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Exercises

Hack squat alternatives: what to do with no hack squat machine

Published October 23, 2026

The best hack squat alternative is the leg press, because it keeps your back supported and lets you push your quads to failure without balancing. With a Smith machine, a feet-forward Smith squat is the nearest feel; with a barbell, do front squats or a landmine hack squat. At home, a heels-elevated goblet squat or Bulgarian split squat with dumbbells, or a sissy squat with no weight, keeps the work on your quads.

What a hack squat alternative has to replace

The hack squat mostly trains your quads, with your glutes and adductors helping. The angled sled and the back pad let your knees travel far forward while your torso stays supported, so the load is hardest at the bottom, where your knees are most bent.

A good replacement keeps that deep, knee-forward bottom and an upright torso. Fixed paths and supported backs (leg press, Smith machine) come closest. Free-weight swaps get there with heels raised, the bar in front, or one leg at a time.

How to do the hack squat

Other machines

A supported back or a fixed bar path keeps the lift simple, so the set ends when your quads give out.

Closest machine swap

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

Your back stays on the pad and the machine sets the path, so you can push your quads just as close to failure as on the hack squat. Keep your feet low and hip-width on the plate to keep it on your quads.

How to do it

  1. Sit on the machine with your back against the pad and your feet hip-width on the foot plate, toes turned out a little.
  2. Hold the handles beside the seat and set the seat so your knees start bent close to your chest.
  3. Press through your whole foot so the seat slides back, until your legs are nearly straight without locking the knees.
  4. Let the seat roll forward under control until your knees are near your chest again, with your lower back still on the pad, and repeat.

Cues

  • Lower back stays on the pad
  • Knees track over the toes
  • Stop just short of lockout

Common mistakes

  • Lowering so far that your hips curl off the seat: the depth ends where your back stays flat.
  • Snapping the knees straight at the top: keep a slight bend so the legs, not the joints, hold the weight.
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Fixed bar path, free stance

Smith Squat

Quads, Glutes

The bar runs on rails like the hack squat sled, and stepping your feet slightly forward lets you sit straight down with your torso upright. It is the nearest feel to a hack squat in most gyms.

How to do it

  1. Set the safety stops just below your lowest squat depth and the bar at about upper-chest height.
  2. Step under the bar and rest it across your upper back, not your neck, with your hands just outside your shoulders.
  3. Set your feet at shoulder width, slightly in front of the bar, with your toes turned out a little.
  4. Stand up to lift the bar, twist it to unhook it, take a big breath and brace.
  5. Sit down between your heels, knees and hips bending together, until your thighs reach parallel or lower, then push the floor away to stand.
  6. After your last rep, twist the bar back onto the nearest hook before stepping out.

Cues

  • Feet a half step forward
  • Push the floor away
  • Hooks on before you step out

Common mistakes

  • Feet directly under the bar: with a fixed vertical path this pushes your knees far forward and tips you onto your toes; step your feet slightly forward until your weight sits over your mid-foot.
  • Cutting depth because the machine feels heavy: lower the weight and squat to at least parallel; the safeties are there so you can.
  • Skipping the safety stops: set them every time, just below your bottom position, so a missed rep lands on the stops instead of on you.
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Barbell and landmine

No machines, but a bar and plates. Expect to use less weight than on the sled while you learn these.

Best barbell swap

Front Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

The bar on the front of your shoulders keeps your torso upright and your knees traveling forward, the same quad-heavy position as a hack squat. It takes practice before it gets heavy.

How to do it

  1. Set the rack hooks at about collarbone height, step under the bar and let it sit in the groove between your shoulders and your throat.
  2. Take a clean grip with your fingertips under the bar just outside your shoulders, or cross your arms and hold it with your palms on top, then lift your elbows until your upper arms point forward.
  3. Stand the bar up, take two short steps back and set your feet about shoulder width with your toes turned out a little.
  4. Take a big breath, brace, and sit straight down between your heels, letting your knees travel forward over your toes as far as they need to.
  5. Go as deep as you can with your heels down and elbows up, then drive your elbows up and push the floor away to stand.

