Fitness Challenge Series: Same Height Depth Box Jump

This “Fitness Challenge Series” is a compilation of “challenges” that I have either tried or have seen others try as fun ways to test current levels of fitness. It is NOT intended for use on a large scale with a team of athletes. Additionally I am NOT telling you that you NEED to try these. Some of these challenges will be easy and some will be quite difficult, but almost all will require some level of prior training (meaning if you don’t train frequently now and/or have never trained you should not attempt these challenges “just to try” or “just for fun” as they may lead to serious injury). However, if you are well-trained and want a fun way to test your current fitness and/or want to throw something new in to spice up your training, this series may be worthwhile for you to read.

With all that out of the way, let’s get into this challenge: The Same Height Depth Box Jump. This is one I read about somewhere a long time ago, but I can’t remember exactly where I read it (maybe in Jump Attack by Tim Grover, but again I’m not sure. If whoever came up with this is reading this article I sincerely apologize for not crediting you). It popped into my head randomly one day at the gym. I had been playing around with depth landings from various heights and figured I would add a box jump to the end of it. I was landing and jumping with different height boxes, and that was when I remembered this challenge/test. The goal is to step off a box, hit the ground, and quickly jump up to another box of the same height.

This is a good test of athleticism, as it requires the anticipation of ground contact, the ability to manage force, the redirection of your energy, and ultimately the ability to stick a landing (all in a very short period of time). This challenge is probably more for the advanced trainee/athlete. I would advise against most people trying this. If you are going to try this one out PLEASE start with low boxes. The video below has me using two 42” boxes, but I would strongly advise not starting there.

Being able to complete this challenge would give you a good gauge of general athleticism potential (especially if you can minimize your time on the ground/in the transition). If you have experience with plyometrics and/or are at a relatively advanced training age, this could be a fun challenge for you.