Yes, it's a click-baity title, but we are often against the use of box jumps and here's why...
The 'functional fitness' trend lead a lot of people to believe that being more functional meant...
Moving faster
Doing more work
Increasing complexity
Increasing your heart rate
To be completely honest, that's just a recipe for injury for 99% of people. To make something more 'functional' it simply needs to add to the function of someones daily life. I've spoken about this more on our podcast here.
The WHY
To understand why you should do something (like box jumps) it's important to understand the 'why' behind the exercise. Box jumps are primarily about developing speed & power. They are designed to help athletes build a fast reaction time & high rate of force development. Does that sound like something your everyday gym-goer needs? Not really.
Risk & Reward
To take it a step further, the risk of injury with a box jump is fairly high. Considering most of the general population is unstable on one leg, having them now jump onto a box is probably not the best idea. There are far better ways to lower the risk of injury, and still get a good (if not better) outcome or adaptation for lower body strength. For example, a single leg step up is a phenomenal way to challenge someones stability & control, as well as taking the time to teach them the correct pattern without them being fatigued. High reward, low risk.
Takeaways
At the end of the day, if you want to do box jumps, go for it! No one is stopping you. However, coaches looking to help their clients build strength & resilience should question the efficacy of movements that are complex, and try to understand if there is a better stimulus that can be applied for the client.
Until next time!
- Sam Dennis
Want to learn how we teach our clients to move well & build strength?
Visit our online programs & get started with The Peoples Coach.