Cues

  • Elbows up the whole rep
  • Sit straight down between your heels
  • Bar stays on your shoulders, not in your hands

Common mistakes

  • Elbows dropping at the bottom, which rolls the bar forward off your shoulders: lighten the load and lead every rep out of the hole by lifting your elbows.
  • Gripping the bar with your whole hand: in the clean grip the bar sits on your shoulders and only your fingertips keep it there, so open your hands until your elbows can rise.
  • Rising with your hips first so your chest tips forward: slow the first part of the rep and lead with your chest and elbows.
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Angled bar path with a landmine

Landmine Hack Squat

Quads, Glutes

The end of a landmine bar rests on one shoulder and rides an arc, so you can sit straight down with your torso upright and your knees forward, the quad-heavy position of the hack squat. Good for a garage gym with no machines.

How to do it

  1. Load the free end of a landmine bar, lift it and rest the sleeve end on the front of one shoulder, holding it there with that hand.
  2. Reach your other arm straight out to the side for balance and set your feet about shoulder width.
  3. Brace and sit straight down, letting your knees drive forward over your toes with your chest up.
  4. Go as deep as you can with your heels down, then push through the middle of your feet to stand.
  5. Finish your reps, then move the bar to the other shoulder for the next set.

Cues

  • Bar pinned to your shoulder
  • Knees forward, heels heavy
  • Chest stays tall

Common mistakes

  • Letting the bar slide off your shoulder at the bottom: keep the elbow under it and the hand pressing it in.
  • Leaning toward the loaded side: keep your shoulders level and swap shoulders each set so both sides work the same.
  • Cutting depth as the set gets hard: stop the set one or two reps earlier instead.
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One-leg barbell swap

Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

One leg at a time with the bar on your back, so even a light bar is hard on your quads. Pick it in a home gym when front squats are too heavy to set up or your back is tired.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar on your upper back and stand about one long step in front of a bench, facing away.
  2. Put the top of one foot on the bench behind you and square your hips.
  3. Lower straight down until your back knee is just above the floor.
  4. Push through your front foot to stand, finish all reps, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Front foot far enough forward to stay flat
  • Straight down, not forward
  • Sets are per leg

Common mistakes

  • Standing too close to the bench, which pushes your front knee far past your toes: step out until your front shin stays near vertical at the bottom.
  • Rushing the setup and losing balance: get the bar settled and your foot placed before the first rep, and keep the weight light enough to balance.
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Dumbbells

Go deep and slow, raise your heels for more quads, and use one leg at a time once the dumbbells feel light.

Best swap with one dumbbell

Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat

Quads

Raising your heels lets your knees drive forward with your chest tall, close to the hack squat's quad-heavy bottom. One dumbbell is enough when you go slow and deep.

How to do it

  1. Set your heels on a small plate, wedge or thick book with your feet close together and toes pointing forward or slightly out.
  2. Cup the top end of one dumbbell under your chin, elbows down.
  3. Sit straight down, letting your knees drive forward past your toes, until the backs of your thighs touch your calves or you reach your lowest upright position.
  4. Stand by pushing through the balls of the feet and the heels together, keeping your chest tall.

Cues

  • Knees forward, chest up
  • Sit straight down
  • Smooth bottom, no bounce

Common mistakes

  • Leaning forward to finish the rep: that hands the work to your hips. Lighten the dumbbell and stay tall.
  • Stopping high because it burns: the deepest part is where the quads are stretched and do the most.
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Simplest dumbbell swap

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

One dumbbell at your chest and a deep, upright squat. Easy to learn and enough load for high-rep sets.

