{
  "$schema": "https://openexercise.org/schema/v0/exercise.json",
  "aliases": [
    {
      "text": "Box Squat",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Bodyweight Squat to Box",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Chair Squat",
      "kind": "common"
    }
  ],
  "anatomy": {
    "muscles": [
      {
        "muscle": "gluteus-maximus",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "vastus-lateralis",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "vastus-medialis",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "vastus-intermedius",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "adductor-magnus",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "soleus",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "erector-spinae",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "rectus-abdominis",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      }
    ],
    "joints": [
      {
        "joint": "hip",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "knee",
        "actions": [
          "flexion",
          "extension"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "ankle",
        "actions": [
          "dorsiflexion",
          "plantarflexion"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "lumbar-spine",
        "actions": [
          "isometric-stabilization"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "classification": {
    "modalities": [
      "calisthenics",
      "strength"
    ],
    "movement_patterns": [
      "squat"
    ],
    "mechanics": "compound",
    "force": "push",
    "kinetic_chain": "closed",
    "laterality": "bilateral",
    "planes": [
      "sagittal"
    ],
    "contraction": [
      "dynamic"
    ],
    "level": "beginner"
  },
  "equipment": {
    "required": [
      [
        "plyo-box",
        "bench",
        "chair"
      ]
    ]
  },
  "external_ids": {
    "wger": "977"
  },
  "id": "oec:bodyweight-box-squat",
  "instructions": {
    "setup": [
      "Place a sturdy box, bench, or chair behind you at a height that allows your hips to descend to roughly parallel with your knees.",
      "Stand facing away from the box with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes angled slightly outward.",
      "Extend your arms forward for balance or clasp your hands at your chest, bracing your core with an upright torso."
    ],
    "steps": [
      "Hinge at your hips and bend your knees to lower your body under control toward the box.",
      "Touch down lightly onto the box with your glutes, pausing briefly without completely relaxing your core or rocking backward.",
      "Press firmly through your midfoot and heels, extending your knees and hips to return to the standing position.",
      "Lock out your hips fully at the top by contracting your glutes."
    ],
    "breathing": "Inhale as you lower toward the box, brace briefly on contact, and exhale forcefully as you drive back up to standing.",
    "cues": [
      "Sit back, not just down",
      "Control the touch",
      "Drive the floor away",
      "Keep your chest proud"
    ],
    "common_faults": [
      {
        "fault": "Rocking backward on the box and using momentum to stand up.",
        "correction": "Maintain torso angle and core tension on the box, driving straight up without rocking."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Crashing down heavily onto the box and losing muscular tension.",
        "correction": "Control the eccentric phase smoothly all the way down so contact is gentle and deliberate."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Knees collapsing inward during descent or ascent.",
        "correction": "Actively track your knees in line with your middle toes throughout the entire rep."
      }
    ],
    "safety": {
      "precautions": [
        "Ensure the box or chair is solid, stable, and will not slide during the movement."
      ],
      "spotter": "not-needed"
    }
  },
  "measurement": {
    "load": {
      "convention": "not-applicable",
      "kind": "bodyweight"
    },
    "profiles": [
      {
        "required": [
          "reps"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "duration",
          "rpe"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "records": {},
    "reps_counted": "total"
  },
  "name": "Bodyweight Box Squat",
  "previous_ids": [
    "oec:box-squat"
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "generated": [
      "/name",
      "/summary",
      "/classification",
      "/anatomy",
      "/equipment",
      "/measurement",
      "/instructions",
      "/setup",
      "/relations"
    ],
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "review": {
      "status": "machine-generated",
      "model": "gemini-3.8-flash",
      "at": "2026-10-31"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "wger: Box squat",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/977/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
        "author": "clafal"
      }
    ]
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "type": "variation-of",
      "target": "oec:bodyweight-squat"
    },
    {
      "type": "regression-of",
      "target": "oec:bodyweight-squat"
    },
    {
      "type": "substitute-for",
      "target": "oec:bodyweight-squat"
    }
  ],
  "setup": {
    "position": "standing",
    "range": "box",
    "stance": {
      "kind": "parallel",
      "width": "shoulder"
    }
  },
  "status": "active",
  "summary": "A lower-body compound exercise where you squat down until sitting lightly on a box or bench before driving back up to a standing position."
}