How to do a Reverse Box Jump
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
Box
Workouts with Reverse Box Jump
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Reverse Box Jump is a compound, plyometric exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. Unlike standard box jumps where you jump onto the box, this variation involves jumping backwards off a box and landing softly. This exercise helps improve your eccentric control and deceleration skills, making it valuable for sports performance and overall lower body strength.
- Select an appropriate-sized box, and stand on it with your heels near the edge of the box and your knees bent.
- Jump backward off the box with your arms in front of you. Ensure you jump far enough away from the box that you won’t hit your knees as you land, but not so far that you can’t jump back onto the box.
- Land on the balls of your feet, bending your knees and hinging your hips back slightly.
- On contact with the ground, immediately extend your hips, knees, and ankles to jump back onto the box.
- Land on the balls of your feet, and bend your knees to land softly on the box.
- Reset yourself on top of the box and repeat.
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Alternatives & Variations to Reverse Box Jump
1. Box Jump
65.1 mSCORESWAPPED 19 TIMESBox Jump is a compound, explosive movement that targets most muscles in the body, but primarily muscles in your legs. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to improve their ability to jump, add some cardio to their workout, or develop power and explosiveness. This exercise can be easily scaled to your ability level by using different sized boxes.
2. Leg Press
99.7 mSCORESWAPPED 7 TIMESLeg Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps. The exercise itself is fairly similar to a standard squat, with some key differences. The biggest of these differences is the added stability from supporting your back on the Leg Press Machine. The end result of these changes is a more stable movement that further emphasizes your quadriceps. Leg Press is an excellent exercise for anyone looking to build muscle mass or strength in their quads.
3. Leg Extension
99.4 mSCORESWAPPED 6 TIMESLeg Extensions are an isolation exercise that target the quads. Due to a severe lack of isolation movements for the lower body, this is a great option for specifically targeting your quadriceps. The use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds some stability to the movement. This can help your focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement. The downside to this exercise is that it places a lot of tension on your knee. Keep your weights light, and focus on pausing near the end of your range of motion.
4. 1-Step Box Jump
36.2 mSCORESWAPPED 6 TIMES1-Step Box Jump is a variation on the standard Box Jump. Like other Box Jumps, this compound exercise primarily targets your quadriceps, but also engages the glutes and calves explosively. Adding a step before the jump helps build momentum, enhancing power and coordination. It’s a great way to introduce more dynamic movement for those looking to improve their jumping ability and overall athletic performance.
5. Box Step Down
39.1 mSCORESWAPPED 5 TIMESBox Step Down is a compound, bodyweight exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps and glutes. The primary benefit of this exercise is the emphasis on controlling your movement as you lower yourself down from a box, which can improve stability and balance. This is a great exercise for developing unilateral strength and addressing imbalances between sides.
6. 2-Box Depth Jump
38.1 mSCORESWAPPED 4 TIMES2-Box Depth Jump is a plyometric variation similar to the standard Box Jump. This compound movement primarily targets the quadriceps. By stepping off one box and landing on the ground before explosively jumping onto another box, you utilize the elastic properties of your muscles to improve power and explosiveness. This exercise is excellent for enhancing jump performance and overall leg strength.
7. Lateral Box Shuffle
35.3 mSCORESWAPPED 4 TIMESLateral Box Shuffle is a quick, explosive, compound movement that primarily targets your legs and improves agility. By moving laterally back and forth over a box, this exercise also adds a cardio element, enhancing endurance. This movement is excellent for athletes looking to improve lateral speed and coordination, and for anyone aiming to boost overall agility.
8. Dumbbell Lunge
97.6 mSCORESWAPPED 4 TIMESDumbbell Lunge is a variation on the more standard Lunge. Similar to other Lunge variations, Dumbbell Lunge is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads. The exercise itself is the same as a standard lunge except for the added weight from holding dumbbells in each hand. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their lunges a bit more challenging without adding more complexity to the movement.
9. Step Up
60.5 mSCORESWAPPED 3 TIMESStep Ups are a compound, bodyweight exercise that target your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. This exercise can be a bit more forgiving than other similar exercises, by allowing you to remain in a standing position, while still engaging the muscles in your leg. By targeting each side individually, you can ensure that you aren’t compensating for any strength discrepancies between sides.
10. Hack Squat
90.1 mSCORESWAPPED 3 TIMESHack Squat is a variation of squats that utilizes a specific machine to add resistance. Like other squat variations, this exercise primarily targets your quads. The use of a machine can assist you by redistricting your range of motion more than with the use of free weights, as well as adds more stability to the movement.