Hack Squat: Pros, Cons, Tips and Techniques

If you like a little helping hand in your squats the hack squat machine is one of the best supports you can use.

Let’s get to know a little more about this handy machine. We’ll cover the pros and cons and some ways you can use the hack squat to get targeted quad growth for stronger leg muscles.

What is the Hack Squat?

If you’ve walked through the leg machines section at any commercial gym, you’re probably no stranger to the hack squat.

Hack squats sit somewhere between a V-squat machine— an upright assisted squat machine, and a seated leg press.

Typically, a hack squat is positioned at a 45-degree angle. This angle allows for easier foot positioning. It’s also a good way to avoid overstressing your delicate knee joints.

This is a simple leg workout machine to use, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced gymgoer.

Did you know it’s not called a “hack squat” due to being a way to “hack” your leg day?

This machine is named for its most celebrated user. Old school wrestler and professional strongman George Hackenschmidt is its namesake.

This athlete was nicknamed the “Russian Lion.” Hackenshmidt was famous for pioneering the “bear hug” move that we see wrestlers use in competitive wrestling.

He’s also known for the hack squat, of course, and some even credit the invention of the bench press to Hackenshmidt!

This man clearly had an impressive resume, along with an enviable physique. It’s clear that along with pioneering some fantastic fitness inventions, Hackenshmidt put his hack squat machine to good work to develop strong quads.

Let’s take a look at the leg muscles you’d be working if you did the same.

Hack Squat— Muscles Worked

If you’re researching the hack squat machine, you may wonder what makes it different than squatting with a barbell.

Hack squats target your quadriceps muscles. Although they do work the other muscles in your legs, the hack squat is a great way to train if you’re hoping to isolate your quads.

During hack squats, the working muscles include:

Quadriceps

Your quadriceps femoris muscles (“quads”) flex your knees. When you get to the bottom of your squats, you’ll need a deep bend in the knees to help your body descend into the squat. Engaging your quadriceps will help you get there, so it’s important to make sure they’re strong.

Hamstrings

The hamstrings sit on the backs of your thighs. These muscles extend your hips at the top of a squat. They also help with knee flexion when you descend. This makes hamstrings an integral part of your squat. Always stretch your hamstrings after you squat. It’s a good idea to warm them up too.

Active workouts like high knees or leg swings will help prepare these leg muscles for healthy hack squats. Many people have tight hamstring muscles due to increasingly sedentary lifestyles. The effect of hamstring tightness includes inhibiting your stability and agility.

Because the hamstrings serve a double purpose of hip extension and knee flexion, they’re extra susceptible to injuries. Stretch, stretch, stretch and really make sure your muscles are ready to go before you get your hamstrings into deep squat positions.

Glutes

The gluteal muscles (your butt muscles) help keep the pace of your movement as you drop and come back up in your squats. This muscle group is made up of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus.

These are some of your strongest lower body muscles. It’s a good idea to engage your glutes at the top of a squat. Not only is this proper form, but it can be one of the best exercises for a round butt.

Calves

Your calves keep your body stable and connect you to your feet to stay grounded. The calf, made up of the soleus muscle and the gastrocnemius, helps you to plantarflex your foot (point your toes downward).

After you come to the bottom of your squat, your calves will engage to help you drive up through the heels and feet to bring yourself back up to a standing position.

Benefits of Hack Squats

Toned Quads

Because they are made to hit your quads specifically, hack squats can be a serious strengthener for these lower leg muscles.

Strong quads are one of the best ways to get big legs. If you’re training for aesthetics, these muscles look seriously sexy when they’re well-developed.

Women and men can both benefit from stronger quads. On the female body, strong calves can look great and give you the look of wider hips.

And the short shorts trend for men is still in. Think about when Paul Mescal’s legs went viral. It’s clear that shorter hemlines are here to stay, so dudes can benefit from building thick thighs and strong calves too.

Less Back Pain

The hack squat helps you avoid some of the lower back activation that you’d get from a traditional squat.

Although this comes at a loss to strengthening your core, you do take a lot of the pressure out of squatting if you have back pain.

