Box jumps are one of the best plyometric exercises for building explosive power in your legs and glutes. You load a squat, fire out of the bottom, and land on a raised platform. Done well, they build serious power and train the fast-twitch fibers that drive jumping, sprinting, and change of direction.
The problem is the box itself. Miss the height and you scrape your shins or crash a knee into the edge, and plenty of lifters do exactly that. If you’re new to plyos, working around a cranky knee, or your gym doesn’t have a solid box to jump on, you’re better off with one of the options below.
I picked these on how well they build the same explosive leg drive, how easy they are on your joints, and what gear they need. Some are jumps, some are heavy strength lifts you can move with speed, and a couple are low-impact enough for a deload. Here’s the full list before we get into each one.
Table of Contents
- 1 The 10 Best Box Jump Alternatives
- 2 Reasons to Choose a Box Jump Alternative
- 3 Muscles Worked by Box Jumps
- 4 Box Jump Alternatives: FAQs
- 5 Key Takeaways
- 6 Other Alternative Exercises
- 6.1 The 8 Best Hammer Curl Alternatives
- 6.2 The 9 Best Barbell Row Alternatives
- 6.3 The 9 Best T-Bar Row Alternatives
- 6.4 The 10 Best Hack Squat Alternatives
- 6.5 The 8 Best Tricep Dip Alternatives
- 6.6 The 10 Best Leg Extension Alternatives
- 6.7 The 9 Best Seated Cable Row Alternatives (2023)
- 6.8 The 9 Best Lunge Alternatives
- 6.9 The 10 Best Dumbbell Pullover Alternatives
- 6.10 The 8 Best Ab Rollout Alternatives
- 6.11 The 8 Best Decline Bench Press Alternatives
- 6.12 The 12 Best Pull-Up Alternatives
- 6.13 The 10 Best Lat Pulldown Alternatives
- 6.14 The 10 Best Romanian Deadlift Alternatives
- 6.15 The 10 Best Glute Bridge Alternatives
The 10 Best Box Jump Alternatives
- Squat Jumps
- Broad Jumps
- Trap Bar Deadlift
- Tuck Jumps
- Weighted Step-Ups
- Skater Hops
- Squats
- Kneel-to-Squats
- Lunges
- Thrusters
1. Squat Jumps
When to Perform Squat Jumps
Squat jumps are the closest thing to a box jump without the box, so they’re the first swap I reach for. You drop into a bodyweight squat and fire straight up into a vertical jump, the same movement minus the platform you can miss and bang your shins on. They suit beginners, anyone with cranky knees, and lifters training somewhere with no equipment. Your quads do most of the work driving you up, so if you want to bias them directly on another day, our guide to quad isolation exercises has options. Keep working on jumping higher and you’ll be ready for an actual box when you want one.
How to Perform Squat Jumps
- Stand tall with your chest up and your feet firmly planted hip-width apart.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
- Pause at the bottom while keeping tension in the legs and glutes.
- Drive through your feet and squeeze your glutes hard to jump vertically into the air. Swing your arms up to generate momentum if you need it.
- Land with a soft bend in your knees to absorb the impact, then sink your hips, knees, and ankles back into a squat.
- Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.
For a look at clean squat jump form, here’s a video from Fitness Blender.
Tips for Squat Jumps
- You don’t need to squat as deep as a normal rep. Stop around parallel; any lower and you lose the spring you need to jump.
- Swing your arms up as you take off to add height.
- Land soft with bent knees and sink straight into the next rep.
2. Broad Jumps
When to Perform Broad Jumps
Broad jumps hit the same explosive muscles as a box jump but send you forward instead of up, which takes the intimidating height out of the picture. They build real power through the hips and posterior chain, and you can chase a little more distance every rep. If you want to load the back of your legs more directly on another day, our hamstring isolation exercises guide covers it.
How to Perform Broad Jumps
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Keep your core engaged and your knees softly bent throughout.
- Tilt your torso forward and swing your arms up above your head.
