Exercise Comparison
All Fours Quad Stretch vs Speed Box Squat
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in All Fours Quad Stretch
Only in Speed Box Squat
Instructions
All Fours Quad Stretch
Start off on your hands and knees, then lift your leg off the floor and hold the foot with your hand.
Use your hand to hold the foot or ankle, keeping the knee fully flexed, stretching the quadriceps and hip flexors.
Focus on extending your hips, thrusting them towards the floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds and then switch sides.
Speed Box Squat
Attach bands to the bar that are securely anchored near the ground. You may need to choke the bands to get adequate tension.
Use a box of an appropriate height for this exercise. Load the bar to a weight that still requires effort, but isn't so heavy that speed is compromised. Typically, that will be between 50-70% of your one rep max.
Position the bar on your upper back, shoulder blades retracted, back arched and everything tight head to toe. This will be the starting position.
Unrack the bar and position yourself in front of the box. Sit back with your hips until you are seated on the box, ensuring that you descend under control and don't crash onto the surface.
Pause briefly, and explode off of the box, extending through the hips and knees.
Verdict
Both exercises target the quadriceps. All Fours Quad Stretch is a intermediate exercise using bodyweight, while Speed Box Squat is intermediate and uses barbell. Choose All Fours Quad Stretch if you have access to bodyweight, or Speed Box Squat if you prefer barbell.