Back pain is one the common reasons that people seek emergency medical care. In fact, back pain management is thought to account for about $200 billion in medical costs per year!

That’s an astounding amount to be spending on our backs. The better alternative to treating an achy back is not letting it happen in the first place.

If you’re prone to back pain, this version of a squat is a great way to reduce it or at least ensure it doesn’t get worse.

Safety

Helpful safety locks are built in on most commercial hack squat machines.

If you find barbells too scary to use for fear that they’ll escape you or you’ll drop one on your foot (ouch!), hack squats are a solid alternative.

These aren’t as cumbersome as barbells and are a little more user-friendly to load for most people. If nerves are getting the best of you before you squat, try using a hack squat before you work up to a barbell.

How to Use Hack Squat Machines

So how do you do a hack squat anyway?

To start:

• Set-Up: Load up your machine with a comfortable squat weight. Note that you may be able to lift more weight than you think with a hack squat vs. a barbell squat. That being said, don’t overdo it too much. This will tire you out fast.

• Body Position: Step onto the platform of your hack squat machine. Place your back up against the backplate and your shoulders under the shoulder pads. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width. Turn your toes out slightly. Grab the side grip handles for support.

• Squat: Slowly bend your knees to let the backplate move down on the machine. Keep your back straight and planted against the backpad. Keep going until the angle between your thighs and calves is at 90 degrees or slightly less.

• Reverse: Exhale to drive your feet into the footplate and reverse your movement. Push through your heels and straighten your legs to come back to your starting position.

• Reps: For strength, try 5 sets of 4-6 reps with a heavy weight. If you are training for hypertrophy, aim for 4 sets of 6-8 reps with a moderately heavy weight.

Hack Squat Variations

Tom Platz Hack Squat

Call him crazy, but this unconventional hack squat variation led professional bodybuilder Tom Platz to build some of the biggest legs in the game.

To do the Tom Platz hack squat, bring your tippy toes right to the back edge of your platform.

Your feet should be half-on half-off the footplate. As you descend into this hack squat, roll up onto the balls of your feet and bend your knees so deeply that they come as close in line with the toes as you can get them.

This is a much deeper squat than you may be used to doing. The Tom Platz hack squat variation also puts a lot of pressure on your ankles and calves, so make sure this muscles are strengthened and warmed up.

Start with a lighter weight if you are attempting to use this hack squat form. Make sure your technique is safe and that you don’t feel any pain or excess strain in this hack squat machine variation.

Barbell Hack Squat

Not to be confused with the barbell BACK squat, this variation is another unique one.

Here, you actually skip the machine entirely.

Grab two weight plates, and place your heels on them so the heels are elevated. Bring a loaded barbell behind your body. Bend your knees to sink your butt down. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip.

From here, drive your body up, holding the barbell and lifting it up towards the back of your hamstrings near your butt. This is your starting position.

Repeat this movement for reps, coming to a 90-degree bend in the knee, or slightly deeper angle each time you bend.

Though this variation looks much different than the machine hack squat, barbell hack squats work your muscles the same way. Elevating your heels on weight plates and lifting your barbell behind the back towards your rear helps keep this move quad-dominant in the same way that a hack squat machine would be.

This is a great alternative way to train if all the hack squat machines at your gym are taken.

Not only this, but it put far less strain on your spine. A traditional back squat loads weight on to your shoulders and upper back. But since you only lift the weight up to below hip height in this variation, you’re not straining your spine.

Research on technical factors that limit back squat performance indicates that things like head position and spinal rounding can influence your squat performance.

In turn, your squat stance determines how healthy this movement is for your body. Remember, the key is to be able to squat for longevity.

Yes, it’s impressive to lift some heavy weights, but not at the expense of getting injured or creating postural problems for yourself where they didn’t exist before.

This low-to-the-ground variation helps you take the strain out of your back.

Smith Machine Hack Squat

If you like a straight up and down assisted movement path, the Smith machine hack squat is a fantastic alternative.

Similarly to regular hack squats, Smith machines are great for those who struggle with stability in regular barbell squats as well.

