Box Jumping Is Super Fun
Last week I jumped onto a box for the first time. I mean, I probably used to jump on pits, but I only recently visited a gym that had a special plio box . Jump box. It was fun.
At its core, box jumping is simple: you jump onto a box. Which I did. But then you ask yourself: what next? Here are a few things you should know about box jumping during your workout:
- It will be easier for your joints if you then sit on the ground instead of jumping.
- Don’t overdo it : jumping is easy to get injured . The first time I stopped at about five sets of 5-10 jumps.
- Take a pleasant long rest between sets if you want to jump as high as possible . Box jumping is a strength exercise, meaning you use your muscles to create as much strength as possible, as quickly as possible. For strength training, it is best to rest for three to five minutes . You can do something else, like doing push-ups while you wait.
Most of the fun of box jumping is challenging yourself, jumping higher and higher. Some boxes are the same height, take or leave. The box I used had three different heights (20, 24 and 30 inches) depending on which way you turn it. I could do all three, but I’m not going to lie: standing in front of a 30-inch box for the first time and getting off the ground without knowing if you’re going to land in a jump is kind of awful. And exciting.
If you’re new to box jumping and even 20 inches looks intimidating, jump up the aerobics rung instead. Most can be folded to the height you want, up to 12 inches or so.
Besides jumping straight up, there are a few other cool things you can try. I love the variations in this video from Men’s Health :
- Jump with both feet, but land on only one.
- Jump starting with just one leg. (It’s really hard – try this aerobics step!)
- Start from a seated position with the box in front of you. When you squat before jumping, you actually store some energy in your muscles and tendons, like pulling on a rubber band. Sitting instead of squatting takes it away and makes it difficult to jump high.
The next time I was in the gym, I saw some teenage gymnasts doing even more fun things with plio boxing, like jumping from a box to a bow and bouncing off of it for a cart wheel without hands. I am not going to try this myself anytime soon and cannot recommend it. But I think it illustrates my main point: box jumping is fun.