How to do it

  1. Pick up one dumbbell, stand it on end and cup the top plate in both palms so it rests against your breastbone.
  2. Set your feet a little wider than your hips with your toes turned out slightly, and point your elbows at the floor.
  3. Take a breath and brace, then sit straight down between your heels, letting your knees travel forward over your toes.
  4. Go as deep as you can while your heels stay down and the dumbbell stays against your chest; your elbows should finish just inside your knees.
  5. Drive your whole foot into the floor and stand up tall, then breathe and brace again before the next rep.

Cues

  • Dumbbell glued to your breastbone
  • Sit down between your heels
  • Elbows inside your knees at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Letting the dumbbell drift away from your chest: your arms tire before your legs and you tip forward, so keep it pinned and pick a weight you can hold for the whole set.
  • Heels lifting at the bottom: stop the rep a little higher or put a small plate under each heel.
  • Knees falling inward on the way up: push them out toward your little toes and use your elbows as a guide at the bottom.
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Best one-leg dumbbell swap

Bulgarian Split Squat

Quads, Glutes

Nearly all the load goes through your front leg, so light dumbbells train your quads and glutes hard. Pick it over the goblet squats once one dumbbell at your chest no longer gets you close to failure.

How to do it

  1. Stand about two of your own foot lengths in front of a knee-height bench, a dumbbell in each hand, and set your back foot laces-down on the bench.
  2. Shuffle your front foot until it sits straight under your hip line, hip-width from the back foot, so you are not balancing on a tightrope.
  3. Brace, then drop your back knee straight toward the floor until it almost touches and your front thigh is at or below parallel.
  4. Drive through your whole front foot and stand back up without pushing off the back leg.
  5. Finish every rep on one side before you switch, and start each set with your weaker leg.

Cues

  • Back knee drops straight down
  • Whole front foot stays heavy
  • Back leg is a kickstand, not a motor

Common mistakes

  • Front foot too close or too far: if your front heel lifts, step it forward; if you feel a stretch in the front of the back hip and little else, step it back.
  • Bench too high: if your back knee cannot get near the floor, drop to a lower box or a stack of plates.
  • Pushing off the back foot: keep the back toes relaxed on the bench and slow the lowering until the front leg does the work.
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Bodyweight and bands

No weights: slow lowering, one leg at a time and sets close to failure.

Quads to failure with no weight

Sissy Squat

Quads

Leaning back from your knees loads your quads in a deep knee bend, like the bottom of a hack squat, with your bodyweight alone.

How to do it

  1. Kneel on a soft surface knees about hip-width apart, toes tucked or flat, and your body upright from knees to head.
  2. Keep your hips pushed forward so your body stays in one straight line, and lean back slowly from the knees.
  3. Go back as far as you can control, until you feel a strong pull along the front of your thighs.
  4. Pull yourself back to upright with your quads, keeping the hips from folding.

Cues

  • Hips forward, body straight
  • Lean back from the knees only
  • Slow on the way back

Common mistakes

  • Bending at the hips to lean back: that takes the stretch off the quads. Squeeze your glutes to stay straight.
  • Going further back than you can return from: start with a short lean and increase it as you get stronger.
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Same pushing motion with a band

Band Leg Press

Quads

Lying on your back and pressing a band away copies the hack squat's leg drive with nothing on your spine.

How to do it

  1. Anchor a band low, behind your head, and lie face up with a cuff around one ankle and the band running over you.
  2. Pull that knee toward your chest with tension already in the band.
  3. Press the foot away until your leg is straight but not locked.
  4. Let the band bring the knee back toward your chest slowly. Do all reps, then switch legs.

Cues

  • Low back on the floor
  • Press through the heel
  • Slow return

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips off the floor as you press: keep both hips down.
  • Letting the band snap the knee back: resist it the whole way.
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One-leg swap with no equipment

Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back puts nearly all your weight on the front leg, so bodyweight or two light kettlebells train your quads and glutes hard. Use it with the sissy squat when you have no weights.

