Hack Squat / Squat
Coached by JustinAlso called: Squat (Back or Front — Rotate) · Hack Squat · Squat
- Primary
- quadriceps
- Secondary
- calves · glutes · hamstrings
- Equipment
- machine
- Mechanic
- compound
- Force
- push
- Category
- strength
Power (quad) — the quad PR (choose hack or barbell).
Execution
Higher bar, close stance, knees travelling forward over the toes to bias the quads. Hack squat for 12–15, or barbell for a 6–8 PR plus a 20-rep set. The back squat is the most overrated movement for quad size — for most people because they adjust their form for strength instead of load on the quads. Keep it, but make it quad-focused, not a leverage contest. When you're doing a hack squat you're not doing a movement, you're training a muscle. If you're a bodybuilder you're probably not doing hacks unless you're trying to build muscle, so it's not just, oh, I saw a guy do it that way, he went up, down, up, down. You're working your quads — find the position that works. What am I trying to train, what muscles am I activating, and are they actually being activated? The movement means nothing; the movement is just a tool to work those muscles. On a leg press or something, for example — for many people, moving your foot lower on the platform will on average more likely make the quads work more, but nothing is absolute. Going all the way to the bottom just because everyone says putting your feet low makes your quads work more doesn't mean your quads are actually working more. You need to find the position.
The cue that matters
Stronger only if the form is unchanged — drop the bar, widen the stance, or rest ten minutes and you're not stronger, you're just rested or better-levered.
Common mistake
Chasing a bigger bar by widening the stance and sitting back, which shifts the load off the quads onto the glutes, adductors, and lower back.
Power Bodybuilding Bro Split — Day 5 (Legs).