Your Ultimate Guide To Hack Squats, Plus The Best Variations
Eye-popping quads are gold in the bodybuilding world, and CBum has made sure of that. But whilst many associate thick thighs with squats, if you’re really looking to pack some muscle on your legs, then it’s time to start prioritizing hack squats in your leg day workout. Whether you're rocking the best workout clothes for men or just your favorite men's activewear shorts, hack squats are a must for building those powerful legs.
They’re heavy, effective, and you’ll look pretty good doing them – all of these are reasons why the hack squat machine is a staple in bodybuilding gyms. If you want to load your quads, lift heavy, and look strong, the hack squat is your exercise. And hey, pairing it with the cool workout clothes mens brands offer can make your gym session even more motivating.
If you’re ready to get some serious size on your thighs, then stay with us as we break down this ultimate quad-builder. Plus, we’ll look at some variations, so even if you don’t have access to a hack squat machine, you can still benefit from this monster leg exercise.
What You'll Find In This Article:
- What Is A Hack Squat?
- Hack Squat Muscles Worked
- Hack Squat Benefits
- How To Use A Hack Squat Machine
- Hack Squat vs Leg Press
- Hack Squat vs Squat
- Hack Squat vs Reverse Hack Squat
- 3 Hack Squat Alternatives
What Is A Hack Squat?
Despite the exercise creeping up on our social feeds more frequently, the hack squat is not a new invention. In fact, it’s been around since the early 1900s as a trusted method of building strength, speed, power, and agility [1]. Its creation is credited to weightlifter and wrestler George Hackenschmidt, who lifted 187lb on his back with his knees bent. He realized the squat adaptation allowed a heavier weight to be lifted without load on the spine, which became known as the ‘Hack Squat’. Today, the hack squat machine is a staple in most bodybuilding gyms.
As an exercise, the hack squat lies somewhere between a barbell squat and a leg press – the upright body position and weight loading mimicking that of a barbell squat, whilst the stability of the machine mimics the leg press. The hack squat is usually performed on a hack squat machine, where the lifter stands on a plate and the weight rests on their shoulders. The lifter squats down and then pushes the weight up, driving through their feet.
Hack Squat Muscles Worked
The hack squat engages several lower body muscles, including:
- Quads (main target muscle)
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Pendlay Rows: Build Explosive Strength and a Powerful Back
Core Engagement During Hack Squat
Whilst core engagement is required to protect the lower spine and back during the movement, it’s important to note that due to support of the upper body from the machine, core muscle activation is lower during the hack squat compared to a barbell squat [3].
A benefit of this is that it allows for heavier loads to be lifted, making the hack squat well suited to those with aesthetic goals (e.g., bodybuilders purely wanting to focus on leg gains). However, if your overarching goal is performance-based (e.g., building athleticism for a sport), then a free weight squat (barbell or goblet squat) may be more beneficial, providing more challenge for core stability, balance, and muscle coordination – important skills in many sports.
Hack Squat Benefits
1. Targeted Quad Development
The fixed upright position of the hack squat ensures the quads are the main driver on the upward phase of the movement, compared to a back squat, where work is distributed more evenly between the leg muscles. If growing your quads is your goal, then the hack squat is one of the best exercises you can do.
2. Provides Stability
Using a hack squat machine, the body's position is isolated, and the back is supported throughout the movement, making it more stable than a barbell squat. Not only does this make the exercise safer, but it is also a great alternative exercise for those with back pain or stability issues who may not be able to perform a barbell squat [5].
3. Better For Those With Limited Ankle Mobility
A barbell squat requires good ankle mobility to reach full depth whilst allowing the knee to track over the toe through a movement called dorsiflexion. This can be challenging for some with limited ankle mobility. Hack squats, on the other hand, require less ankle mobility to reach full depth, as the shins stay more perpendicular to the ground, making it easy for those with limited ankle mobility to perform the movement properly and work the muscles through full ROM.
Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Building Big Shoulders: Exercises, Anatomy, and Workout Tips
How To Use A Hack Squat Machine
Many gyms have a hack squat machine. This is the simplest way to set up and perform a hack squat:
- Load the machine with the desired weight. Adjust the shoulder pads if necessary (they should sit just lower than shoulder height so that you can press the machine up).
- Step onto the platform, placing your back against the backrest, and shoulders under the shoulder pads.
- Position your feet on the platform, hip-width apart. Take hold of the handles located next to the shoulder pads.
- Push through your feet, fully extending your legs. Release the safety pins.
- Start the movement: Slowly lower the weight, bending your knees until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
- Pause, then reverse the movement, extending your legs and driving through your heels, until you are back to starting position. Ensure your knees do not lock out at the top.
