Plyometric · A stable box, bench or low wall
How to do
Box Jumps
The only plyometric movement in the Alea pool. Explosive lower-body power, and the one exercise here where the equipment being stable genuinely matters.
| Movement pattern | Plyometric |
| Measured in | reps |
| Equipment | A stable box, bench or low wall |
| Effort weight in Alea | 1.4 per rep |
| Appears from | D10 exercise die upward |
How to do it
Setup
Stand roughly a foot back from a box you are confident about. It must not slide, tip or compress. A sofa is not a box. Start with something well below what you think you can clear.
The movement
Dip into a quarter squat, swing your arms back, then drive up and forward, landing softly on the box with both feet fully on the surface and knees bent to absorb. Stand up to full extension. Step down, one foot at a time, rather than jumping down.
Common mistakes
- Jumping down instead of stepping down, which is where most box jump injuries happen
- Choosing a height that flatters your ego rather than one you can land in control
- Landing with the heels hanging off the edge
- Landing stiff-legged instead of absorbing through bent knees and hips
Too hard? Scale it down
Lower the box, right down to a single step if needed. Or drop the jump entirely and do step-ups, driving through the leading leg. Step-ups train much of the same pattern without impact or risk.
Too easy? Scale it up
Raise the box gradually, or reduce the pause between reps. Height progression should be slow; shin injuries from missed box jumps are common and entirely avoidable.
Where this sits in the Alea pool
Alea draws exercises from an ordered pool of twenty, and the die size slices from the top of that list. Box Jumps is number 10 of 20, so it enters the draw once your exercise die reaches D10. Below that, you will never roll it.
Its effort weight is 1.4 per rep, which the app uses when it builds 100-rep sessions and tailored workouts, so a session containing box jumps carries fewer total reps than one built from lighter movements.
Roll it now in your browser, or set your dice and let it come up on its own.
General information, not medical or fitness advice. Stop if you feel pain or dizziness, use the easier variation when in doubt, and see the full training disclaimer before starting.
Let the dice pick it for you
Alea draws box jumps at random alongside nineteen other bodyweight movements. Free, no account needed.
Android · Free · No account needed · No ads, ever
Related
Box Jumps FAQ
What can I use if I have no box?
A solid bench, a low wall, or a sturdy step. It must not move, tip or compress under a landing. If nothing qualifies, do step-ups or lower your exercise die so box jumps stop appearing.
Should I jump down from the box?
No. Step down one foot at a time. Jumping down multiplies the landing forces for no training benefit and is the main injury mechanism in this exercise.
How high should the box be?
Low enough that you land in a controlled quarter squat with both feet flat, every rep, including the last one of a long set. Height is the least important variable here.