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03Feb

Exercise of the Week: The Box Squat

February 3, 2012 fitnesssfa Get Fit 19

This week we’ll take an in-depth look at a great precursor to a full barbell back squat, and a very difficult exercise in its own right, the box squat.  The box squat is a compound, total body lift that works your hamstrings, glutes, hips, spinal erectors, and core hard.

So why should you box squat?  Aside from being a very efficient exercise, working several large muscle groups at once, here are a couple more good reasons:

1) Safely and correctly learn proper squat form.

The squat can be a very difficult move to master and requires a lot of practice.  Learning to bend from the hip instead of from the knee on the descent can be hard to do, and often times the glutes and hamstrings are not strong enough initially to squat all the way to proper depth without bending too far forward at the knee.  Setting up a box higher than parallel and over time slowly lowering it can help.  Many people have a difficult time hitting proper depth for the squat, not only from inflexibility but from simply not knowing what proper depth feels like.  If a box is set up at the proper height, hitting depth can be practiced and guaranteed every time.  As well, it is a great way to make sure that you are sitting back at the hips instead of the knees, putting a lot of pressure off of the knee joint, and also it is easier to focus on pushing through your heels on the way back up.

2) Building explosive strength

For someone like me who is not very fast in my lifts, box squats are very beneficial.  Doing a box squat with a lighter weight helps build up speed and power, which can translate into greater force generation on my other lifts, faster times on the field or quicker cuts.

3) Increase flexibility

It may seem counter-intuitive, but squatting, making sure to sit back far with your hips, with a heavy weight on your back can actually stretch your muscles past where they would normally be able to in a bodyweight squat.  This stretch can also help with your ascent off the box – this is called a “stretch reflex.”   Essentially, when you stretch your muscles past where they are accustomed to, the body wants to try and protect them from straining by forcing them to contract and resist the stretch.

So, then how do we box squat?

Step 1: Setting up Under the Bar

It is important when performing any type of squat that we keep the entire body tight – that includes the back.  The bar needs to be tightly gripped the entire duration of the lift.  Think about splitting it apart with your hands, this will flex your rhomboids, traps and lats, making a nice ‘shelf’ of muscle for the bar to rest on, as well as helping keep you upright during the squat itself.  The bar itself should rest on your traps or right below (like I have it positioned in the picture).  We want to avoid placing it on top of the shoulders – this will load the cervical vertebrae and place them under unnecessary pressure, which is best avoided.

Step 2: Stand up and Step Back

After you’ve positioned yourself correctly under the bar, stand up straight, unracking the barbell.  To get back to the box, we want to take efficient steps and avoid any unnecessary shuffling of the feet.  When the weight gets heavy, it’s best not to use up a lot of energy just walking the bar back.  So take 3 easy, steps back: With your right foot place it backwards in front of the middle of the box.  Follow with your left foot, placing it on the outside of the left side of the box.  Mirror the movement with your right foot.  This is illustrated in my kindergarten-level MS Paint diagram as follows:

 

Step 3: Bending at the Hip

More often than not, when told to squat most people will begin their descent at the knee, pushing it over the toes and compressing the knee joint, causing pain in the long run.  To avoid this, we want to begin by sitting back with our hips – essentially sticking your butt out!  After this we want to think about sinking into our hips so that the knees don’t drift over the toes.  This can be a hard thing to judge by yourself – make sure to get your trainer to tell if this is being done correctly.  One way to imagine it is to think about sitting back into a chair.  You’ll need to keep your glutes and hamstrings flexed the whole way down – no plopping!

Step 4: Lean Back

Leaning back is not the same thing as rolling back.  It is also not relaxing on top of the box – you want to keep your core and back taught the entire time!

Step 5: Explode off of the Box

Keeping your chest up, push through your heels and using your glutes and hamstrings explode quickly off of the box.  The amount of weight you have on the bar will determine whether this is a quick or slow motion, but you always want to think about contracting as quickly as possible.

