Legs / Beginner / Compound (multi-joint)

Front Box Jump

A bench explosive exercise for the hamstrings, with the hip abductors, adductors and calves assisting.

At a glance

Primary

Hamstrings

Secondary

Hip abductors (glute med), Adductors, Calves, Glutes, Quads

Equipment

Bench

Movement pattern

Jump / plyometric

Level

Beginner

Type

Legs, Compound (multi-joint), Explosive

Loads the knee. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Begin with a box of an appropriate height 1-2 feet in front of you. Stand with your feet should width apart. This will be your starting position.
2. Perform a short squat in preparation for jumping, swinging your arms behind you.
3. Rebound out of this position, extending through the hips, knees, and ankles to jump as high as possible. Swing your arms forward and up.
4. Land on the box with the knees bent, absorbing the impact through the legs. You can jump from the box back to the ground, or preferably step down one leg at a time.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Box too high, landing in a deep squat.

  Why it hurts: The landing loads the knees in deep flexion and a missed jump scrapes the shins.

  ✓ Instead: Choose a box you land on with the hips above the knees, in the same shape as your take-off.

• ✗ Jumping back down off a high box for reps.

  Why it hurts: Dropping down repeatedly creates big landing forces on the Achilles tendons and knees.

  ✓ Instead: Step down, then reset for the next jump.

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