- Repeat for the desired number of reps.
Hack Squat Foot Placement
Where you place your feet on the platform can affect muscle activation. Whilst no research has been done specifically into foot placement during the hack squat, studies have examined foot placement during the leg press, which could be applied to the hack squat. They found that placing the feet lower on the platform led to greater quad activation, whereas higher foot placement on the platform activated the glutes more [6]. In terms of stance width, activation was found to be just as effective during both a narrow and wide stance [7].
Experiment with placing your feet lower or higher on the platform depending on if you want to fully focus on quad development or engage the glutes more.
Hack Squat vs Leg Press
The most obvious difference between the leg press and hack squat is the body position - with the leg press, the lifter leans back or lies down at a 45-degree angle, pushing the weight upwards, whereas, during a hack squat, the weight rests on the lifter’s shoulders.
Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Leg Day: Build Stronger, Bigger Legs
Other Key Differences Include:
- The leg press allows one leg to be worked at a time, evening out muscular imbalances.
- Most people can lift more weight during the leg press, allowing for higher muscle loading.
- Hack squats are better at targeting quads, whereas the leg press is one of the best exercises for increasing overall leg strength [8].
- Hack squat provides better specific training for barbell squats, as the weight is loaded onto the shoulders, rather than at the feet.
Hack Squat vs Squat
The biggest difference between the hack squat and barbell squat is stability. As discussed, the hack squat holds the upper body in a fixed upright position, whereas during a barbell squat, a lot more core activation is required to safely perform the movement [9].
Other Key Differences Include:
- Hack squat primarily targets the quads, whereas the back squat recruits several muscle groups involved in the hip, knee, and ankle joints, leading to more overall development in the lower body [10].
- Barbell squats are more complex to learn, making hack squats preferable for beginners.
- Barbell squats are more fatiguing, often requiring greater recovery time compared to hack squats.
- Barbell squats place more stress on the spine, which may be problematic for those with back issues.
Hack Squat vs Reverse Hack Squat
You may have seen the hack squat performed backwards, with the lifter facing the machine. Don’t worry, they aren’t just performing the hack squat totally wrong – this is actually a variation of the regular machine hack squat.
Instead of honing in on quad activation, the reverse hack squat fires up the glutes and hamstrings. With the chest facing the back pad of the hack squat machine, the reverse hack squat gives room for the butt to be pushed back, increasing knee flexion and posterior chain activation.
Other Key Differences Include:
- Reverse hack squat requires greater hip flexion, as the hips hinge to lower the weight. During the regular machine hack squat, the knees do more of the work.
- The reverse hack squat has better carry over to front squats, due to the anterior loading of the weight (on the front), requiring the body to adjust form and posture similar to how it would during a front squat.
3 Hack Squat Alternatives
Don’t have access to a hack squat machine, but still looking to build your quads? There are still a number of ways you can perform the hack squat without the hack squat machine, so you don’t need to worry about missing out on those gains!
1. Barbell Hack Squat
The most common variation of the machine hack squat is the barbell hack squat. The key difference here is that the barbell is placed behind you, and lifted from the floor, rather than the weight resting on the shoulders.
2. Smith Machine Hack Squat
The Smith Machine hack squat is a great alternative to the machine hack squat, with a similar loading (weight rests on shoulders) and a fixed bar path.
3. Landmine Hack Squat
If you read our previous article on the Landmine Press, you’ll be familiar with the barbell landmine. Once a barbell is attached to the landmine, one side becomes anchored to the floor, whilst the other end is free-moving.
Dress for Success: Best Workout Clothes for Men
When performing hack squats or any leg day workout, having the right gear can make a big difference. Opt for men's workout shorts that allow for full range of motion, or men jogger sweatpants for a more relaxed fit. Pair them with a men workout tshirt that wicks away sweat and keeps you comfortable. For cooler gyms, layer up with mens sweatshirts to stay warm during your warm-up sets.
References:
- Schwarz, N.A. et al. (2019) A comparison of machine versus free-weight squats for the enhancement of lower-body power, speed, and change-of-direction ability during an initial training phase of recreationally-active women, Sports (Basel, Switzerland).
- Clark, D.R., Hunter, A.M. and Lambert, M.I. (2019) Trunk muscle activation in the back and hack squat at the same relative loads, Journal of strength and conditioning research.
- Martín-Fuentes, I., Oliva-Lozano, J.M. and Muyor, J.M. (2020) Evaluation of the lower limb muscles’ electromyographic activity during the leg press exercise and its variants: A systematic review, MDPI.
- Gullett, J.C. et al. (2009) A biomechanical comparison of back and front squats in healthy trained individuals, Journal of strength and conditioning research.