- Swing your arms down as you bend your hips, knees, and ankles into a half-depth squat.
- Quickly throw your arms forward and push through your feet to leap forward as far as you can.
- Land on flat feet with bent knees.
- Reset and repeat for the desired number of reps, time, or distance.
Here’s a video from PureGym walking through the broad jump.
Tips for Broad Jumps
- Broad jumps are harder on the joints than most plyos because you have to brake all that forward momentum. Land with a deep knee bend on every rep.
- If they aggravate a knee, drop them and pick a vertical jump instead.
- Use your arms. Throw them forward as you leap to carry yourself further.
3. Trap Bar Deadlift
When to Perform Trap Bar Deadlifts
The trap bar deadlift builds size and strength in the quads, glutes, and hamstrings, the same muscles driving a box jump, and you can load it heavy with almost no impact. It teaches powerful leg drive off the floor, which carries straight over to jumping, and the neutral handles keep it easy on your lower back. This is the one I’d pick on a deload or when my knees have had enough pounding.
Not familiar with trap bar deadlifts? Check out our article on trap bar deadlifts vs barbell deadlifts.
How to Perform Trap Bar Deadlifts
- Load your trap bar with bumper plates on either side so the handles sit high enough to reach without leaning too far forward.
- Stand inside the trap bar between the handles with your feet roughly between hip- and shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your knees to grip the handles on either side. Your palms should face your body for a neutral wrist. Keep your hands in line with your legs, not too far forward or back on the handles.
- Engage your lats and pull your shoulders back to take the slack out of your arms.
- Lower your hips and keep your gaze out and slightly in front of you.
- Drive through your legs to lift your whole body as one unit until you’re standing tall.
- Keeping your torso braced, reverse the movement to lower the bar back to the ground.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
For a visual guide to trap bar deadlift form, here’s a video from Critical Bench.
Tips for Trap Bar Deadlifts
- Grip the handles hard and pull the slack out of the bar before you drive.
- Keep your back braced in its natural curve. Don’t round it or over-tuck your pelvis, which compresses the spine.
- Push the floor away with your legs rather than yanking the bar up with your back.
4. Tuck Jumps
When to Perform Tuck Jumps
Tuck jumps are my pick when you want pure vertical power and no equipment at all. You jump as high as you can and pull your knees to your chest, which trains the same explosive leg drive as a box jump and builds the hops you need for one. They’re demanding, so treat them as a low-volume power exercise rather than a conditioning burner.
How to Perform Tuck Jumps
- Stand tall as if you were about to do a bodyweight squat. Plant your feet hip-width apart and brace your abs.
- Bend your knees, hips, and ankles into a half-depth squat. Swing your arms back to generate momentum if you want.
- Press through your feet with force to come up fast and jump as high as you can, tucking your knees into your chest.
- Land with soft knees and immediately lower into a half squat to absorb the impact.
- Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.
Here’s a video demonstrating the tuck jump.
Tips for Tuck Jumps
- Pause at the bottom of the squat before you jump to kill the bounce and make your muscles do the work.
- Land soft and reset between reps. Quality beats quantity here.
- Once bodyweight feels easy, add a weight vest.
5. Weighted Step-Ups
When to Perform Weighted Step-Ups
Step-ups get you comfortable with height under control, which makes them a smart stepping stone toward box jumps. They build single-leg strength and balance, and unlike a jump there’s no impact on the way down. Start with a low box and work up to higher platforms as you get stronger. You can do them with dumbbells, kettlebells, a barbell, or just your bodyweight.
How to Perform Weighted Step-Ups
- Load a barbell across your shoulders or hold dumbbells or kettlebells at your sides.
- Stand in front of a stable platform like a flat bench or box. Pick a height you can step onto safely while keeping an upright spine and neutral pelvis.
- Tuck your chin and gaze straight ahead to protect your upper spine. Brace your abs and pre-tension your legs and glutes.
- Step one foot onto the platform. Keep your knee behind your toes and your leg bent at 90 degrees. Push evenly through your whole foot.
