Hack Squat Alternatives

Picture this:

You step into your local gym, ready to power through a tough leg day. After all, you’re here to transform your body with an improved leg training program. You’ve got some back pain, so you decide a hack squat machine is more useful for you than the barbell back squat.

But when you get there, to your dismay, all the squat racks are taken. What’s worse? There’s not even a hack squat machine or V-squat in sight that you can use.

Is there another way to add hack squats to your leg day?

Here, we’ll break down a few of the best hack squat alternatives you can use if you’re looking to kick your leg day into high gear.

What is the Hack Squat?

Among the best leg workout machines you can try in most commercial gyms, you’ll find the hack squat.

Usually, the hack squat machine sits at a 45-degree angle. This puts it somewhere between a V-squat, where your body is upright and a leg press where you would be seated.

The angle on your hack squat helps you to take the strain out of the knee joints and position your feet comfortably for an effective leg workout.

Typically, you would load a hack squat machine with plates instead of a weight stack. Nevertheless, some hack squat machines load differently than others. Check out the machine at your gym.

Make sure to get familiar with its safety mechanisms and loading functions before you use it.

Hack Squat History

Although they seem quite modern, hack squats have a colorful past and have been in use since the 1800s. George Hackenschmidt the famous strongman and wrestler nicknamed the “Russian Lion” is credited with pioneering the hack squat machine.

According to some Hackenshmidt also takes credit for inventing the bench press.

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.

V-Squat

The V-squat is one of the hack squat machine’s closest cousins.

Although these two machines operate in similar ways, there are a few key differences. V-squats mimic the movement of a barbell squat more closely. This natural movement pattern makes them a good choice for some who don’t want as much correction from a machine.

Hack squats give you a straighter path of movement. It feels less “natural,” but if you find you need a lot of support, you may prefer the hack squat.

To do a V-squat:

• Set-Up: Load up your V-squat machine with a comfortable squat weight. You may be able to lift more weight than you would in a barbell squat on your V-squat machine, so keep this in mind. Make sure you don’t go too heavy too quickly. This could cause injuries.

• Body Position: Step onto the platform of your V-squat machine. Place your back up against the backplate. Stand with your feet hip-width apart or slightly wider. Grab the side grip handles for support.

• Squat: Slowly bend your knees and send your hips backward. Most V-squats are built around a pivot point, so you may notice your body moving in an arc as you descend.  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 deeper, depending on your mobility.

• 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.

Barbell Hack Squat

Although hack squat is in the name, this hack squat variation is one you can work without a machine.

For limited equipment workouts, this hack squat alternative is a good one— all you need is a heavy barbell and a little willpower!

• Set-Up: Grab two weight plates, and place your heels on them so the heels are elevated. Bring a loaded barbell behind your body.

• Squat: 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.

• Reps: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.

Goblet Squat

If you like to keep things simple or are a gym novice, goblet squats may be for you.

Like the hack squat, this alternative helps you keep your body in an upright position while isolating more of your effort to the quadriceps.

For a goblet squat:

• Set-Up: Grab heavy dumbbell or kettlebell. Clutch it in front of your chest with both hands.

• Stance: Position yourself with your feet wider than hip-width apart. Your toes should be pointing forward and slightly out.

• Squat: Brace your core. Inhale as you descend into your squat. Keep your shoulder blades pulled back so your weight is secure and your torso stays upright. Make sure your core stays engaged the whole time. Squat down until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. If you want an even deeper squat, you can go beyond 90 degrees.

• Reverse: From the bottom of your goblet squat, drive up through your heels to push yourself back up to the 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 8-12 reps with a moderately heavy weight to build muscle and train for hypertrophy.

Leg Press

The leg press machine is another fantastic hack squat alternative.

If you prefer to get horizontal and stay seated, the leg press machine is great way to go heavier than your normal weight if you really want to drive yourself to the limit.

That’s because you’re not standing when you use this machine. All your little stabilizer muscles in the legs and torso don’t have to chip in as much, so you can really send your quads into overdrive.

• Set-Up: Add a comfortable heavy weight to your machine. If you’re not sure how much you can lift, try one set and evaluate whether it feels light or heavy. It’s easy to underestimate yourself here. For future reference, it’s a good idea to keep a fitness app on your phone. This will help you track the weight you lift so you don’t need to play a guessing game next time you hit the leg press.

• Body Position: Sit on the seat of your leg press, grasping the handles at your hips for support. Make sure the seat is adjusted comfortably for your height. Although you want a deep bend in the knees, it shouldn’t be uncomfortable. This puts too much strain on your knee joints.

• Press: Drive through the legs to press your weight away from you. Bring your legs to a full extension with a slight bend in your knees. You don’t want to lock out the knee joints.

• Reverse: Slowly and with control, resist your weight to bring your knees back to a bent position.

• Reps: To build strength aim for 4-6 sets of 8 reps with a heavy load. To build muscle, try 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps with a medium heavy load. You can adjust as needed to suit your preference.

Big Picture

Hack squatting can get you big quads, fast.

Although this sounds like a win-win, realistically, not every session you have in the gym will be a perfect one.

Some days are busier than others, and if your favorite machine isn’t available, you should still be able to get a great hack squat workout.

This is where hack squat alternatives come in. The principle behind the hack squat machine is isolation of the quadriceps femoris muscles. Although, like a squat, the hack squat works all the major muscles of your legs, more quad isolation can be a great way to train for aesthetics or to prod stubborn muscles to grow.

If you’re looking for hypertrophy, hack squats and alternatives are great to throw into your leg day rotation.

Keep in mid that the hack squat and variations are not necessarily substitutes for barbell back squats. They do work the same muscles but back squatting with a barbell will get you much more stability training time.

The back squat is one of the best moves you can do to improve your functional movement in daily life.

That being said, try out some V-squats, goblet squats, barbell hack squats and leg presses. See which variation you love the best.

Adding different types of moves to your routine helps break up monotonous workouts. They’re a mental challenge that keeps you on your toes.

Always remember to look at the safety features of a machine before you try it. That way, you can squat heavy for some massive quad gains.