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Exercises

Hack squat: how to do it, what it works and what to swap in

Published October 17, 2026

The hack squat is a machine squat where your back rests on an angled pad and the weight sits on your shoulders, so you can push your quads hard without balancing a bar. It mostly trains your quads, with your glutes and adductors helping at the bottom. What makes it work is depth: lower until your knees are well past 90 degrees on every rep, and stop each set 1 to 3 reps short of failure.

Your last hack squat set

How to do the hack squat

The pad holds your torso in place and the sled runs on a fixed track, so your legs, not balance, end the set. That makes it one of the easiest ways to take your quads close to failure with heavy weight.

Steps

  1. Step onto the platform facing away from the stack, press your back and head into the pad and settle your shoulders under the shoulder pads.
  2. Place your feet about shoulder width in the middle of the platform, toes turned out slightly, so your whole foot stays flat at the bottom.
  3. Straighten your legs a little to take the weight, then turn the side handles to free the sled.
  4. Bend your knees and let them travel forward over your toes, lowering until your thighs pass parallel to the platform.
  5. Push the platform away through your whole foot and stand back up without snapping your knees straight, then start the next rep.
  6. After the last rep, stand fully, turn the handles back and lower the sled onto the stops.

Cues

  • Back and hips glued to the pad
  • Knees forward, heels down
  • Same depth on every rep

Common mistakes

  • Stopping at a quarter squat once the weight gets heavy: pick a load you can lower until your thighs pass parallel and only count those reps.
  • Heels lifting at the bottom: move your feet a little higher on the platform until your whole foot stays down at full depth.
  • Bouncing out of the bottom: pause for a beat where the sled turns around, then push, and lighten the load if you cannot.

Swap for: Leg Press, Landmine Hack Squat, Front Squat

Muscles the hack squat works

The hack squat mostly works your quads, with your glutes and adductors doing more as you go deeper and as your feet move higher on the platform. It loads your quads hardest at the bottom, where your knees are most bent, so the deep half of each rep does most of the work.

Sets, reps and reps in reserve for the hack squat

GoalSets × repsRIRRest
Build muscle 3 × 8–12 2 3 min
This matches what the session builder below prescribes for the hack squat.
Strength 3–5 × 5–8 1–2 3 min
Use a heavier load and add weight once you hit 8 clean reps on every set.
Last quad lift of a session 2–3 × 12–20 0–1 2 min
Go lighter and take the final set close to failure, since nothing heavy follows it.
Beginners 2–3 × 10–15 2–3 2 min
Spend the first weeks finding a depth you can repeat, then add weight each week you reach 15 reps on every set.

Hack squat variations

  • Landmine Hack Squat start position

    Landmine Hack Squat

    Pick it when your gym has no hack squat machine; a bar in a landmine corner gives you the same lean-back angle with plates you already have.

    Build a session with it
  • Smith Squat start position

    Smith Squat

    Set your feet a little in front of the bar and lean back into it when the hack squat is taken; the fixed bar path keeps the work on your quads.

    Build a session with it

Hack squat alternatives

Other machines

  • Leg Press start position

    Leg Press

    The closest match in most gyms: your back stays supported, and a low foot placement keeps the work on your quads.

    Build a session with it
  • 45-Degree Leg Press start position

    45-Degree Leg Press

    Pick the 45-degree sled when you want to load heavier than the hack squat and go deep with your feet low.

    Build a session with it
  • Leg Extension start position

    Leg Extension

    Use it when you want quads only, or as the second quad lift after any squat on this page.

    Build a session with it

Barbell

  • Front Squat start position

    Front Squat

    The barbell squat that keeps your torso most upright, so it loads your quads closest to the hack squat.

    Build a session with it
  • Barbell Back Squat start position

    Barbell Back Squat

    Choose it when you have a rack and want the heaviest free-weight leg lift, with more glute work than the hack squat.

    Build a session with it

Dumbbells or bodyweight

  • Goblet Squat start position

    Goblet Squat

    One dumbbell at your chest and a deep, upright squat; the simplest swap when all you have is dumbbells.

    Build a session with it
  • Bulgarian Split Squat start position

    Bulgarian Split Squat

    Pick it when your dumbbells are light; working one leg at a time makes a small weight hard enough.

    Build a session with it
  • Sissy Squat start position

    Sissy Squat

    Kneel on a pad and lean back from your knees with your hips straight to take your quads to failure with no equipment.

    Build a session with it
  • Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat start position

    Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat

    Use it at home: raised heels and one dumbbell at your chest let your knees travel forward the way they do on the hack squat.

    Build a session with it

Hack squat vs leg press

Both are supported machine squats and both build quads well. On the hack squat the weight sits on your shoulders and your body moves, so your knees usually travel further forward and your trunk works a little more; the leg press lets you load more and is easier to learn.

If you have both, pick one as your main quad lift and keep it for a few months so your numbers can climb. For the full comparison and more machine swaps, see leg press alternatives.

Hack squat vs barbell squat

The barbell back squat trains more muscle at once because you balance the bar and your hips and back hold your torso up. The hack squat removes that balancing, so the set ends when your quads give out rather than when your back or bracing does.

For quad size, either works if you go deep and stop close to failure. If you want to get better at squatting a barbell, keep the back squat as your main lift and add the hack squat after it for extra quad sets.

Hack squat foot placement

Feet lower and closer on the platform let your knees travel further forward, which puts more of the work on your quads. Feet higher and wider shift more of it to your glutes and adductors.

Start in the middle at shoulder width. If your heels lift at the bottom, move your feet up an inch; if you feel it mostly in your glutes and want quads, move them down an inch. Once you find your spot, use it every session so the weight you log stays comparable.

Questions

What muscles does the hack squat work?

Mostly your quads. Your glutes and adductors help, more so when you squat deep and place your feet higher on the platform.

Are hack squats better than back squats?

For quad size, they are at least as good, because you can take your quads close to failure without balancing a bar. The back squat trains more muscle at once and builds barbell strength, so keep it if that is your goal.

Is the hack squat better than the leg press?

Neither is clearly better; both build quads well. The hack squat usually lets your knees travel further forward, while the leg press lets you load more and is easier to learn. Pick the one you can progress on for months.

What is the best hack squat alternative?

The leg press with your feet low on the platform is the closest match in most gyms. Without machines, the front squat with a barbell or the goblet squat and Bulgarian split squat with dumbbells train the same quads.

Can you do a hack squat without a machine?

Yes. A landmine hack squat gives you the same lean-back angle with a barbell in a corner. With one dumbbell, a heels-elevated goblet squat loads your quads the same way.

How deep should you go on a hack squat?

Lower until your thighs pass parallel to the platform, as long as your hips stay on the pad and your heels stay down. Use the same depth on every rep so your logged weights stay comparable.

How much weight should I use on the hack squat?

Pick a load you can lower to full depth for 8 to 12 reps while stopping about 2 reps short of failure. Add weight once you reach 12 reps on every set. Many machines' sleds weigh something before you add plates, so log the plates the same way every time.