This is an assistance exercise for max squat/deadlift days.
The set up shifts the weight under you, opposed to squatting (behind you) & deadlifting (in front of you). The swinging kettlebell & bands force the lifter to stay tight & fire all muscles in unison, during the movement to stabilise.
The other benefit here is it places minimal load on the spine, making it a great alternative to traditional squatting for those lifters that are injured or are experiencing back pain caused by the downward compression of the spine while squatting.
We do this movement to failure to expose the first point of weakness in the posterior chain.
Full credit to Marty Girvan and the team at The Mighty Apollo Gym in Melbourne for coming up with this gem. As this exercise places minimal load on the spine it is a great alternative to traditional squatting for those lifters that are injured or are experiencing back pain caused by the downward compression of the spine while squatting. In addition the bands pull you in all directions forcing the lifter to stay tight & fire all muscles in unison. This movement will quickly fatigue & highlight your week areas. Also a great GPP improver when the movement is done in intervals with short rest periods.
Here the box squat is being used on our speed day. The Chains are used to increase weight on the concentric phase of the lift. As the chain comes off the floor, the lifter needs to push up harder to keep the bar moving at the same speed. Each set of 2 reps are done with no more than a minutes rest between each set.
If performed correctly the Box Squats targets the posterior chain while taking stress off the lower quads and knee joints and trains both the concentric & eccentric phase of the squat.
The slight pause on the box relaxes the hips just before they are re-engaged to explode up on the concentric phase.
The other bonus with this is the depth is constant with each rep.
Suspended Safety Straps are great for the lifters confidence & assures safety to both the lifter & spotters, Plus it's a lot easier on the equipment if the lift goes to sh*t.
The Safety Squat Bar takes pressure off your elbows. The bar sits higher therefore changing the weight load. Great for quad development & is highly effective for the development of the upper and lower back when used with box squatting and good morning exercises.
The Cambered Bar is great for Various Squat & Good Morning exercise's. The lower hand placement places more stress on the muscles of the lower back, glutes and hamstrings.
