Hack Squat

Start

Finish

How to do it

Set your back flat against the pad with feet low and shoulder-width on the platform, unlock the sled and lower until the knees reach about 90 degrees or slightly past, then press up.

Muscles worked

Primary: quads · Also works: glutes

Equipment

Machines, Full gym

Common mistakes

• Placing the feet high on the platform, which turns a quad machine into a glute machine
• Letting the lower back peel off the pad at the bottom by chasing extra depth
• Locking the knees out hard at the top instead of stopping just short

Variations

• Feet low and close for more outer-quad emphasis
• Single-leg hack squat
• Slow four-second eccentric

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Leg Press
• Barbell Back Squat
• Smith Machine Squat
• Belt Squat

Related exercises

• Barbell Back Squatquads
• Goblet Squatquads
• Bodyweight Squatquads
• Leg Pressquads
• Bulgarian Split Squatquads
• Walking Lungequads