Hack Squat
Position your back against the pad, shoulders under the supports, feet shoulder-width on the platform. Release the safety handles and lower by bending knees until thighs reach parallel or deeper. Keep your back flat against the pad and drive through your heels to press up. Targets quads with reduced lower back stress.
Updated
Primary muscles: Quadriceps. Supporting muscles: Glutes, Hamstrings. Equipment: Hack squat machine.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Equipment
How to do it
- Set your feet about shoulder width and set your back against the pad.
- Brace the core and keep the whole foot on the floor.
- Sit down between the hips and knees with the knees tracking over the toes.
- Reach the deepest position you can hold without the pelvis tucking hard.
- Drive up through the midfoot until hips and knees are straight.
- Keep the chest and hips rising together.
Watch for
- Knees collapsing inward.
- Heels lifting off the floor or platform.
- Low back rounding hard at the bottom.
Breathing
Inhale and brace before descending, exhale near the top.
Tip
Use a depth that stays repeatable from the first rep to the last.
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