shepard/james

Going deep in the squat can be stressful for the knees over time, but the use of a high box will alleviate most of the stress. When using a high box, there's a tendency to increase the weight on the bar, but it can defeat the purpose. If you substitute the regular back squat for a high box squat because of knee issues, please keep your ego in check to get the intended benefit of the exercise. There are several ways to perform the high bar box squat. You don't have to use a crazy wide stance as often used by Westside lifters, but wider than "regular" is often a good choice. If you want to continue with your regular squat form, simply use the box as a measure of depth. Just touch the box; don't sit down on it fully like in a regular box squat. Use a regular bar if your shoulders are fine, but if you have shoulder pain from squats or a lot of bench pressing, the safety bar is your best choice. In the video I perform more of a touch and go version with a semi-wide stance. The chains are attached for loading the top portion of the movement while alleviating some of the weight in the bottom position. – Erik Sandvik