Hack squat

What it is

A squat performed on an angled sled machine with your back against a pad and your shoulders under pads. The fixed path removes the balance demand of a barbell squat, so the quads can be loaded heavily and taken close to failure with the spine supported throughout.

Muscles worked

Primary: Quadriceps. Secondary: Glutes, Adductors, Calves.

How to perform it

1. Set your back flat against the pad, shoulders under the shoulder pads, and place your feet on the platform about shoulder-width apart.
2. Release the safety handles and take the weight with your legs almost, but not fully, straight.
3. Lower under control by bending the knees until your thighs are at least parallel to the platform, keeping your heels down and your hips against the pad.
4. Drive through the whole foot to press back up, stopping just short of a hard lockout to keep tension on the quads.

Common form faults

• Heels lifting off the platform at the bottom. Move your feet slightly higher on the platform and keep the weight spread across the whole foot; heels down is where the quads and glutes work from.
• Hips curling off the pad at depth. Stop at the depth where your pelvis stays flat against the pad. Extra depth bought by the hips rolling under loads the lower back, not the legs.
• Knees caving inward on the way up. Push the knees out to track over the toes, and reduce the load if it only happens near failure.

Programming

A quad-focused secondary lift or accessory in moderate to higher reps. Because the machine catches the weight and the back is supported, it is one of the safest places to push leg work genuinely close to failure: a good pairing after a barbell squat, or the main squat pattern on higher-rep days.