Is A 24 Inch Box Jump Good?
Table of Contents
Introduction
In this article I will be answering the question “is a 24 inch box jump good?”. Box jumps are an exercise that is easily accessible to pretty much everyone.
The vast majority of commerical gyms have boxes of different heights and you can stack boxes on top of each other for an additional challenge. Is height all important when it comes to doing box jumps? Are high box jumps too risky?
I will be exploring all these things in this article. By the end you will have a good level of knowledge about box jumps and their utility.
The vast majority of commerical gyms have boxes of different heights and you can stack boxes on top of each other for an additional challenge. Is height all important when it comes to doing box jumps? Are high box jumps too risky?
I will be exploring all these things in this article. By the end you will have a good level of knowledge about box jumps and their utility.
Is A 24 Inch Box Jump Good?
For the vast majority of conditioned people, a 24 inch box jump is fairly easy and not a huge challenge. That is not too say that everyone can do this.
If you have poor hip mobility and explosiveness and are lacking fitness, chances are you may not be able to do a 24 inch box jump.
I would say this height box jump is something that every fit person should be able to do and serves as a good starting point for further progression on the box jump.
It is important to practice your technique on the box jump and ensure that you have the movement down. Otherwise you could run into serious injury risks attempting higher boxes!
If you have poor hip mobility and explosiveness and are lacking fitness, chances are you may not be able to do a 24 inch box jump.
I would say this height box jump is something that every fit person should be able to do and serves as a good starting point for further progression on the box jump.
It is important to practice your technique on the box jump and ensure that you have the movement down. Otherwise you could run into serious injury risks attempting higher boxes!
How Useful Are Box Jumps?
Box jumps are useful in so far as they are an exercise that you can program to help improve your explosiveness and vertical leap.
Athletes in particular can benefit from this exercise as it is an athletic feat. Performing box jumps with proper mechanics takes some practice and is essential to dial in first.
It is also possible to be good at box jumps and be able to jump to a high box with very little training of this exercise. This will happen if you are already very explosive – olympic lifters for instance excel at this exercise as a consequence of their normal training.
Speed is especially important when it comes to olympic lifting, you have to be explosive to be able to perform heavy snatches and clean and jerks.
Overall, the box jump is a useful exercise but it can carry injury risks. When you are jumping to higher and higher boxes there is an increased risk of injury. You have to ensure that you make small jumps and perhaps do more volume work on shorter boxes.
Athletes in particular can benefit from this exercise as it is an athletic feat. Performing box jumps with proper mechanics takes some practice and is essential to dial in first.
It is also possible to be good at box jumps and be able to jump to a high box with very little training of this exercise. This will happen if you are already very explosive – olympic lifters for instance excel at this exercise as a consequence of their normal training.
Speed is especially important when it comes to olympic lifting, you have to be explosive to be able to perform heavy snatches and clean and jerks.
Overall, the box jump is a useful exercise but it can carry injury risks. When you are jumping to higher and higher boxes there is an increased risk of injury. You have to ensure that you make small jumps and perhaps do more volume work on shorter boxes.
Is Height All That Matters?
Is jumping to as high a box as possible all that matters with this exercise? The answer in my view is no! If you are only focused on doing a 40 inch box jump for example, you will have an increased risk of injury if you don’t take time to get quality reps in with shorter boxes.
Technique is all important when it comes to the box jump. I have seen people attempting to jump to very high boxes with little training behind them. Sometimes they make it to the edge of the box but it looks incredibly precarious.
These people are akin to the ego lifters that you see in a lot of gyms. They try to attempt weights that are far too heavy for them to show off and validate their ego. The truth is, doing this will not make you progress faster.
You will simply increase your injury risk and therefore your progress will come to a grinding halt. Instead you have to aim for slow, steady progress. It may not be sexy, but this is essential for your longevity.
As an aside, I would say that a box jump of 35 inches or more is very good. If you can do a box jump to a 50 inch box or high that is pretty elite! You have to assess the injury risks of trying to obtain these feats for yourself.
You may not want to use the box jump as an exercise for max height jumps. That is perfectly fine, you should train in a way that suits you. In my case, I have no interest trying to jump to a 40 inch or 50 inch box.
Technique is all important when it comes to the box jump. I have seen people attempting to jump to very high boxes with little training behind them. Sometimes they make it to the edge of the box but it looks incredibly precarious.
These people are akin to the ego lifters that you see in a lot of gyms. They try to attempt weights that are far too heavy for them to show off and validate their ego. The truth is, doing this will not make you progress faster.
You will simply increase your injury risk and therefore your progress will come to a grinding halt. Instead you have to aim for slow, steady progress. It may not be sexy, but this is essential for your longevity.
As an aside, I would say that a box jump of 35 inches or more is very good. If you can do a box jump to a 50 inch box or high that is pretty elite! You have to assess the injury risks of trying to obtain these feats for yourself.
You may not want to use the box jump as an exercise for max height jumps. That is perfectly fine, you should train in a way that suits you. In my case, I have no interest trying to jump to a 40 inch or 50 inch box.
Box Jumps Are An Expression Of Explosive Power
As I touched on briefly earlier, the box jump is an expression of explosive power. This is why olympic lifters in general excel at this exercise and can do some incredible feats when it comes to the box jump.
It is similar to how the power clean is also an expression of explosive power. Naturally, someone that can deadlift far heavier weights will also be able to power clean more.
There is a correlation there when it comes to strength and power, however it isn’t always as closely correlated as people think. In the video below you can see the incredible box jumps from the Korean weightlifting team.
These guys make high box jumps look like child’s play. Most of them are not even that tall either which makes this feat all the more impressive.
It is similar to how the power clean is also an expression of explosive power. Naturally, someone that can deadlift far heavier weights will also be able to power clean more.
There is a correlation there when it comes to strength and power, however it isn’t always as closely correlated as people think. In the video below you can see the incredible box jumps from the Korean weightlifting team.
These guys make high box jumps look like child’s play. Most of them are not even that tall either which makes this feat all the more impressive.
Safer Alternatives To The Box Jump
Some people find the box jump too risky. Many injuries have happened from high box jumps that have gone wrong. The risks are very high when you are jumping on a 40 inch box.
For this reason, it is important to explore other alternatives. An alternative that I like is the step up. I have written an article about this exercise which you can check out by clicking the link at the bottom of this article.
Step ups are a far safer exercise than box jumps. They will also serve as a great way to build up the musculature of the glutes, hamstrings and quads.
For this reason, it is important to explore other alternatives. An alternative that I like is the step up. I have written an article about this exercise which you can check out by clicking the link at the bottom of this article.
Step ups are a far safer exercise than box jumps. They will also serve as a great way to build up the musculature of the glutes, hamstrings and quads.
Final Thoughts
Is a 24 inch box jump good? The answer it is fairly standard and not anything great. Pretty much every person that is well conditioned should be able to perform a 24 inch box jump.
More impressive feats would be a box jump of 35 inches or more. It is important to remember that jumping to higher and higher boxes shouldn’t be the main goal when doing box jumps.
It is a worthy goal but it should not be understated that technique comes first. Good technique on the box jump will help to drastically reduce injuries. If you find the box jump do risky then you can explore safer alternatives like step ups.
If you have any comments about the box jump or want to share your experiences, please leave them below. As always, stay safe and enjoy your training!
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