8 Best Hack Squat Machine Exercises for Stronger Quads and Glutes

Written by Dr. Rani Aimen

Last Updated on March 19, 2025

Image: forte-fitness.co.uk

Hack squats are an excellent way to build strength in the quadriceps and glutes. [1] Using a hack squat machine allows for controlled movement, making it easier to focus on proper form while targeting these key muscle groups with different squat variations.

Articles Contains

What is Hack Squat Machine?
Origin of Squart Machine
8 Best Hack Squat Machine Exercises
Incorporating Hack Squats to Daily Routine
Precautions While Performing Squat Exercises
Key Takeaways
References

What Is Hack Squat Machine?

The hack squat machine is specially designed to strengthen the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings while offering solid back support. It features a sled with padded shoulders rest and a foot platform, enabling users to perform squats with stability and controlled movement [2].

Origin of Squat Machine

The hack squat exercise is named after Russian Lion, George Hackenschmidt, [3] a great wrestler of early 20^th century. He designed these exercises to build the lower body strength and reduce strain on lower back.

In the 1950s, the fitness legend Jack LaLanne created a unique sliding weight apparatus [4] in his gym to improve strength training. This innovation caught the eye of Rudy Smith, who along with Engineer Paul Martin helped refine the design. The upgraded version was later introduced at Vic Tanny’s gym in Los Angeles. By the late 1950s, the machine had gained traction and was widely produced and distributed.

The smith machine, as it became known, comprised of a barbell fixed on steels rails, allowing for guided vertical movement while incorporating safety mechanisms. Over time various other squat machines have been developed to accommodate different training styles and needs, offering more versatility and support for weight lifting exercise.

8 Best Hack Squat Machine Exercises

Here, you’ll find 8 best Hack Squat machine exercises for strengthening your quads and glutes below:

1. Wide-Stance Hack Squat

In the wide stance hack squat, you have to position your feet on the platform wider than shoulder-width apart, [5] with your toes a bit directed outward. This stance exerts more focus on the inner thighs and glutes, promoting balanced lower body development.

How to perform:

To carry out this squat, stand on the hack squat machine with your shoulders under the pads and feet in the wide stance.
Keep your back flat against the backrest and core engaged, lower your body by bending your knees, ensuring they track over your toes.
Now lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the platform or moderately below, then push through your heels to restore your starting position.

Benefit:

This exercise primarily recovers your glutes and can enhance hip flexibility. Due to wider stance during exercise, it exerts more focus on the development of quads sweep and leg strength.

Image: www.dhzfitness.com/

2. Narrow Stance Hack Squat

As the name indicates, narrow stance hack squat [6] involves positioning your feet on the platform closed together, about hip-width apart. This squat exercise improves the activation of hip abductors and quadriceps.

How to perform:

Begin by positioning yourself on the hack squat machine with your shoulders under the pads, and feet in the narrow stance.
Maintain a flat back against the backrest and engage your core muscles.
Lower your body by bending your knees, keep them aligned with your toes and prevent them from bending inward.
Now lower yourself until your thighs reach parallel to the platform, then press through your heels to restore your original position.

Benefits:

Narrow stance hack squat is good for improving knee stability and building quadriceps. There is minimal involvement of glutes and hips in this exercise; thus, this squat specifically allows building of quadriceps both in size and number.

Image: www.pinterest.com/

3. Reverse Hack Squat

This powerful squat exercise switches focus from quadriceps to posterior chain, and targets glutes and hamstrings [7]. This exercise changes the muscles engagement as the lifter is facing the squat machine unlike other traditional squats.

How to perform:

The exercise starts when the lifter positions himself on the squat machine while facing the back pad, and placing his shoulders under the shoulder rest.
The feet should be shoulder-width apart on the platform and toes should be slightly directed upward.
This position maintains an upright posture to begin.
As the lifter lowers himself into the squat, his knees bent while his hips push backward.
While doing so, ensure that knees should align with toes and should not be exceedingly forward.
As the thighs reach parallel to the platform, the lifter drives through his heels to return to the starting position.

Benefit:

The forward-facing stance of this squat exercise brings more load on the hamstrings and glutes, causing the strengthening of these muscles. Moreover, the reverse posture of lifter reduces the load on the spine and gives support to the upper body.

Image: www.inspireusafoundation.org/

4. Hack Squat with Calf Raise

Hack squat with raise calf is advanced variation of traditional hack squat aiming the quadriceps, glutes and additionally calves. It involves raising calf at the top of the squat movement, thus, it is a great choice for improving overall lower body functionality [8].

