Single Leg Push-off
Also works: Calves · Hamstrings
One foot on a low box, the other on the floor: you drive off the top foot alone, leave the ground, and land back in the same position. It is the gentlest entry point to single-leg jumping, because the box foot never has to absorb a full landing from height.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Use a low box or a bench step — 20-30 cm. Higher does not make the drill better, it makes the push slower.
- Place one whole foot on the box with the heel close to the near edge and the shin roughly vertical.
- Stand the other foot flat on the floor directly beside the box, carrying almost no weight.
- Stack your chest over the box foot, not behind it, so the drive goes up rather than backwards.
- Check the box will not slide before the first rep — this drill puts a sideways shove into it.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — One breath per rep: inhale as you set your weight over the box foot, exhale sharply on the drive. The push is as fast as you can make it; the landing gets absorbed, not rushed.
Before you load it
- Use a box that will not tip or slide. A plyo box, a stable bench or a loaded step — not a folding chair or a stack of plates.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Bodyweight. Progress by raising the box a step at a time, then by driving the free knee up hard on each rep, and only then by moving on to a harder drill. Good looks like eight reps that all clear the same height with a quiet, balanced landing every time — not a set where the first two are impressive and the rest are step-ups.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Start each rep with 90% of your weight already over the box foot, and lift the floor foot's heel a centimetre before you dip. If you cannot leave the ground that way, lower the box.
Drop to a step where your box knee starts at roughly 90 degrees or less. Speed of extension is the whole adaptation; a deep, slow push trains something else.
Reset your foot fully onto the box before every rep and aim your eyes at the same spot each time. If your foot drifts, stop the set — a missed landing on a box edge does real damage to a shin.
Watch the kneecap track over the second toe from the dip all the way to full extension. If it caves under nothing but bodyweight, lower the box and slow the reps down until the line holds for all eight.
Why bother
Most people can squat and lunge long before they can produce force quickly off one leg. This drill closes that gap without asking much of the landing. The box foot starts already loaded and already bent, so the hip and knee extend from a strong position rather than out of a hard eccentric.
The floor foot is a stabiliser and nothing more. It should carry almost no weight at the start of the rep and it should not push. If you feel it contributing, you have shifted your weight backwards and turned the drill into an awkward two-legged jump.
Where it fits
Early in a lower-body session, straight after the warm-up, before squats or lunges. Sets of 5-8 per leg with 60 seconds between sets. It is a stepping stone: once you can push off cleanly for eight reps at the same height, move to stride jumps or a proper single-leg bound rather than adding reps here.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
When this gets easy
Asked and answered
How high should the box be?
Low enough that your box knee starts at around 90 degrees or less — usually 20-30 cm. A high box makes the starting position deeper and the push slower, which is the opposite of what a plyometric is for. If you want more difficulty, get faster off the box, do not go higher.
Is this the same as a step-up?
No, and the difference matters. A step-up is a slow strength movement where you never leave the ground; this one is defined by leaving the ground. Grinding out reps at a tempo where your feet stay planted means you are doing step-ups with a bad setup — either speed it up or go do proper loaded step-ups instead.
Should I feel my other leg working?
Barely. The floor leg keeps you upright and catches you on the way down. If it is burning or if you feel it pushing, your weight is sitting too far back off the box. Shift your chest forward over the box foot and start the rep from there.
Can I just use a staircase step?
Yes, and for most people it is the right height already — a standard stair tread is around 18-20 cm. Two conditions: the tread must be deep enough for your whole foot, and you need a clear step behind you for the floor leg. Do not use a carpeted stair you might slip on, and do not do it at the top of a flight.