The key difference between Smith machines and hack squats is that the fixed position of the barbell attached to a Smith machine forces you to drop into your motion in a perfectly straight line.

Many Smith machine detractors argue that this is not a normal human motion. Even those of us with the best posture don’t move in perfectly straight lines, so the movement of a Smith machine doesn’t allow for your body to feel what its most “natural” squat should feel like.

Some research has shown that the Smith machine may not be as effective at facilitating muscular activation when compared to free weight squats.

In a comparison of a free weight squat to Smith machine squat, researchers found that an electromyographic (EMG) machine measured less muscular activation in prime mover muscles from squats in the Smith machine compared to one using weights.

That being said, the Smith machine can be a handy tool for certain specific cases.

If you’re coming back to squats after an injury, Smith machines help keep you in a restricted range of motion. For some, this can be a good thing.

Like a hack squat machine, Smith machines also come with increased safety features. Walking into a gym, you’ll probably see Smith machines with two side hooks or catches. These lock in the moving barbell when you’re not using it.

Free weights are “free” for a reason: you control them or they’re free to knock you off kilter!

If you don’t know what you’re doing, free weights are easy to drop or hurt yourself with. Although all machines at the gym come with some risk, it’s a good idea to take safety precautions, especially if you’re new.

The Smith machine can be a good solution for this.

Hack Squat Tips and Tricks

Keep Your Back Planted

Make sure your back stays firmly pressed against the backrest. If you struggle with your positioning in a barbell squat, you have your work cut out for you here.

The hack squat already puts your torso in an upright position. This mimics the form that you would use in a barbell squat. It can help you if you eventually decide to get out of the machine and take things on to the gym floor to work with free weights.

By letting your torso come forward off your backrest, you’re essentially defeating the purpose of some of the assistance the machine provides.

Hack squats should make lifting heavier with your legs feel easier, not harder! Make sure you keep things simple and let your back stay firmly planted.

Understand the Safety Bars

Each machine can look a little different and may require some trial and error. It’s a good idea to check out the way your safety apparatus works BEFORE you get on the hack squat machine.

Find a machine at your local gym and sneak a peek at it while you’re doing the rest of your workout.

Some machines have handy instructions printed right on the sides of how to use them, load them, and operate safety features. If your hack squat has these printed, you’re in luck.

Most hack squats have safety levers, bars or handles that you pull either inward or outward to unlock. You may need to play around with your machine a bit to make sure that it is properly unlocked and safe to use before you squat.

Common Hack Squat Mistakes

Although the hack squat is a great training tool for beginners, there are a few considerations you should be aware of.

Too Much Weight

Because of the back support on a hack squat machine, hack squatting can feel easier than a barbell back squat.

Even if you’re lifting the same amount of weight, you may be inclined to get overconfident and go too heavy too quickly.

This is a surefire way to tire yourself out. Even if you don’t get injured right away, lifting more weight than your body is ready for will put a lot of strain on your muscles. You’ll probably feel like a truck hit you the next day and you may want to sit the gym out for a few sessions.

Although there’s no shame in taking some time off if you overdo it, making a habit of lifting more than your muscles are ready for isn’t a sustainable way to train. If you want to see growth and transformation in your body, consistency is key.

If you’re training too hard every time, you may end up skipping so many gym days that you don’t progress efficiently.

Feet Too Far In

Unless you’re specifically training the Tom Platz hack squat, make sure your heels don’t trail off the back of your foot platform.

If your knees extend out too far over your toes, this places a lot of strain on your joints.

Knee injuries are some of the most common athletic injuries. Because an increasing number of people get into sports, even starting from a young age, we have many possible opportunities to injure our knees.

Although contact sports are the highest risk for developing more severe knee injuries like meniscal injuries or tears to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), putting any kind of strain on the joints that your body is not used to can be very taxing.

For more information on knee injuries, read: Common injuries in athletes' knee: experience of a specialized center.

If you have previous knee injuries or sensitive knees in general, this variation most likely isn’t the best for you.

Make sure to always listen to your body. Although with good training you can improve your range of motion, attempting a riskier move without significant flexibility or squat expertise is a surefire way to get injured or burnt out.