How to do it

  1. Start tall with feet hip-width apart, a kettlebell in each hand at your sides, or hands on your hips with no weight.
  2. Shift your weight onto one foot and step the other foot straight back about two feet, landing on the ball of the foot.
  3. Lower your back knee toward the floor until it nearly touches, with your front shin close to vertical and your chest up.
  4. Keep most of your weight in the front foot and push through its whole sole to stand and bring the back foot forward.
  5. Finish standing tall on both feet, then repeat on the same side for all reps or alternate legs.

Cues

  • Weight stays in the front foot
  • Back knee straight down
  • Push the floor away to stand

Common mistakes

  • Stepping back too short: if your front knee shoots far past your toes and your heel lifts, take a longer step.
  • Pushing off the back foot: the back leg only balances you; drive up through the front heel and mid-foot.
  • Front knee caving in: keep it tracking over your middle toes; slow the descent or reduce the weight until it does.
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Hamstrings to pair with them

Each example session adds one hamstring exercise, because the hack squat and its swaps train the front of your thighs.

Hamstrings, to pair with the swaps

Lying Leg Curl

Hamstrings

The hack squat and its swaps barely train your hamstrings. A curl in the same session covers them.

How to do it

  1. Set the machine so your knees line up with the pivot point when you lie face down, and move the ankle pad to sit on your lower calves, just above your heels.
  2. Lie flat with your kneecaps hanging just past the end of the bench, hold the handles and press your hips into the pad.
  3. Bend your knees and pull the pad up in a smooth arc until your heels are as close to your glutes as the machine allows.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top without letting your hips lift off the bench.
  5. Lower the pad over about two seconds until your legs are almost straight, and start the next rep before the stack touches down.

Cues

  • Hips glued to the pad
  • Heels to glutes
  • Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting your hips as the weight gets heavy: your lower back takes over and the hamstrings do less. Drop the load until your hips stay down on every rep.
  • Stopping short at the bottom: that cuts out the part of the rep where your hamstrings are longest. Let your legs come back to almost straight before you curl again.
  • Swinging the pad up: a kick from the bottom hands the hardest part of the rep to momentum. Count two seconds down and start each rep from a dead stop.
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Hamstrings and glutes with a barbell

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The hinge to pair with a barbell leg day, for the back of your thighs.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in a rack at mid-thigh height, take it with a double overhand grip just outside your thighs and step back with your feet about hip width.
  2. Stand tall with the bar against your thighs, unlock your knees slightly and keep that bend fixed for the whole set.
  3. Push your hips straight back and let the bar slide down your thighs, chest coming forward as your hips go back.
  4. Stop when your hips stop moving backward and you feel a hard stretch in your hamstrings, usually somewhere between your knees and mid-shin.
  5. Push your feet into the floor and drive your hips forward until you stand tall, without leaning back at the top.

Cues

  • Hips back, not chest down
  • Bar stays on your legs
  • Knees soft and still

Common mistakes

  • Chasing the floor: if your back rounds to reach lower, your hamstrings have already run out. End the rep where your hips stop going back.
  • Squatting the weight down: if your knees keep bending as you lower, the stretch leaves your hamstrings. Lock in the knee angle at the top and only move at the hips.
  • Letting the bar drift forward: a bar a few inches off your legs pulls on your lower back. Drag it down your thighs, and use straps if your grip is what makes it swing.
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Hamstrings and glutes with dumbbells

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

The hinge to pair with a dumbbell leg day.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, one dumbbell per hand resting against the front of your thighs, palms facing you.
  2. Unlock your knees slightly, pull your shoulders down and back, and take a breath into your stomach.
  3. Push your hips straight back and let your chest tip forward, sliding the dumbbells down the front of your legs with your back flat and knees barely changing angle.
  4. Stop when your hamstrings are fully stretched and your hips will not travel back any farther, typically with the dumbbells somewhere between the knee and mid-shin.
  5. Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand tall, finishing upright without leaning back.

