamstrings.
How do you do Box Squat?
Set a box or bench behind you at about knee height, take the bar on your upper back and step back until your calves are close to the box. Push the hips back and sit down onto the box with control, shins close to vertical, without collapsing onto it. Pause for a moment seated with the core braced, then stand up by driving through the heels. Keep the back flat when you touch the box; the box sets a consistent depth and teaches the hips to work.
What is a good Box Squat for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 1.7× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 1.2× for women, Diamond at 2.8× and 1.95×. For an 80 kg man that is a 135 kg and a 225 kg one-rep max.
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