- Drive down into your elevated foot to lift your back leg off the floor. Squeeze your quads and glutes until both feet are on the platform.
- Keep a strong core and neutral spine as you reverse the movement, softening your hips, knees, and ankles to step back down.
- Repeat on the same side, or alternate legs each rep.
- Perform an even number of reps and sets per side.
Here’s a video showing how to perform a weighted step-up.
Tips for Weighted Step-Ups
- Your front leg should do all the work. Don’t push off the floor with your trailing leg to help.
- Lean your torso forward a touch to keep your weight centered over the front foot.
- Once the movement is dialed in, speed up your tempo to build power for box jumps.
6. Skater Hops
When to Perform Skater Hops
Skater hops train power side to side, a direction most lifting ignores, by bounding laterally from one leg to the other. They build single-leg strength and balance, sharpen quick changes of direction, and get your fast-twitch fibers firing. I use them as a warm-up before lower-body work or as a finisher to torch the legs, glutes, and core.
How to Perform Skater Hops
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
- Bend your knees and push through your left glute to jump as far as you can to the right. Swing your arms in the same direction to create momentum, like you’re skating.
- Land with soft knees in a semi-squat to absorb the impact. Land this way on every rep.
- Push through your right glute and foot to leap to the left.
- Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.
Built Lean’s video below is a good visual guide to skater hops.
Tips for Skater Hops
- You need strong outer hips and glutes to keep your knees from caving. Build that base first.
- Start slow to groove the motion, then add speed and distance.
- Loop a resistance band around your upper thighs for extra work on the abductors.
7. Squats
When to Perform Squats
The plain squat is the low-impact box jump alternative I’d hand almost anyone. You build real strength in your legs and glutes with zero landing impact, and since a box jump is basically a squat into a jump, a stronger squat makes you a better jumper. To train power, pause at the bottom and stand up as fast as you can. Want to isolate the quads on another day? Our leg extension alternatives cover it.
How to Perform Squats
- Stand tall with your chest up and your feet firmly planted hip-width apart.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees into a deep squat. Go as low as you can without letting your knees cave in or your heels lift off the floor.
- Pause at the bottom while keeping tension in the legs and glutes.
- Drive through your feet and squeeze your glutes to stand back up.
- Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.
For a visual on the air squat, here’s a video from Scott Herman Fitness.
Tips for Squats
- Keep your knees tracking over your toes the whole way.
- Don’t bounce out of the bottom. Stay in control and own the position.
- Once bodyweight squats feel easy, add load to keep building strength and power.
8. Kneel-to-Squats
When to Perform Kneel-to-Squats
The kneel-to-squat is an awkward-looking exercise that does a lot for your mobility and lower-body strength. You start kneeling and transition one leg at a time into the bottom of a squat, then reverse it. It hits the same muscles as a box jump with no impact, and it’ll smoke your legs faster than you’d think. Bodyweight is plenty to start; add dumbbells or a kettlebell once you’ve got the pattern down.
How to Perform Kneel-to-Squats
- Begin kneeling with your knees stacked directly under your hips. Clasp your hands together and rest them across your chest.
- Draw your shoulder blades down and together. Brace your abs and tuck your chin.
- Shift your weight onto your right knee and bring your left foot up into a squat position. Push into your left foot and bring your right foot up too. You should be at the bottom of a squat with your legs, glutes, and core engaged.
- Shift your weight to your right foot and return your left knee to the ground. Transfer your weight to your left knee and bring your right knee down. You’re back to kneeling with a tall spine.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps and sets.
Here’s a video demonstrating the kneel-to-squat.
Tips for Kneel-to-Squats
- Switch which leg leads each set so you don’t build an imbalance.
- Keep your chest up and your gaze straight ahead to hold a neutral spine.
- Pad the floor with a towel or mat so your knees aren’t grinding.
9. Lunges
When to Perform Lunges
Lunges are a no-impact alternative that trains every muscle a box jump does, one leg at a time. They build single-leg strength and balance while making your core work to keep you steady, and there’s a whole family of them to rotate through.