Is a Hack Squat Better than a Barbell Squat?

Investigating hack squats, you may be wondering if you can make a simple squat swap between this machine and your everyday barbell squats.

Ultimately, whether you prefer machines or free weights, we wouldn’t recommend skipping barbell squats entirely.

Hack squats can enhance your squat regimen, but shouldn't be your only move.

Why?

If you really want to build total-body strength, a free-weight squat is one of the best movements you can do. Squats are a fundamental human move that we make.

Even before you ever hit a gym, as a child, you squat to run, jump and pick up your toys. In adult life, picking up groceries or even sitting down requires you to come into some type of squat.

Free weight squats are a powerful move since they strengthen the stabilizer muscles. Your core and all the little leg muscles you don’t think about need to work overtime here to keep your body upright. Getting stable in your squats without the assistance of a backplate helps you build overall better balance that will serve you in everyday life.

Final Word

If you want to be saying “Oh my QUAD,” The hack squat is one of the best moves you can do to build strong and defined quadriceps.

If you’re training for hypertrophy adding hack squats to your routine is a great way to get bigger legs. This helps to isolate your quads more sharply than a traditional barbell back squat would.

Because you need to work evenly through the legs to keep your body upright in a barbell squat, your quads, glutes, and hamstrings tend to work evenly to keep you stable (unless you change your foot placement).

In a hack squat, you get to put more emphasis on the quads to watch them grow.

Hack squats target all the muscles of your legs. Weightlifters sometimes choose this movement over a conventional barbell back squat, since it puts the most emphasis on your quads.

Is the hack squat a replacement for barbell squats? That’s hard to say and the real answer depends on what your training goals are.

Although hack squats work the same muscles as traditional squats, you lose out on a lot of the stability and balance benefits you can get from regular squats if you only hack squat.

If you're totally starting from scratch on the squat front, try goblet squats or bodyweight squats first. These are total body exercises that are a super beginner-friendly form of strength training. Once you build strength here, you'll feel even more confident in your hack squats.

However, if you’re a conventional squatter and you find yourself plateauing, getting bored, or feeling too lazy to work out, hack squats can be a great way to get your mojo back and switch up your routine.

If you want to include hack squat-focused leg days, alternate them out with back squats. For instance, if you train legs twice a week in a push-pull-legs split, use hack squats on your Monday leg session and regular squats on your Thursday (for example. No pressure to train legs on those days!).

This lets you get a good variety in your training.

Although the hack squat and other machines can feel like a cozy security blanket, if you’re a beginner, try not to get stuck doing machine-only workouts.

There’s a whole world to explore with free weights that can help you significantly improve your balance, along with other benefits.

Look for a friendly face at your gym and ask for help if you feel uncomfortable stepping up to an unfamiliar machine. Most gymgoers are happy to spot you in a squat, provided they have the experience.

References:

Encarnación-Martínez, A., García-Gallart, A., Pérez-Soriano, P., Catalá-Vilaplana, I., Rizo-Albero, J., & Sanchis-Sanchis, R. (2023). Effect of Hamstring Tightness and Fatigue on Dynamic Stability and Agility in Physically Active Young Men. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 23(3), 1633. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031633

Casiano VE, Sarwan G, Dydyk AM, et al. Back Pain. [Updated 2023 Dec 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538173/

Myer, G. D., Kushner, A. M., Brent, J. L., Schoenfeld, B. J., Hugentobler, J., Lloyd, R. S., Vermeil, A., Chu, D. A., Harbin, J., & McGill, S. M. (2014). The back squat: A proposed assessment of functional deficits and technical factors that limit performance. Strength and conditioning journal, 36(6), 4–27. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000103

Nicolini, A. P., de Carvalho, R. T., Matsuda, M. M., Sayum, J. F., & Cohen, M. (2014). Common injuries in athletes' knee: experience of a specialized center. Acta ortopedica brasileira, 22(3), 127–131. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-78522014220300475

Schwanbeck, S., Chilibeck, P. D., & Binsted, G. (2009). A comparison of free weight squat to Smith machine squat using electromyography. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 23(9), 2588–2591. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181b1b181