Box jumps have to be one of my favourite exercises. I’m not particularly good at them – I certainly can’t jump as high as I probably should be able to, but I really enjoy them. You know why? They scare me… just a bit! I also came to realise just how many exercises a plyometric box can be used for, and it has me wondering – is the plyometric box the most versatile item in the gym?
I was a latecomer to box jumps, but once I got my technique right and progressed to a slightly bigger box, my confidence went up and I loved what a good “back for buck” exercise this was. My legs would get fatigued, my heart rate was up – all those good things. I started incorporating box jump into lots of my workouts.
Then covid hit, and I started training in my garage, with some random bits of equipment kindly loaned out by my gym. I found an old, but sturdy table with metal legs and a melamine top – perfect height for my box jumps… until I missed and took my shins out. It hurt like hell, and box jumps were scratched off my workouts for the next 2 years, until I was introduced to the SMAI 3-in-1 plyometric box.
Are box jumps worth it?
I was one of those global pandemic home workout Insta-fails… although fortunately, my misfortune wasn’t captured on camera to live on in perpetuity. Whilst my bloody shins turned to scars, it was the mental scars that were causing me grief – I was way too scared to try and box jump again and I began to ask myself, are box jumps worth it?
It turns out that yes, they are. Plyometric training is excellent for improving physical performance and my favourite motivation for training – being fit for living life. These kinds of exercises are not only great for developing explosive power, speed and agility, but also for everyday life fitness including balance and functional movement.
Overcoming my fear of box jumps
As post-pandemic life resumed and I returned to the gym, I looked over to the corner where the boxes once stood to find a new addition – the SMAI 3-in-1 plyometric box. This unit breaks into 3 parts, a 35cm, 40cm and 61cm box, made from sturdy, solid foam. Not only can you adjust the height of the box by standing it on a different side, but the boxes fit together with strong velcro to create bigger units.
The brain is a funny thing… despite knowing that a mishap on these foam boxes was only going to hurt my pride, and leave my shins unscathed, I had a massive mental block in jumping anything other than the smallest box for at least a couple of weeks. As time passed, my confidence once again grew and I regained that love of boosting my cardio efforts in between sets on leg day.
The versatility of the plyometric box
Training at home during the pandemic had definitely got me thinking about different ways to use only a few pieces of equipment in a limited space. Globally, the home exercise equipment market soared and fitness equipment manufacturers started designing some seriously impressive options for compact, yet functional home workout set ups.
For either the home user, or a commercial gym, the SMAI 3-in-1 plyometric box is a super smart purchase because of the many ways it can be used and adapted for different exercises. The boxes can double as a bench, which opens up the imagination to dozens of exercises, or even as a step for eccentric or banded pull ups.
Some of the exercises I’ve incorporated the boxes into include:
- Single-arm dumbbell rows
- Incline push ups
- Tricep dips
- Dumbbell step ups (forward and lateral)
- Bulgarian split squats, and
- Barbell hip thrusts
This piece of equipment is portable, durable, and it’s easy to clean and maintain.
The SMAI 3-in-1 Plyometric Box
Gone are the days of bloody torn up shins and people walking around with bulging lumps on their legs covered in scars! Although horrific, this was happening on a daily basis so SMAI (Sports Master Athletic International) put their thinking caps on to see what they could come up with and developed the foam SMAI 3-in-1 Plyometric Box.
Their solution was to create a box constructed of foam that was heavy enough not to topple over yet soft enough not to cause injury. The EVA foam used is of a density of 90-degree hardness and the boxes feature carry straps for ease of moving them around the gym floor.
If you’re looking for a versatile piece of equipment to add to your fitness arsenal, then check out SMAI.
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