Not into lunges? Check out our list of the best lunge alternatives.
How to Perform Lunges
- Load the movement with a barbell, dumbbells, or other weights if you’re using them.
- Stand tall with your feet together and your eyes looking straight ahead.
- Take a big step forward into a staggered stance.
- Bend your knees and lower your body until your back knee hovers about an inch from the ground.
- Push through the midfoot of your front leg to come back up and step your feet together.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps. You can work one leg at a time like a split squat or alternate legs each rep.
Here’s a video walking through lunges with good form.
Tips for Lunges
- Keep your knees tracking in line with your toes.
- Keep your torso upright and stay mindful of your foot placement through the set.
- Set your feet hip-width apart, like you’re standing on two train tracks, so you stay balanced.
10. Thrusters
When to Perform Thrusters
Thrusters (a front squat into an overhead press) build explosive power from the floor all the way overhead, and your joints never have to eat a landing. They’re a CrossFit and Olympic-lifting staple for good reason. This is the most advanced option on the list, so save it for when your squat and overhead press are both solid. For more on the pressing half of the lift, see the push press muscles worked.
How to Perform Thrusters
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a barbell across your front delts, or hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at each shoulder.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees into a deep squat. Go as low as you can without letting your knees cave in or your heels lift.
- Pause at the bottom while keeping tension in the legs and glutes.
- Drive through your feet and engage your legs.
- Squeeze your glutes hard to stand up and press the bar overhead as you reach full knee extension.
- Slowly pull the bar back down to rest across your chest.
- Repeat for the desired number of sets and reps.
For a barbell thruster demo, here’s a video from CrossFit.com.
Tips for Thrusters
- Use the same setup as a front squat: a pronated grip with your hands just wider than shoulder width.
- Pick a weight you can safely punch overhead but heavy enough to challenge the whole chain.
- Let your leg drive out of the squat carry the bar up rather than pressing it dead from a standstill.
Reasons to Choose a Box Jump Alternative
You might want an alternative to box jumps for any number of reasons. Maybe you’re new to plyometrics and want to build a base of strength and power before you start jumping onto things. Maybe a knee injury flares up the second you do anything high-impact, or your gym just doesn’t have a sturdy box. On a deload, or after a session full of jumping, swapping in a low-impact option keeps your legs fresh. And sometimes you just want to change things up so training doesn’t get stale.
Muscles Worked by Box Jumps
- Primary muscles used: Glutes, Quadriceps, Hip Adductors, Calves
- Secondary muscles used: Hamstrings, Abdominals, Spinal Erectors
Box Jump Alternatives: FAQs
What makes a good alternative to box jumps?
Box jumps are all about producing explosive force in your lower body. A good alternative trains the glutes, quads, calves, and hips and lets you move with speed. Squat jumps, tuck jumps, and skater hops are the closest matches. If you want lower impact, lunges and trap bar deadlifts moved with intent will do the job.
Are step-ups a good box jump alternative?
Yes. Step-ups groove the same movement pattern as a box jump with far less impact on your joints. You won’t generate as much power, but you can speed up the reps to get close. They also train one leg at a time, so they’re better than box jumps for fixing a side-to-side imbalance.
Are box jumps a cardio or strength exercise?
Both, really. Box jumps load your muscles and spike your heart rate at the same time, so you build power and get your conditioning in with one exercise. That’s part of why they show up so often in circuit and CrossFit-style training.
Key Takeaways
Match the swap to why you’re skipping box jumps. If you’re chasing explosive power for sport, squat jumps and tuck jumps give you the closest carryover. If your knees or a deload mean you need to keep impact down, the trap bar deadlift and plain squats let you train hard with nothing to land on. Training at home with no gear? Bodyweight squat jumps and tuck jumps need nothing but floor space, and lunges are there when you want something lower-impact. Pick two or three that fit your equipment and your joints, then rotate them.
Other Alternative Exercises
If you enjoyed this post, check out our other roundups of the best alternatives for other exercises.
