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Box Jump vs. Jump w No Box

dmaxashman

Level 5 Valued Member
Improving power by jumping onto a box seems very popular. But I'm curious why this is favored over just trying to jump as high as you can and land on the ground.

With the box jump, a big part of the movement is bringing your knees to your chest and coordinating that with the box. But that seems to have zero relevance to improving power. Whereas when you jump without a box you can 100% focus on pure power and getting as high into the air as possible. So to me, just jumping high w no box makes more sense.

Curious what your thoughts are? For power training, what do you prefer and why?
 
IMHO, jumping to a box is more stressful to my joints, when I land to the ground I have more room to smooth the impact in a natural way.

I think box is more like a “target”. However, I don’t need to have a target. Auto-regulation works for me better.

I utilize different jumps, long jump, high jump, jump turning around 180 degrees etc those varieties are easy to pull off without a box in my opinion.
 
dmaxashman said:
Improving power by jumping onto a box seems very popular. But I'm curious why this is favored over just trying to jump as high as you can and land on the ground.

With the box jump, a big part of the movement is bringing your knees to your chest and coordinating that with the box. But that seems to have zero relevance to improving power. Whereas when you jump without a box you can 100% focus on pure power and getting as high into the air as possible. So to me, just jumping high w no box makes more sense.
Click to expand...
Exactly

Jumping up on a box does not make much sense for the reason that you posted.

dmaxashman said:
Curious what your thoughts are? For power training, what do you prefer and why.
Click to expand...
Vertex
www.power-systems.com

Vertical Jump – Vertec Gives Accurate Vertical Jump Measurements to Test Training Results | Power Systems

Test your vertical jump to the nearest ½” with Vertec
www.power-systems.com www.power-systems.com

A Vertex is a much more effective method that Box Jumps.

However, the cost of $829 is a bit much for one individual.

1697528353101.png

Another Method

As per...

Antti said:
When testing, a jump against a wall with chalk or a marker is a good idea.
Click to expand...
This works and chalk cost nothing.

Power Jumper
www.power-systems.com

Power Jumpers – Pro Power Jumper Develops Vertical Jump and Reaction Time | Power Systems

Improve vertical jump and agility with the Pro Power Jumper
www.power-systems.com www.power-systems.com

This is an effecive piece. However, at $557 plus shipping, it does not make sense.

1) Purchasing it for individual use is costly.

2) Purchasing it for a group class makes no sense.

The set up time for each indivual in the class would take a lot of time away from a productive Power Training.

1697528943611.png

Power Training Development Movements

1) Olympic Lift Movements

They provide some of the highest, if not the highest, Power Output in sports.

34.3 w/kg Men
21.8 w/kg Women

Second Pulls:
52.6 w/kg Men
39.2 w/kg Women

Squat and Deadlift:
12 w/kg Men

For female powerlifters, "estimates indicate that the corresponding values
for women are 60-70% as great".

With this basic breakdown in mind, the power output comparisons of a
100-kilo male lifter in the clean, second pull and deadlift would be as follows.

Clean-------------3430 watts
Second Pull------5260 watts
Deadlift----------1200 watts

Source: "A Review of Power Output Studies of Olympic and Powerlifting: Methodology, Performance, Prediction and Evaluation Test", Dr John Garhammer, National Strength and Conditioning Research Journal

2) Heavy Kettlebell Swings
www.t-nation.com

Are Heavy Kettlebell Swings Better Than Deadlifts?

Heavy kettlebell swings could be the best damn posterior chain exercise you're not doing, possibly even better than deadlifts! Here's why.
www.t-nation.com www.t-nation.com

StyleLoad (lbs)Peak Vertical Force (N)Peak Horizontal Force (N)
Squat Style702,170-2,349166-182
Squat Style1402,431-2,444278-353
Hip Hinge Style701,935-2,140340-402
Hip Hinge Style1402,325-2,550499-520

4) Banded Kettlebell Swings
Overspeed Eccentric Kettlebell Swings



3) Trap Bar Jumps

The Science Side 2: Hex Bar Jumps vs Olympic Lifts - Plymouth Performance Gym

This month I’ll be analysing a recent study entitled Optimal Loading Range for the Development of Peak Power Output in the Hexagonal Barbell Jump Squat, by Turner, Tobin, and Delahunt, published in The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (2014). (Check out the picture below to see what a...
plymouthperformancegym.co.uk plymouthperformancegym.co.uk

What did they find?

