Box squats are a great longer-term option for dealing with squat-related knee pain. The box squat allows you to reach a bottom position with almost vertical shins. It is like a low bar squat but with even less knee involvement.
According to research, the box squat also allows for more vertical shin angles and limits forward movement of the knees compared to a regular squat; this reduces the amount of stress placed on the knees and likelihood of knee pain.
Use a Smaller Range of Motion
"Reducing the range of motion during the squat is an easy modification that will take pressure off the knees," says orthopedic surgeon Jerome Enad, MD. "Instead of squatting all the way down, shortening the arc to about 30 to 45 degrees significantly reduces pressure within the knee."
Sitting back onto the box redirects stress to hamstrings and glutes, minimizing strain on quads and patella. This controlled movement decreases injury potential compared to free squats.
Keep knees in line with heels, not out in front of toes. 2. Breathe in and exhale as you squat by “sitting down” as far as you can comfortably go. Don't drop buttocks lower than knees and keep knees in line with heels.
Squats put a lot of pressure on the knees while they're in a bent position. This position exerts a high amount of compression force on the knee joints. These forces can irritate the cartilage within the knees and worsen pain for people with conditions or injuries such as osteoarthritis and meniscus tears.
Keep your knees in line with your feet. In other words, you want your knees to rest over your feet, not forward or behind them. Hold your chest up and keep your core engaged. When squatting, move your hips back, as if you are about to sit on a chair behind you.
Box squat drawbacks:
Lack of stretch reflex reduces carryover to weightlifting. Reduced range of motion and extra hip emphasis shifts focus away from the quads, meaning that they get less hypertrophy stimulus.
Nope. Since box squats remove momentum from the lowest point in your squat, they can be more difficult because you have to rely on your strength and control to complete each rep.
Which Squat Substitutes Should You Do For Bad Knees? If your knees tend to bother you, machine leg presses, step-ups (start low), floor bridges, RDLs, and leg curls are great alternatives to strengthen the legs without putting much stress on the knees.
Water aerobics.
Water aerobics is an excellent choice of workout for people with knee pain. “Not only is water aerobics one of the best forms of aerobic exercise that works the entire body, but the water also takes weight off the joints,” says Baptiste-Mbadiwe.
Squatting with a shoulder-width stance is safer. This moves your shins incline at the bottom to keep balance. Don't try to keep your shins vertical or you'll lean forward more, may hurt your lower back and will Squat less weight. Let your shins move incline.
Instead of doing only max effort and dynamic effort days, bodybuilders can use box squatting and other substitute movements (i.e. good mornings, Romanian deadlifts, deadlifts, glute ham raises, sled work, etc.) with moderate weight and higher volume.
However, it would be a good idea to wean yourself off of this and get your body used to where depth is by feel. I prefer to use an actual sit-on-the-box type of box squat. There is a fine line between sitting and "relaxing" and sitting and staying tight.
Box squats are a great longer-term option for dealing with squat-related knee pain. The box squat allows you to reach a bottom position with almost vertical shins. It is like a low bar squat but with even less knee involvement.
Pause squats result in improved strength in the 'hole' of the squat - this means the bottom of the squat. Many lifters find this portion of the lift the hardest, due to the change from eccentric to concentric (lengthening the muscle to contracting the muscle).
Mobility: Incorporate exercises that enhance the overall mobility of the ankle joint (ankle mobility exercises). Adaptation: Start by squatting with a weight plate under your heels, gradually decreasing the height of the plate over time to improve ankle ROM and squat depth.
The Problem With The Traditional Box Squat
The most glaring issue with the box squat is that use of a box exacerbates one of the challenges that the traditional back squat already provides: a lot of axial compression on the spine.