Doing box jumps is a common part of any crossfit workout. While you can always DIY your own jump box, crosstrainingpro.com thinks it is always better to buy an adjustable plyometric box for your squats and jumping needs. The advantage of having an adjustable plyo jump box is obvious: you don’t have to find new boxes when you want to upgrade your jumps. Think how troublesome it is for you to make and search for new boxes everytime you reaches a limit and wants to push yourself.
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Adjustable plyometric box review
With so many brands in the market, it can be difficult to know which ones is the best value for money. That is where we come in since we have tested a few of such models ourselves and can recommend what we feel are the best.
The Step F1180 review
One of the most affordable plyometric box in the market today that is well rated. Known as the Step F1180, it doesn’t have too many bells and whistle but gets the basic job done very well. The quality is good and you can 4 risers with one platform to adjust the height with. The good thing is you can always buy more risers if you think the 4 that comes with the set is insufficient. Each additional pair of risers will cost you around $87.
The great thing about this plyo box is the solid grip surface. Even when you are dripping sweat on it, your shoes can still feel the grip. (For HIIT lovers, check out our review of the best Hiit shoes). Among the models reviewed here, it has probably one of the best grip.
The maximum weight this stepper can support is around 250 lbs.
Downside
The downside of this particular model is the surface area that might be too small for some, especially those with wide feet. Also, the stability deteriorates once you go pretty high as it is not a pyramid based design with a wider bottom and slimmer top. For 4 risers, it is fine. Once you go beyond 4, you might feel the instability.
Also, the stepper can topple if you can stand on the edge instead of the center. This is because the weight of the box is not very heavy but if you weigh quite a bit then it will cause the toppling of the box.
Stamina X adjustable plyometric jump box review
If you want something that is heavier and more stable than the F1180, then check out this model by Stamina X. It is definitely more pricey but you get what you pay for.
Material wise, this is made of heavy duty steel rather than plastic material used by the F1180, which explains why it is more stable and less likely to topple. The grip on the surface is almost as good as the F1180, not to mention it is pretty wide as well. You wouldn’t be slipping off this even when covered in sweat! Overall, in terms of safety and stability, Stamina X is probably the best in the market today.
Due to its design, the Stamina plyometic box can be very compact and space saving when not in use. Compared to the other types of boxes where there is a minimal height, it is much easier to store this away and avoid clutter.
The Stamina X plyo box also boasted the most options when it comes to height adjustment. It has 4 height settings which are: 12″, 16″, 20″ and 24″.
Downside
Due to the heavy duty steel, it can be heavy and not something you can easily chuck away with your feet. The weight also makes the plyometric box more cumbersome to adjust as you need to hold the box when doing the adjustment. However, it should get easier over time as you get used to how to do the adjustment.
Fuel Performance adjustable plyo box review
Fuel performance box is another highly rated plyo stepper that we have tried before. Although it looks like it is made of plastic, it is actually steel based so it is pretty stable. The surface is also coated with a non slip substance that will give your feet a solid grip even on barefoot.
In terms of height adjustable, it has 3 settings which are: 14″, 18″ and 22″ respectively. Weight wise, it can support 300 lbs with no problems but you can get the assembly right and this is where the flaw emerge.
(Protip: if you need this jumping box to be 13″ in height, simply adjust to 14″ and remove the rubber padding on the legs)
Downside
The one big pain for this plyo box is that it can be tough to assemble because: (i) there are many areas to screw and (ii) the instructions are pretty much worthless. If you do any assembly wrongly, don’t expect the box to be able to support heavy weight jumpers.
Another downside is that there seems to be some production flaws as some reviewers on Amazon complaint about missing or defective parts for the legs. Most of these complaints were in 2013 so this problem might not be present anymore but in case you got a defective model, you can call the company for replacement.
Things to consider when buying plyometric box
These factors should definitely be in your consideration when shopping for a brand new plyo squat box:
- Stability: Safety is the most important thing when doing plyometric workouts on these boxes. If you go to Youtube, you can see the kind of accidents and injuries that can happen if you are not careful. To minimize such incidents, getting a stable box is very very important
- Adjustable: Being able to adjust the height gives you flexibility in your training schedule and allows you to either upgrade and downgrade your training routines
- Traction: The surface should be non slip or have lots of traction. Slipping off a high plyo box while attempting your jump is no joke and can cause serious back injuries
Steel vs wood plyo box
In the review above, I have covered models that are made of steel and plastic. How about wood? Here is our comparison:
- Stability: Nothing beats heavy duty steel in terms of providing that heavy base to avoid any accidental toppling of the plyo box. Wooden based box are typically hollow inside so they can be quite light and not having the weight to hold the box down when someone is jumping on top of it
- Prices: Steel plyometric box is usually more expensive than wooden ones
- Adjustability: Most of the wood plyo boxes I have seen are non adjustable. To change heights, you need different boxes which can be cumbersome as well as giving you storage problems
Conclusion
Performing plyo jump is all the rage now in cross training programs. The good news is you can do such jumps at home with any of these plyometric boxes that are safe and adjustable.
