The Plyo Jump Box is a staple in most commercial gyms but people often don't use it to the full potential. While often used for exercises like high box jumps, there are a wide variety of plyo box exercises to enhance your training regime.

Plyo Box Benefits

They come in various heights. This can be used to progress or regress exercises that are using the box height to standardise and judge exercise depth/range of motion.

They can be used for weight-bearing exercises. People often use a bench to support their bodyweight. A plyo box also provides a much more stable surface, allowing you to perform a weight-bearing exercise and get more gains from it (stability = more force production).

They can act as a safety net. Exercises like squats can be intimidating for people starting their gym journey. Some may be scared of falling over or even not having the stability to get back up. Having a physical object to sit back onto can be a huge confidence builder, breaking down that barrier to such a great exercise.

The Plyo Box is such a great piece of kit that you could base a whole training session around it… and we have! Perform each exercise for 40 seconds, with a 20 second rest in-between.

Full Body Plyo Box Workout

1 - Plyo Box Triceps Dips

• Place the palms of your hands on the edge of a plyo box, with your bum off the bench, legs straight and press your heels into the floor in front of you.

• Bend at the elbows to lower your glutes towards the floor until your upper arms are approximately parallel to the floor.

• Drive through your hands to reverse the movement back to your start position to complete a rep.

Benefits

The plyo box is a great entrance exercise to the triceps dip because it can be scaled down to a beginner level, without needing any specialist equipment.

Targets

Triceps, deltoids, and pectorals.

Triceps Dips Progression

Once these become comfortable, you can progress the exercise intensity by adding a weighted vest.

Triceps Dips Regression

If it is too difficult, bring your feet closer to your bum and lay them flat on the floor. This will make the exercise easier because the legs will support more of your bodyweight.

2 - Feet Elevated Push Up

• Assume the top of a normal push up position but with your feet elevated on a plyo box.

• Lower your chest towards the floor, bending at the elbows, until your elbows are at least in line with your torso.

• Keep your core tight so that your hips down sag towards the floor, ensuring all the lowering is coming from the upper body.

• Drive the floor away through your hands to reverse the movement back to the start position to complete a rep.

Benefits

The feet elevated push up places more relative focus on the deltoids and is a good progression from a flat push up to work towards exercises like handstand push ups or overhead pressing.

Target Muscles

Pectorals, front deltoids, and triceps.

Feet Elevated Push Up Progression

Once these become comfortable, you can progress the exercise intensity by adding a resistance band under your hands and over your shoulders.

Feet Elevated Push Up Regression

If it is too difficult, use a lower box or remove the box until you are ready to progress.

3 - Step Up with Knee Drive

• Place in a plyo box in front of you, comfortably within a strides distance.

• Step onto the box with one leg, and drive through that leg to raise the rest of your body up to the box.

• Once you have stepped up, drive the non-stepping leg to the sky to perform the knee drive.

• Make sure to keep your shoulders level throughout the knee drive to maintain stability.

• Reverse the movement to lower back down before swapping legs and doing the same to complete a full rep.

Benefits

The step up is a great exercise for working the lower body through long ranges of motion under load, which is fantastic for muscle growth. They also challenge our lower limb stability during the step up and the subsequent knee drive.

Target Muscles

Glutes, quadriceps, and hip flexors.

Step Up with Knee Drive Progression

Once these become comfortable, you can progress the exercise intensity by adding a barbell on your back or even kettlebells in each hand if a barbell and rack isn’t available.

Step Up with Knee Drive Regression

If it is too difficult, try lowering the box or begin by using an aerobic exercise step until you become comfortable with the movement.

4 - Box Squats

• Stand in front of a plyo box, facing away from it, with your heels right up against the base.

• Place your feet approximately shoulder width, with your feet facing slightly out.

• Place your hands on your head to help keep your torso sufficiently upright.

• Bending at the knees and hips at the same time, sit down until your bum taps the box.

• Drive the floor away through your feet to reverse the movement and complete the rep.

Benefits

Box squats are a great way to introduce people to squatting in the gym because it so closely mimics daily habitual squatting, like sitting down and standing up for a chair or seat.

Target Muscles

Glutes, quadriceps, adductors, and spinal erectors.

Box Squat Progression

Once these become comfortable, you can progress the exercise intensity by holding a Kettlebell in your hand in a goblet position or with a barbell in a front rack, back rack or even a Zercher position.

Box Squat Regression

If it is too difficult, try sitting down onto the box more and using a bit of momentum to help you up. Over time you can control the descent more and more until you are just tapping the box and coming back up.

5 - Bulgarian Split Squats

• Face away from the plyo box, with one leg elevated and with the foot resting on the box.

• Point your feet forward and drop the back knee towards the floor, while driving through the front leg.

• Once at your full depth, reverse the movement to complete the rep. Switch legs at the 20-second mark.

Benefits

Bulgarian split squats have a wide range of benefits. For starters, they allow us to load the legs in a very similar pattern to a back squat, but with much less axial loading (spinal loading), which is great for those looking to add additional load to the legs, without any extra fatigue to the back. They also work unilaterally, making them great for reducing side to side imbalances.

Target Muscles

Glutes and quads.

Bulgarian Split Squat Progression

Once these become comfortable, you can progress the exercise intensity by holding a dumbbell or kettlebell in your hand. The hand you choose will also affect the difficulty. The same hand as the side of the working leg will increase instability for those looking for an extra challenge.

Bulgarian Split Squat Regression

If it is too difficult, take the box away and perform a reverse lunge until you feel more comfortable and stable.

6 - Pike Press

• Assume an elevated push up position, with your feet up on the box and arms extended.

• Walk your hands up towards your feet to put the body in a L shape, pointing your bum up to the sky.

• Lower your head to the floor until you feel your arms and shoulders working hard, then drive the floor away through your arms to reverse the movement and complete the rep. 

Benefits

The Pike Press is a great regression to exercises like handstand push ups and it is also great for anyone looking to develop good overhead strength, like Olympic lifters or functional fitness athletes.

Target Muscles

Deltoids, traps and triceps.

Pike Press Progression

Once these become comfortable, you can progress the exercise intensity by walking your hands even closer to your feet. This makes your torso more vertical, meaning you have to take more of the load of your bodyweight.

Pike Press Regression

If it is too difficult, regress back to an elevated push up until stronger and more comfortable.

7 - Russian Twists

• Sit on plyo box with your feet out in front and a Medicine Ball in your hands.

• Twist your upper body, pulling the med ball across with it, as if trying to touch the floor.

• Keep your legs steady throughout, resisting the rotation from the upper body.

• Perform alternating reps on each side.

Benefits

Russian Twists are a great way to work on rotational strength and power, which is good for building your core and for complimenting sports like rugby or tennis.

Target Muscles

Abdominals and obliques.

Russian Twist Progression

Once these become comfortable, you can progress the exercise intensity by simply increasing the weight of the med ball or even using a heavy kettlebell.

Russian Twist Regression

If it is too difficult, you can perform the exercise flat on the floor with your feet touching the floor for extra support.

Add this workout into your training plan or even the individual exercises into your current sessions if you are looking to give your training a refresh. Remember, each exercise can be progressed and regressed. Don’t be afraid to try a progression, but being able to keep good form is the most important part of any exercise, so if it is too much, perform the regression and try again later.

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Tags: Equipment > Plyo Jump Box ; Exercise Type > Conditioning ; Misc > Workout