Hack Squat vs. Squat: Which is Better for Strong Legs?

It’s finally time to get the best legs of your life. If you’re locked in on legs, you’ve probably spent a bit of time investigating what the best leg workouts are for developed thighs. The question begs: Are hack squats vs. squats more effective?

Whether you want to focus on your glutes, quads or hamstrings, each squat variation has a different focus to unlock.

Most of us tend to gravitate towards the barbell back squat. When we talk about “doing squats” or ask “What’s your squat weight?” most people are referring to how much you lift in a back squat with a loaded barbell.

To spice things up a little, some of us may gravitate towards assisted squat machines. After all, if you’ve been doing the same thing in the gym for months or years, you’ll likely hit a stagnation point.

Or maybe you’re coming at it from the other angle. For gym newbies, the squat rack can look completely intimidating. It can feel like taking a major leap of faith to let go of your trusty hack squat machine for something that feels more free-form.

In this article, we’ll unpack the benefits of using a hack squat machine vs. doing squats with a barbell.

Read on to find out which muscles work in both types of exercise and who benefits most from which squat technique.

What Is a Hack Squat?

The hack squat is a type of assisted squat machine.

The machine squat works the same way as a barbell squat.

To use the machine, you step onto a fixed platform, planting your back against the machine’s sliding backrest.

With a comfortable squat weight loaded, grasp the safety handles, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or wider and drive through your heels to move the weight stack on your machine.

This will bring your body into and out of a deep squat. You can also flip yourself around to face the sliding platform to perform reverse hack squats.

The hack squat machine is slightly different from another squat alternative— the V-squat. The v-squat machine is usually more upright facing, while hack squats sit at a 45-degree angle. This makes them a good in-between for the leg press and a traditional squat.

Unlike the other leg workout machines, the leg press machine lets a lifter be fully seated while working your leg muscles. This is a great hack squat alternative if you prefer to work your legs while seated. Bonus points: Think you can name all the leg press foot placements?

Benefits of a Hack Squat vs. Squat

Why would a weightlifter choose the hack squat machine over a traditional squat?

If you’re trying to attack your quad muscles, the hack squat can be a great way to train for hypertrophy or aesthetics.

Even though barbell squats are focused on the legs, they’re a total body workout. The barbell back squat works not only the muscles of your legs but your stability as well.

What’s more, the work between your leg muscles is more evenly distributed during a barbell squat. Because you need to stand up and maintain your posture when you squat with a barbell, your body needs to work hard to keep you upright and in position.

Because of this, the quads, glutes and hamstrings do an even amount of work, unless you’re in a nontraditional stance.

Hack Squat Muscles Worked

Compared to a barbell squat, the hack squat machine mostly zeroes in on your quadriceps muscles.

Having said that, a lot more is going on in your body during this move too! Here are the muscles worked in a hack squat:

• Quadriceps: The quadriceps femoris muscles (aka “quads”) help you to flex your knees. If you’re getting low in your squats, you’ll need a deep knee bend to help your body descend into the squat.

• Hamstrings: Hamstrings extend your hips when you come to the top of a squat and flex your knees when you come to the bottom, so they’re important for all parts of this movement. Be sure to stretch the hamstrings after you squat! Most of us have tight hamstrings from sitting at desks all day. No one wants a pulled hammy, so it’s important to keep these babies healthy and mobile.

• Glutes: The gluteal muscles— your gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus— help keep the pace of your movement as you drop and come back up in your squats.

• Calves: Calves are the unsung heroes of the leg muscles. They help stabilize your body and connect you to your feet to stay grounded. Calves help you flex your knees when you drop into your squats. Made up of the soleus muscles and the gastrocnemius, we often think we can get away with not training calves. This is simply not true. Weak, small calves don’t look good on anyone, so make sure to throw some soleus exercises into your leg day to train the calves too.

Hack Squat Benefits

How does the hack squat work your muscles differently than a regular squat? Hack squats put more emphasis on your quads.

If you want a great quad isolation exercise to train for hypertrophy (muscle growth), the hack squat can be highly effective.

Back Squat Benefits

In a regular back squat, the little things you do can make a world of difference.

When you’re learning how to squat, you may have heard different tips on things like foot placement, stance width, how low you should drop and how upright your body should be.

Although keeping your back straight and your torso upright is important in pretty much all squat variations, there’s a lot more room to play around with your lower body positioning.

Functional deficits and technical factors can limit your back squat performance too.  Although the squat is one of your body’s most primal movements, factors like bone or joint position, previous injuries, genetics, and hip pain when squatting can limit or alter your form.

Traditional squats also help you engage your core much more efficiently than the hack squat machine.

At the same relative workload, your trunk muscle activation in a back vs. hack squat is a lot more powerful. Unless there’s a specific reason to put more quad work in, it’s a bit of a drag to skip a move that also gives you insane core-strengthening benefits.

Is the Hack Squat Harder than Squatting?

For most people, hack squats are easier than squatting with a barbell.

If you struggle with poor posture, the added support of the back plate on a hack squat machine helps keep you stable.

