The Best Plyo Box Exercises for Beginners

If you're looking for a fun, challenging workout to develop your body's explosive potential, the plyo box — short for plyometric box — could be just what you need. With this single piece of equipment, you can try dozens of exercises to grow your strength, power and conditioning. The most famous is the box jump, but there are many other options for beginners and fitness enthusiasts alike.

If you're new to plyo boxes, this guide offers everything you need to know to enjoy your first box jump workout. 

What Is Plyometric Training?

Plyometric box workouts are a form of plyometric exercise. Plyometric training builds explosive physical power through fast, repetitive muscle movements between expanded and contracted positions. In contrast to static strength, plyometric exercise trains your muscles to express force quickly. Picture an athlete suddenly leaping off the ground to dunk a basketball. 

While other exercises like medicine ball throws are also great for building plyometric fitness, box jumps are the iconic plyometric exercise. 

Benefits of Box Jumps

If you're wondering why jumping onto a box is such a powerful exercise, here are five ways box jumps improve your health and fitness program:

• Build power: As a plyometric exercise that uses your body weight as resistance, the box jump builds explosive power throughout your body — especially in your core and legs. No wonder athletes from the NBA to Olympic events rely on box jumps in their training regimes.
• Support tendons: Jumping or stepping on and off a plyo box makes your tendons more adaptive and elastic, reducing your injury risk.
• Improve balance and coordination: Plyo box exercises train your balance receptors and physical coordination skills. This can help reduce your risk of falls and enjoy a more functional body.
• Enhance conditioning: Plyometric workouts challenge your heart and lungs to be more efficient. With consistent training, plyo box exercises will help you enjoy improved heart and lung health.
• Burn calories: Box jumps and other exercises using plyo boxes consume a lot of energy quickly. If healthy weight loss is one of your goals, these exercises can be an effective part of your plan when paired with an appropriate diet.

5 Beginner-Friendly Plyo Box Exercises

A plyo box is a versatile piece of equipment that unlocks various exercises for every fitness level. If you're new to plyo boxes, start with these five exercises.

Box Step-Ups

Box step-ups are the ideal plyo box workout for beginners as you build toward landing your first box jump. They build your quads, hamstrings, and glutes while improving your balance. To do box step-ups:

1. Step onto the plyo box with one foot.
2. Keep your weight distribution even across your foot, and keep your knee in line with your foot as you rise.
3. Carefully step backward with the other foot, and control your descent until you land with both feet.
4. Alternate which foot you use to step onto the box as you do more reps.

Lateral Box Step-Ups

Lateral box step-ups allow your body to build strength when moving sideways, developing your hip abductors for stability. To do these:

1. Stand behind the box, but off to one side.
2. Lift the leg nearer the center of the box at a 90-degree angle, and step onto the box.
3. Step backward with the other foot for a slow, controlled descent.
4. Shift toward the other side of the box to repeat the exercise with your other leg.

Box Glute Bridges

You need strength, stability and power in your glutes and hamstrings to progress to more challenging exercises like box jumps. Glute bridges are an excellent way to build these muscles, and box glute bridges take your glutes through a more full range of motion:

1. Lie on your back with your heels up on the box.
2. Place your hands on the floor.
3. Concentrate on squeezing and pushing from your glutes as you raise your hips and straighten your core.
4. Hold the position for a few seconds without allowing your glutes to dip before lowering your hips gradually.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 for each rep.

Box Push-Ups

Turn your plyo box workout into a full-body session by incorporating box push-ups. The incline makes the exercise easier than conventional push-ups, so choose a taller box to start with and a shorter one if you need more of a challenge. To do this exercise:

1. Lean your body forward with your arms outstretched and hands on the top corners of the box around shoulder-width apart. 
2. Keep your core and legs straight. Move your hands closer together to target your triceps more, or keep them farther apart to focus on your chest.
3. Lower yourself toward the box by bending your elbows with no more than a 45-degree flare out from your sides.
4. Straighten your arms out to raise yourself again and repeat.

Box Jumps

Once you've built a foundation of strength and you're ready to improve your explosive power, you can attempt your first box jump:

1. Stand 6-12 inches away from the front of the box.
2. Push your glutes back, bend your knees and draw your arms behind your body.
3. Quickly jump up and forward by driving your legs and swinging your arms forward.
4. As you launch, lift your knees toward your chest and prepare your feet to land flat and wide.
5. Bend your knees as you land to absorb impact.
6. Step backward carefully with one foot at a time.
7. Repeat for as many reps as you need.

5 Tips for Box Jump Workouts 

Follow these five box jump tips to get the most from your training and reduce your injury risks:

• Warm up: Work through a good, dynamic stretch routine and get your blood flowing before you attempt a box jump.
• Start small: Start with the shortest box available and work your way up gradually as you gain power and confidence. Use a 15-pound rubber plate to start if all the boxes are too tall. Once you are confident with standard box jumps, you can experiment with box jump variations like burpee box jumps and jump-overs.
• Step aside: Try jumping next to a box first if you're unsure about whether you can make the height.
• Keep it tidy: Your pre-jump and landing positions should be the same, looking similar to the bottom of a squat. Your feet should be about hip-width apart. Aim to launch and land evenly with both feet at the same time.
• Trust yourself: Be careful as you work up to your first box jump or progress to new heights. But once you've decided to start a jump, your success depends on committing your whole body to the explosive motion.

Get Active With The Greater Philadelphia YMCA

If you want to enhance your fitness with plyo box workouts and many other training options to suit your needs, The Greater Philadelphia YMCA has you covered. Join to gain access to YMCA locations across the Greater Philadelphia Region and nationwide. Your membership covers various health and fitness programs, including:

• Fitness consultations
• Personal training
• Small group training
• Exercise classes
• Les Mills workouts
• Live and on-demand virtual workouts
• Nutrition counseling

Join The Greater Philadelphia YMCA to connect to a healthier lifestyle.