Box Squat (Dumbbell)
Also called DB Box Squat, Reverse Box Squat (Dumbbell), Squat To A Bench (Dumbbell)
How to do it
Set a box behind you at the target depth and hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides. Sit your hips back and down until you contact the box, pause briefly without relaxing, then drive through your whole foot to stand. Keep your knees tracking over your toes and use the same box contact each rep.
Setup
Place a stable box at a height that permits controlled depth and stand just ahead of it holding one dumbbell at each side. Set feet around shoulder width, toes slightly out, wrists neutral, shoulders down, torso braced, and knees aligned.
Where you should feel it
Through the quads and glutes as the hips contact the box and drive upward, with the hamstrings, adductors, and calves assisting while the core and lower back stabilize and the forearms hold the bells.
When to use it
Use for scalable box-squat strength and hypertrophy with easy load selection and bailout. Controlled sets of 8-15 reps work well without relaxing on the box.