Most hack squats in the gym also have a lever or latch that you need to push to unlock the machine.

This can make it safer and easier to use for beginners. It may feel less intimidating than barbells too. Regardless of which equipment you choose, make sure you fully understand the specifics of how to use a machine before getting on (or under) it.

You don’t want to be one of the unfortunate stars of a #SquatFails compilation.

Read up on some fitness blog articles that will help you understand the equipment you want to use before you set foot in a gym.

If you’re lifting heavy or training for a one-rep max, it’s a good idea to get a spotter on hand to help out if that’s accessible to you. Contrary to the “intense gym bro” stereotype, many people who work out are friendly and will be happy to help you.

You can always ask someone for tips if they’re not in the middle of a set. The front desk staff at the gym, if you’re new, are often happy to give a quick machine tour as well, if you’re first joining the gym.

If you want more in-depth guidance on how a hack squat machine or barbell can help you train for a specific goal, ask about personal training options.

If your pockets aren’t set up for a trainer, workout apps are a great way to get informed and keep track of your progress.

Should You Replace Squats With the Hack Squat?

If you want to switch things up or feel like you’ve hit the squat plateau, it’s a wonderful idea to work hack squats into your leg days.

Using these to replace a squat on certain days can help jog your sense of fun in the gym back into place. If you feel like you’re stalemating, fitness-wise (it happens to the best of us), a simple change like this can make you feel more engaged.

That being said, we don’t recommend ONLY hack squatting and never working on your barbell squats.

The hack squat should be used to enhance your squat program, but using it instead of a barbell full-time isn’t ideal.

The hack squat is great for stability and quad hypertrophy. But if you want the most well-rounded leg day routine, they don’t call barbell squats the “king of exercises for nothing.”

To get a strong core and more functional balance and stability in your body, it’s always a good idea to keep a good barbell squat technique in your toolkit. If you want to build both hypertrophy and the type of strength that will keep you in shape well into later life, barbell squats are the way to go.

TL;DR: Add hack squats for fun, hypertrophy and a change of scenery. If we had to pick one, barbell squats would be the squats of choice.

Who Should Use a Hack Squat Machine?

If you want to train to failure safely without a spotter who knows how to properly spot a squat, hack squat machines come with built-in safety features that make it easier for you to train at heavy weights solo.

If you train at unconventional hours and can’t find a friend to hit the gym with you, or you feel less comfortable approaching others in the gym for a spot, the hack squat may be a good option for you.

It lets you progress to heavier weights quicker without help.

If you’re more focused on hypertrophy, in other words, growing your muscles, then the hack squat may be for you.

Barbell back squats are the best variation of squats you can practice for overall strength gains. This is a go-to move for weightlifters of all kinds. Whether you want to train like a bodybuilder or a powerlifter, the barbell back squat needs to be part of your routine.

That being said, if you care more about your looks, you’re probably training more on the bodybuilding side. For bulging quads that photograph well and would look great in a fitness competition, the hack squat can help you target those muscles for growth.

Final Thoughts

The hack squat machine and traditional barbell back squats are both effective ways to train your legs.

Whether you use a machine or a barbell, any type of squat will target the calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes for an aesthetically pleasing and strong lower half.

That being said, the main difference between the two exercises is what muscles you prioritize.

Current research indicates that machine versus free-weight squats can both be highly effective. Hack squat machines focus more work on your quadriceps. Barbell back squats focus the work evenly between all of your leg muscles.

Because you need to stand and stabilize yourself during back squats, this move is also great for working your abdominal muscles, lower back and posterior chain.

This makes the barbell squat a total body move compared to the quad-dominant hack squat.

Training Techniques

When you’re deciding between these two squat methods, take some time to think about which goals you hope to achieve during your training.

Are you looking to improve your overall strength? In that case, we recommend barbell squats as a more effective move. For beginners just hoping to get stronger, the barbell can feel more intimidating since you’re squatting unsupported.

Remember: if you don’t know, ASK.

You won’t look impressive if you get flattened under a barbell or trapped inside a wayward machine. It’s important to make sure you’re practicing these exercises safely.

Making sure you squat safely will help you carry any squat variations with you for the rest of your life. Learning to do it right helps you stay injury-free and will help you work toward progressive overload each squat session so you continue to build strength.

References

Clark, D. R., Lambert, M. I., & Hunter, A. M. (2019). Trunk Muscle Activation in the Back and Hack Squat at the Same Relative Loads. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 33 Suppl 1, S60–S69. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002144

Lorenzetti, S., Ostermann, M., Zeidler, F., Zimmer, P., Jentsch, L., List, R., Taylor, W. R., & Schellenberg, F. (2018). How to squat? Effects of various stance widths, foot placement angles and level of experience on knee, hip and trunk motion and loading. BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 10, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-018-0103-7

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

Schwarz, N. A., Harper, S. P., Waldhelm, A., McKinley-Barnard, S. K., Holden, S. L., & Kovaleski, J. E. (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), 7(10), 215. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports7100215