Box Squat with Bands
A barbell box squat with resistance bands running from the bar to the floor. The bands add load as you stand, teaching you to explode off the box and accelerate through lockout.
Primary muscles
- Quadriceps
- Glutes (Gluteus Maximus)
Secondary muscles
- Hamstrings
- Adductors
- Lower Back (Erector Spinae)
- Sets
- 6–10
- Reps
- 2–3
- Rest
- 45–60s
How to perform
Main muscles working (thicker lines)
Starting position
Set a box at about parallel height inside a power rack and loop bands from the bar sleeves to band pegs or heavy dumbbells on the floor. Unrack the bar onto your upper back and step back in front of the box.
Brace hard and push your hips back and knees out as you descend.
Sit under control until you are seated on the box, shins roughly vertical.
Pause briefly while staying tight; do not rock or relax.
Drive up off the box as fast as possible, fighting the band tension through lockout.
Breathing: Inhale and brace before descending, hold through the pause and exhale near lockout.
Coaching tips
Sit back to the box
Explode off the box
Spread the floor
Common mistakes
Letting the bands yank you down onto the box
Bouncing off the box
Bands anchored unevenly so the bar tilts
Using so much band tension that bar speed dies
Safety notes
Check that both bands are secured and equally tensioned before unracking.
Use a stable box and set the safety arms just below box height.
This information is general fitness guidance, not medical advice. Stop if you feel pain and consult a qualified professional.