The researchers found that for most of the athletes (14 of the 17) involved in the study the highest amount of power was produced using a load of either 10% or 20% of their Box Squat 1 rep max. (Optimal Loading Range for the Development of Peak Power Output in the Hexagonal Barbell Jump Squat/The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research (2014).

...The hex bar jump is extremely easy to coach... compete with the Oly lifts when it came to training explosive power…

Power Outputs

This study recorded a maximum power output of 5,783.40 watts in the hex bar jump. The authors were not the first to have analysed the power outputs in hex bar jumps. In their 2012 paper entitled Effect of Load Positioning on the Kinematics and Kinetics of Weighted Vertical Jumps Paul Swinton (and colleagues) recorded a peak power output of 4,606 Watts when using a load relative to 20% of a Hex Bar Deadlift 1 rep max.

This is great information to have as it allows us to compare these reading with results from comparable studies done on the Olympic lifts so we can see how the humble hex bar jump stacks up!

In 2005 a team of researchers led by Naoki Kawamori published an article entitled Influence of Different Relative Intensities on Power Output During the Hang Power Clean: Identification of the Optimal Load. They recorded a peak power output of 4,281.15 Watts in the Hang Power Clean (one of the most commonly programmed Oly lift variations for athletic development). Both Hex bar jump studies showed greater peak power outputs than this! Barbell - Hex/Trap Bar Jumps For Power
 
I think box jump requires that you have a strong and powerful core. Consider the explosive tuck. For comprehensive purposes, that should be your movement.
When it comes to pure vertical jumping power or height, box jump makes no sense.
 
dmaxashman said:
Improving power by jumping onto a box seems very popular. But I'm curious why this is favored over just trying to jump as high as you can and land on the ground.

With the box jump, a big part of the movement is bringing your knees to your chest and coordinating that with the box. But that seems to have zero relevance to improving power. Whereas when you jump without a box you can 100% focus on pure power and getting as high into the air as possible. So to me, just jumping high w no box makes more sense.

Curious what your thoughts are? For power training, what do you prefer and why?
Click to expand...
@Antti nailed it. Landing on the box takes out a huge amount of the forces you are subjected to upon landing, making it a lot easier to recover from and introduce new people too. A lot of deconditioned people need to take time to develop the capacity to repetitively absorb landings.

For power training I like to rotate between box jumps, broad jumps, and ball throws.
 
Just want to add a little more as to the reason I stated that box jumps make no sense when it comes to pure power.
Vertical jump is one aspect alone. Explosive leg power, period. You are training solely what you look for.
Box jump is two aspects - explosive leg power as well as core power, which are complimentary to each other. If you have strong legs, you need not to raise your legs too high to be able to jump on a given box, and the same box could be jumped on by someone who has weaker legs but stronger core. The latter has an explosive and powerful tuck and can raise his legs above the height of the box swiftly, and he needs not to jump high.
For general fitness and conditioning I would always recommend box jump. But you need to decide which one suits you best.
 
Luwuwu said:
Just want to add a little more as to the reason I stated that box jumps make no sense when it comes to pure power.
Vertical jump is one aspect alone. Explosive leg power, period. You are training solely what you look for.
Box jump is two aspects - explosive leg power as well as core power, which are complimentary to each other. If you have strong legs, you need not to raise your legs too high to be able to jump on a given box, and the same box could be jumped on by someone who has weaker legs but stronger core. The latter has an explosive and powerful tuck and can raise his legs above the height of the box swiftly, and he needs not to jump high.
For general fitness and conditioning I would always recommend box jump. But you need to decide which one suits you best.
Click to expand...

You can perfectly do a box jump without hip and knee flexion on the descent.
 
Ballistic lifts have strong carryover, as Dan John talked about in his book From the Ground Up.

Slapping the Ceiling
The P.B.B.C. program lends itself to great leaping abilities. One day, a small cadre of runners came to the gym to look around. One asked Dick: “What good is lifting?” Dick simply said: “Jump up and touch the ceiling.” The runner could not, he couldn’t even get the beams. “Dan, come over here.” Dick handed Dan a 45 pound plate and said: “Touch the ceiling.” Holding the weight, Dan leaped up, slapped his palm against the ceiling, then returned to training. “That’s what’s good about lifting.”
 
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