The Invisible Box Challenge Is Sweeping Social Media – But What Is It?

Turns out mime is cool again

The Invisible Box Challenge Is Sweeping Social Media

by Phoebe Parke |
Updated on

Remember planking, the mannequin challenge and the not-so safe Kylie Jenner challenge?

Well, there’s a new challenge in town and it’s all about mime, weirdly.

The invisible box challenge sees people attempt to make it look like they are stepping over a – you guessed it – invisible box.

Here’s a cheerleader (Texan cheerleader Ariel Olivar to be exact) showing us all how it’s done:

Notice how she celebrates wildly once she’s done it? That’s because, like any good challenge, it’s not easy at all.

People have been falling on their butts all over the shop attempting to do the invisible box challenge, so be warned if you’re going to try this at home.

Here’s how not to do it.

Is it just us or are these failed attempts better than the successful ones?

But no matter how many times we watch, we can’t figure out how it works.

Thankfully a fitness buff has come to the rescue and explained it all using science.

That fitness expert is Ebenezer Samuel, Men's Health fitness editor who told The Telegraph: ‘All hip stabilisers on the right side are firing on overtime to hold that hip in position.

‘You'll notice [the] body rotates toward the leg on the step as well; there's a ton of oblique and ab stability maintaining that position.

‘Very explosive hip flexor, abdominal and glute strength is what is driving the leg up and over the box.’

So technically, if we spend all day trying to do the invisible box challenge it counts as exercise? Great news.

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The potential for charities and other campaigns with any social media craze like this is absolutely huge, fundraisers are still talking about the Ice Bucket Challenge – which involved someone throwing ice cold water over you on camera – and raised over £7 million for the Motor Neurone Disease Association in the UK, according to The Telegraph.

And who can forget Hilary Clinton doing the Mannequin challenge on a plane ahead of the 2016 US election?

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Follow Phoebe on Twitter @PhoebeParke

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.

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