A plyo box can be a helpful piece of fitness equipment but they require a decent investment. Discover some of the most important factors that influence whether a plyo box is worth it.
In short, a plyo box can be a worthwhile investment for individuals who have the budget, who already have more fundamental fitness equipment like a barbell with weight plates, and who really like plyometric training and other plyo box exercises.
People who don’t have muscle growth/strength fitness equipment yet want to consider what their training goals are.
Plyo boxes can be helpful for plyometric leg training that is easier on your knees and a variety of resistance training exercises but they are often not the only tool for these workouts.
On the other hand, for many individuals, some type of resistance, even just a simple resistance band kit, is important for growing and strengthening certain muscles and all of the benefits that come with that.
The rest of the article goes a bit more in depth into some of the most important things to consider when deciding whether a plyo box is the right choice for you.
What are your training goals?
The first thing to note is that plyo boxes do work when used the right way for goals like increasing muscle power, increasing vertical jump performance, working muscles, losing weight, improving cardiovascular health, etc.
That being said, they are more effective for certain types of training than for others. More specifically, the first thing plyo boxes positively stand out in is the possibility to do box jumps.
Box jumps can be a great way to train muscle power in your leg muscles and offer all of the benefits that come with that.
Additionally, plyo boxes can be good for resistance training exercises like step-ups, box squats, Bulgarian split squats, decline pushups, feet-elevated pike pushups, etc. that can help you grow and strengthen your muscles.
Of course, plyo boxes are not the only pieces of fitness equipment that offer these types of training. Whether they are worth it also depends on the other factors.
Do you do a lot of knee-focused workouts?
Plyo box jumps can be fun because you have a clear target in front of you in terms of how high you need to jump. However, there is also another important reason why you would choose a box jump over a regular jump squat.
By landing at the top of your jump, the impact on your body, more specifically your knees, ankles, and back, is a lot softer compared to building up speed and momentum during your fall to the ground in regular jump squats.
Even if your knees and ankles do not hurt when doing jump squats, for now, the rest of your workout may already be more than intense enough for these body parts.
In a situation like that, a good plyo box can help you avoid being out for weeks with an injury due to overtraining and worse.
What fitness equipment do you already have?
Whether or not you should invest in a plyo box likely does not only depend on its price and how many benefits it can offer to your workout routine.
Unless you have an unlimited budget, any money you put into a plyo box is less budget that can be used for other potentially important pieces of fitness equipment.
For individuals who are only interested in doing plyometric training in a way that is easier on their knees or individuals who are just looking for something fun, this is not that relevant.
However, most people at least have some other fitness goals like growing and strengthening muscles, losing weight, and/or improving overall health.
If that is the case for you, you likely want to start with other fitness equipment like running shoes, resistance bands, a barbell set-up, and/or dumbbells before getting a plyo box.
If you already have some of these more fundamental pieces of fitness equipment, the decision about whether a plyo box is worth it becomes more of a comparison between just its specific pros, cons, and cost.
What workouts do you like doing?
The health benefits and performance increases of working out are great but many people also exercise because they enjoy doing it at least to some extent.
For most people, the equipment they use and the exercises they do influence at least somewhat how much they like their workouts. Additionally, simply changing things up can keep your exercise interesting.
Some individuals really enjoy the many plyo box exercise options available. For these people, the plyo box becomes more of a worthwhile investment.
Enjoying your workouts is also not only something nice to have. It can also help you stay consistent with your workout routine which in turn can help you get more health benefits and performance increases.
To keep your workouts fun and effective, the right choice between a wood vs foam plyo box and other details is also important. Scraping your shins against a wooden plyo box after a failed box jump makes things less fun.
What is your budget?
Besides having enough room, the main thing stopping most people from getting extra fitness equipment options is the extra budget these things require.
And this is not just in terms of having the money available. You may simply be able to get more progress towards your fitness goals with equipment that costs less.
Plyo boxes currently tend to be around 110 to 150 dollars. Whether they are worth that to you depends on the other factors in this article, your budget, and how much equipment alternatives align with your training goals and budget.
If budget is a concern to you but you want to do plyo box exercises that require different heights and/or you still plan to improve a lot, adjustable plyo boxes could be a good choice.
These come with different heights for one investment which can make them more worthwhile if you plan to use these.
Conclusion
Whether a plyo box is the right choice for you ultimately depends on your training goals, the rest of your workout program, the state of your knees, what other equipment you have, your budget, how much you enjoy using a plyo box, etc.
If you already have a barbell with weight plates (or other resistance training equipment), running shoes, the budget for a plyo box, and a preference for plyo box workouts, the decision becomes somewhat easier.
The question is then whether the plyo box benefits outweigh the price tag.
In any case, plyo boxes can be helpful tools for plyometric leg training and a variety of resistance training exercises to grow and strengthen your muscles.
How heavy your plyo box should be and other details depend on things like your training goals, your weight, how much extra weight you intend to use, how much sideways force you will apply, and more.
