There are few items these days that cannot be packaged and sold in boxes. Whether it’s a tasty chocolate morsel or a high-tech gaming console, chances are it came in a box. But what of fitness, superior fitness right out of a box? Is it even possible?
Well, maybe not ‘out’ of a box, but certainly from on top of it or even by the side of it. “What on earth is he on about this week?” you might be asking. A new fitness gadget? A new type of training based on the sport of boxing?
No, we look at a delightfully simple piece of fitness equipment, so simple that it doesn’t even come out of a box, it is the box.
It’s normally made out of wood and comes in a variety of heights. Fitness boxes are not at all difficult to make, even with the most rudimentary of carpentry skills.
Some mainstream gyms have included them in their inventory, ranging from full-size boxes to low steps. Chances are you’ve already seen one in some shape or form, and if you haven’t, perhaps you might like to by the time we’re done.
Over the years we’ve tackled a wide range of exercise options that require little equipment or none at all. Your home gym could technically consist of an empty room, but if you’d like to add a few pieces that cost next to nothing, the box is certainly one to consider.
The simple action targets the major muscles of the hips and legs
A basic movement that can be performed with a box is the step-up. Simply step up onto the box and off again, and change feet. This is a non-impacting move suitable even for most beginners, provided there are no issues with restricted range of motion.
This simple action targets the major muscles of the hips and legs, strengthening and tightening those areas, but there is more. After several repetitions you will notice not just a direct localised effect in those areas, but you will soon experience laboured breathing.
This is because the move also recruits your cardiovascular and respiratory systems, causing your heart rate and breathing rate to increase. This results in a usage of extra energy, or ‘calorie-burning’, as it’s usually referred to, helping you to boost energy expenditure and strive for that negative energy balance that will cause you to lose stored body fat.
Targeting and building the large muscles of the legs also has the added bonus of increasing your basal metabolic rate, which means you will burn more calories all the time, even at rest.
If you already have a basic exercise routine you perform at home, try adding in sets of step-ups throughout your session and see how easily you can crank up the intensity and effectiveness of your regimen. For those of above-average fitness and coordination, the next ‘step’, pardon the pun, is the full-blown box jump. With both feet planted, bend at the hips and knees and launch yourself upwards and onto a safe landing stance on top of the surface of the box. A good swing of the arms will help build momentum and turn this into truly a full-body exercise.
Almost all of the functional muscles involved in generating full-body power will be recruited by this move, not to mention balance and coordination will also be honed.
Lifting up the legs to the height of the box in preparation for landing is an excellent way to engage the abdominal muscles and hip flexors, an increasingly challenging aspect of the move as you approach the higher ranges of repetition numbers. The demands on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems are even higher here than on the step-ups.
Now that we have two staple moves to perform on the box, how can we jazz it all up? There are far too many exciting variants for us to stop here, so let’s start at the bottom. Between every repetition, at the bottom of the movement, you will be in contact with the floor, this simple fact opens up a world of opportunities. Anything you can perform on the floor, you can include before stepping or jumping back up onto the box.
A press-up for example, a squat or even a lunge perhaps? Standing on the top of the box also opens up another world of opportunities, although care should be taken when it comes to safety in this position, as we don’t want any accidents or falls: a simple knee lift or squat, or an overhead press with dumbbells, all movements that can be performed with relative safety.
The whole sequence could look a little like this; start with standard step-ups. After your heart rate and respiration become elevated, add in a backward lunge at the bottom position.
You might even like to throw in a drop-and-press-up and alternate that with the lunge with every repetition. As a finale and to really get that heart rate soaring, switch to box jumps, and keep the lunge and press-up combination going on at the bottom position.
If you can take it, finally add in a squat at the top while standing on the box. Few muscles will be spared, and you can guarantee a tremendous energy burden will be placed on the body. Combine the routine with a healthy eating plan and the next item you’ll be fishing something out of a box, it just might be a brand new you.
matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt