Legs / Beginner / Compound (multi-joint)

Lateral Box Jump

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

At a glance

Primary

Adductors

Secondary

Hip abductors (glute med), Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, 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. Assume a comfortable standing position, with a short box positioned next to you. This will be your starting position.
2. Quickly dip into a quarter squat to initiate the stretch reflex, and immediately reverse direction to jump up and to the side.
3. Bring your knees high enough to ensure your feet have good clearance over the box.
4. Land on the center of the box, using your legs to absorb the impact.
5. Carefully jump down to the other side of the box, and continue going back and forth for several repetitions.

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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