Landmine Hack Squats: The Easiest Quad Growth Hack?

This is a workout that will make your quads go BOOM.

Landmine workouts are giving a whole new meaning to explosives and the landmine hack squat is no exception.

Although you may not be as familiar with the landmine compared to more common gym equipment like squat racks or weight benches, don’t be fearful.

Once you get to know it, we promise the landmine will blow your leg workouts away into new territory.

Keep reading to learn more about this piece of equipment and how landmine hack squats can help switch up your leg day. We’ll dissect the muscles you work with landmine hack squats and see how landmine workouts compare to other equipment like the Smith machine, hack squat machine and traditional barbell back squats.

What is a Landmine Hack Squat?

First off, what is a landmine?

If you answered the dangerous weapon of war that you bury in the ground, you’d be correct.

Fortunately, that’s not what we’re talking about here. This type of landmine is a piece of floor workout equipment. On one end, it anchors to the floor. The other end holds a weighted plate that you hold and manipulate depending on your workout.

This resistance training tool allows you to train both strength and coordination.

So a landmine hack squat simply means working on your hack squat using the landmine as your chosen equipment. It’s a little different than a regular squat.

In a hack squat (vs. squat), you keep your torso more upright than in a conventional barbell back squat. Although there are many moves where you squat, if we refer to “squats” with no qualifier, typically, we are talking about back squats.

Hack squats can be done on machines. Your gym likely has a designated hack squat among the leg workout machines.

If your hips hurt during squats, a hack squat may be better for you than a traditional squat. Hack squats let you keep your torso more upright. This means you don’t send your hips as far back, resulting in less hip flexion.

If you struggle with poor hip mobility, this can be a lifesaver for your joints.

What are the Benefits of Landmine Hack Squats?

Creativity

The landmine is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can use. Because it attaches a bar to a single pivot point, it offers 360-degree movement.

You can use this advantage to work out on multiple planes (kneeling, standing, seated) and as a substitute for many different types of gym implements.

The landmine can perform double duty as a barbell, or dumbbell, or even follow the weight path of a machine if you use it correctly.

If regular squat progression training is feeling dull, the landmine can be a great way to activate your quads and shake things up mentally. You’ll feel more excited and motivated to work out once you break out of a too-strict routine and try different equipment.

Limited Space

Landmines are great space savers. This piece of equipment stores easily if you are working with space constraints.

Something like a squat rack, for example, takes up lots of space in the gym. Landmines, on the other hand, swivel around a single pivot point on the floor and are easy to tuck away when you’re not using them.

This may not be a concern if you use a commercial gym, but if you’re thinking about building a home gym, the landmine is a good first piece of equipment to buy when you’re just starting out building a machine collection.

Landmine Hack Squat— Muscles Worked

All types of hack squats, landmine or otherwise, 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 achieve quad hypertrophy.

If you struggle to grow thick, aesthetically pleasing thighs, hack squats may be your best bet.

During landmine 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 landmine 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 landmine 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 hamstrings for healthy landmine hack squats. Tight hamstrings are often caused by our sedentary lifestyles. The effect of hamstring tightness includes inhibited stability and agility.

Hamstrings serve a double function. They help extend your hips and flex your knees. Because of this, they can easily be overtaxed, making them extra susceptible to injuries. Make sure your muscles are always properly warmed up, especially when it comes to working in deep squat positions.

Glutes

The gluteal muscles (your butt muscles) help keep the pace of your hack squat as you drop and come back up. 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.

How to Landmine Hack Squat

To do a landmine hack squat:

• Set-Up: Load up your landmine barbell with comfortable squat weight. Make sure you don’t go too heavy too quickly. This could cause injuries.

• Body Position: Lift your bar with your plates loaded and place it onto one shoulder. Face your body away from the landmine pole. Lean back into the plate stack, pressing your back in firmly for support.

• Stance and Foot Placment: Bring your feet hip width apart. Turn your feet out very slightly to around a 15-degree angle. Make sure your knees are tracking in line with your toes. This position will give you a standard squat form, but there are plenty of other hack squat foot placements you can try, depending on which muscles you want to isolate. Hold the tip of your bar securely. You may use one or both hands, depending on what’s most comfortable for you.

• Squat: Slowly bend your knees and send your hips backward. Keep your back straight and planted against the weight plates. 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 downward 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 8-12 reps with a moderately heavy weight.

Big Picture

Landmines are one of the unsung heroes of gym equipment.

They give you versatility in your movement because of the potential for 360-degree movement. With a landmine, it’s easy to transition between planes and get some truly creative workouts in.

You can use landmines for flys, rows, squats and deadlifts and all sorts of other exercises.

That being said, the landmine is one of the best ways to switch up your hack squats if your workouts are feeling a little stale. The convenience of a landmine is that it’s easy to tuck out of sight and doesn’t take up precious floor space like a squat rack might.

If you work out at home and are thinking of what equipment to buy, the landmine could be a major space saver if you’re working within small quarters.

If you’re looking for something more versatile than the Smith machine or hack squat machine and you have good core stability the landmine hack squat may be an ideal hack squat alternative for you to try.

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

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

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

Migliaccio, G. M., Dello Iacono, A., Ardigò, L. P., Samozino, P., Iuliano, E., Grgantov, Z., & Padulo, J. (2018). Leg Press vs. Smith Machine: Quadriceps Activation and Overall Perceived Effort Profiles. Frontiers in physiology, 9, 1481. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01481

Saeterbakken, A. H., Olsen, A., Behm, D. G., Bardstu, H. B., & Andersen, V. (2019). The short- and long-term effects of resistance training with different stability requirements. PloS one, 14(4), e0214302. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214302