Putting it all together – Take a look at the video HERE, and give this exercise a try!  You’ll feel the burn after just a couple of reps if done correctly with the right weight.  As always, thanks for reading!

 

Kat Whitfield

BS, NASM-CPT

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21Oct

Decathlon Update

October 21, 2011 fitnesssfa Expert Advice, Get Fit 17

Jamie here with this week’s Decathlon update. By this week, everyone has been able to complete most of the events at least one time. As a result, we are able to provide the standings for the team and individual competitions. I’ve listed the top 3 in each category below. There’s just over one week left in the Decathlon challenge, so we are looking forward to heated competition from here on out. Let’s go!

Team Leaders (male)
1. George and Ward (aka team roo)
2. John and Jimbo (aka team Trick or Treat)
2. (tie) Arthur and Mike (aka Team Wolf Heels)

Team leaders (female)
1. Ann and Jamie
2. Shannon and Paige

Individual leaders (male)

1. Mark Onaitis
2. Geoff Bailey
3. Gene Oddone

Individual Leaders (female)

1. Mary Sampson
2. Maura Sullivan
3. Ezmin George
3. (tie) Chris Mark

Check out Mike Embree, as he participates in the agility carry relay. Mike broke his personal best score today, as he clocked in at just under 39 seconds. Way to go Mike!

link

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25Aug

One Man and Paleo (Day 3)

August 25, 2011 fitnesssfa Get Fit, Nutrition, Personal Training 18

Fresh Veggies

All right, Day 3 has come and gone and I’m feeling pretty in the grove with the diet. I will add though that yesterday was the first day I had any specific cravings; I really wanted some bread. But didn’t give in and had a good day of eating. I added a few things from Day 1 and Day 2, I had a bit more handfuls of nuts. I carried around a bag of raw mixed veggies to nosh on when I needed it and I had about two dozen small shrimp for dinner.

One little tidbit I’ve used to help things taste good is that in a pinch if I need a quick meal I through some beef or chicken (about 6-8 oz) in a bowl along with a whole avocado and about half a cup to a full cup of good fresh salsa. Heat up for about two minutes and you get a nice fast tasty meal.

All in all so far I feel pretty good. I’ve noticed a decided lack of feeling bloated (I’m pretty certain this comes from ditching the processed carbs.) Energy seems to be okay, though I felt a little more tired at night then I do normally. Probably just need an adjustment in calories. A few more fruits and veggies should probably help.

Remember, a nutrition bar or whey shake is still processed! All natural, all real. Pick it. Kill it. Eat it.

See you tomorrow.

Mike Babbitt, M.F.A, M.A., CSCS

Master Trainer

Mike is a Master Level trainer at Empower Personal Training. He has a unique approach to fitness that combines his scientific foundation of research and applied exercise physiology with his artistic experience as a professional stage actor. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024

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28Apr

Hilarious (but not terribly pertinent) Videos

April 28, 2011 fitnesssfa Get Fit 16

My friends tease me all the time because I love youtube videos. I’ll do my “come check this out” wave and they’ll roll their eyes and comply. But the videos I show are usually good for a laugh or five.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to post some of those videos just because we don’t need to be so serious all the time.

These links are all to youtube and will all be work/child friendly 🙂

Brought to our attention from Empower VIP, Dwight Ingram: Euro Training

Inspirational, intense, unintentionally funny speech by a man named Phil Davison

Funny British animal voiceovers

Last but not least, this is my favorite Super Bowl commercial of all time.

What’s your favorite youtube video?

Paul Piracci, BS CSCS

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.

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14Feb

Super Saturday

February 14, 2011 fitnesssfa Get Fit 19

On Saturday February 5th 2011, Empower Personal Training held their first ever Superbowl boot camp. We had originally planned a flag football game at Forrest Hills park, but it was canceled due to extreme weather conditions. However, that didn’t stop our brave athletes from getting up early on a Saturday morning for some hard work here in the studio. Check out a clip of the boot camp workout, which was led by Tom Stafford.

Never fear though, we hope to get everyone together for a make up football game in the near future.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1840963113685&comments

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