Cues

  • Hips back, not down
  • Dumbbells skim your legs
  • Stand tall, don't lean back

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees more as you go down: that turns the hinge into a squat; keep the knee bend you started with and let the hips do the moving.
  • Rounding the back to reach lower: end the rep where your hips stop going back, even if the dumbbells are only at your knees.
  • Letting the dumbbells drift forward: keep them brushing your thighs and shins so the load stays over your feet and off your lower back.
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Example sessions without the hack squat

Session 1

Gym, no hack squat machine

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentSmith Machine, Leg Press, Lying Leg Curl

You train in a commercial gym with a leg press and a Smith machine, but no hack squat or it is always taken.

The Smith squat with your feet forward takes the hack squat's place as the heavy lift. The leg press adds supported quad volume, the sissy squat finishes your quads, and a leg curl covers the hamstrings. 11 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Smith Squat1 warm-up set firstFeet a half step forward. 3 × 8–12 2 2:30 min
Leg PressFeet low on the platform. 3 × 10–15 1 2 min
Sissy SquatShort lean first, then go deeper. 2 × 8–15 1 90 s
Lying Leg Curl 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days, or once a week next to another leg day.
How to progress
When every set of a lift reaches the top of its range at the RIR shown, add the smallest weight jump next session and start again at the bottom of the range.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Home gym, barbell and plates

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets26 a week
  • Per workout~45 min
  • EquipmentBarbells, Landmine

You train in a garage with a rack, a barbell, plates and a corner or landmine for the bar.

Front squats do the heavy quad work at lower reps with long rest. The landmine hack squat copies the machine's path for moderate reps, the barbell Bulgarian split squat adds one-leg work, and the Romanian deadlift covers the hamstrings. 13 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Front Squat2 warm-up sets first 4 × 5–8 2 3 min
Landmine Hack Squat 3 × 10–12 2 2 min
Barbell Bulgarian Split SquatSets are per leg. 3 × 8–10 2 2 min
Romanian Deadlift 3 × 8–10 2 2:30 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Rest the full time on front squats; the last reps need it.
How to progress
Add the smallest jump your plates allow to the front squat when every set reaches 8 reps at the RIR shown. On the other lifts, add reps to the top of the range first, then weight.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Home, light dumbbells

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells

You have a pair of dumbbells that top out well below what you would put on a hack squat, and a bench.

Light dumbbells need higher reps, shorter rest and sets closer to failure. The heels-elevated goblet squat leads for your quads, the Bulgarian split squat makes the light weight hard, and a goblet squat burnout finishes. A dumbbell Romanian deadlift covers the hamstrings. 12 working sets.

Legs
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat1 warm-up set firstHeels on a plate or wedge. 4 × 12–15 1 75 s
Bulgarian Split SquatSets are per leg. 3 × 10–15 1 75 s
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 3 × 12–15 1 75 s
Goblet SquatPause at the bottom. 2 × 15–20 1 1 min
How to run it
Twice a week on non-consecutive days. Slow every lowering to three seconds.
How to progress
Add reps until every set reaches the top of its range, then move up a dumbbell, or add a pause at the bottom if you are at your heaviest.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What to do if you don't have a hack squat machine?

Use the leg press if your gym has one, or a Smith squat with your feet slightly forward. With free weights, front squats, a landmine hack squat or a heels-elevated goblet squat keep the work on your quads.

What is the best hack squat alternative with a barbell?

The front squat, because the bar in front keeps your torso upright and your knees forward. With a landmine, the landmine hack squat copies the machine's angled path.

What is a dumbbell hack squat alternative?

A heels-elevated goblet squat with one dumbbell is the closest. For more load per leg, do Bulgarian split squats.

Are hack squats good for building glutes?

They train the glutes, but mostly the quads. For more glutes, set your feet higher on the platform or use Bulgarian split squats and Romanian deadlifts.

Is the hack squat harder than the squat?

Not for most people. The back pad and fixed path remove the balance and bracing a barbell squat needs, so you can usually push your quads closer to failure.

What can replace squats if I have bad knees?

Try the leg press or a goblet squat at a depth you can do without pain, and add range slowly. Romanian deadlifts and leg curls train your legs with little knee bend.