How to perform:

To perform this exercise, stand on the squat machine with your feet at shoulder-width apart and shoulders under the shoulder pads.
Now gradually lower your body into a squat by bending your knees and hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
As you reach the starting position, gently rise onto your toes to execute a calf raise.
Once your complete the squat, lower your heels before continuing to next squat and maintain a controlled posture throughout.

Benefit:

Multiple muscle groups are engaged during this exercise at a time, it improves muscular endurance and lower body strength. The variation of calf raise at the top of squat brings the benefit of activation and enhancing growth of glutes, quads and calves.

Image: liftmanual.com/hack-calf-raise/

5. Smith Machine Hack Squat

This squat is done on Smith machine [9] which provides a guided bar path; thus, minimizing the risk of losing balance and builds lower body strength.

How to perform:

Start this exercise by positioning your body under the bar with your feet at shoulder-width apart and minimally forward of your body.
Recline the bar on your upper back, get your core involved and keep your chest upright.
Now gradually lower your body into a squat by bending your knees and hips until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Then drive through your heels and come back to the original position.
Take the precaution of controlled movement in order to avoid strain on your joints.

Benefit:

The advantage of guided movement assists you to build your leg muscles without concerning about balance. The upright posture of Smith machine drifts the focus on the movement of quads, thus ensuring strengthening of lifter’s quads.

Image: flexfitnessapp.com

6. Single-Leg Hack Squat

Single hack squat exercise is difficult yet productive exercise to build stronger quads, and glutes, while improving the balancing ability of a person [10]. This squat exerts greater pressure on single leg, thereby repairs the muscular imbalance.

How to perform:

Start the movement by placing one leg on the platform and the other leg slightly bent.
Now gradually lower your body by bending knee of the working leg.
Take control of your stability while lowering down until thighs reach parallel to the ground.
Engage your glutes and quadriceps, and once you get to the lowest position, push back up through your heel to restore the original point.

Benefit:

This exercise is beneficial to progress the unilateral strength as single leg is independently under work at a time. Single leg hack squat improves the stability and balance while also building stronger glutes and quads.

Image: www.jefit.com/

7. Sissy Hack Squat

Sissy hack squat focuses on the quadriceps and also engage the stability and core muscles. This exercise exerts stress on the knee extension, thus helps in building strong quads [11].

How to perform:

In order to do this exercise, position yourself on the squat machine with your feet shoulder-width apart and back against the rest pad.
As you go lower, allow your knees to move forward while maintaining your upper body leaned back.
This controlled motion brings load on the quadriceps, thus increasing the muscle involvement.
To return to the original position, push through your toes, and make sure to complete full range of movement for maximum effect.

Benefit:

As this exercise isolates the quadriceps, making it ideal to build the front of thighs and more defined quads. Moreover, as it demands greater balance, it improves control of the lower body.

Image: x.com

8. Band-Resisted Hack Squat

The purpose of adding bands to the squat machine is to increase the resistance while lifter is ascending in order to improve the muscle involvement during the exercise.

How to perform:

Start the exercise by attaching the resistance bands to the squat machine’s base and securing them to the shoulder pad or weight carriage.
First, position yourself on the platform with your feet at shoulder-width apart.
Place your shoulders under the pads, and your back strongly pressed against the back support.
Now lower yourself by bending your knees and hips, until your thighs reach parallel to the platform.
The resistance of bands varies throughout the movement, it is minimal when your body is lower, but it increases as push through your heels to rise up; thus, making the exercise more challenging and productive.

Benefit:

The involvement of bands provide continuous tension during the entire exercise, thus improves the muscles engagement and builds stronger quadriceps [12]. The variation in tension during the complete range of motion improves the gain in quads strength as these muscles are engaged more effectively.

Image: www.myworkouts.io/

Incorporating Hack Squats to Daily Routine

Adding hack squats to your daily routine can be a great way to build lower body strength. Following guidelines can help you to incorporate these exercises to your daily routine:

Complete hack squats 1-2 times per week, make sure to take enough rest between sessions to let muscles recover.
To make it easier to perform the squat, set a target for 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions, using a weight that challenges you while maintaining good form.
There are two options to keep pushing your muscles over time, cautiously increase either the resistance or the number of repetitions to build strength gradually.
Another strategy which can be additionally opted is to pair hack squats with the other lower body exercises like traditional squats and lunges for overall muscle balance and strength [13].

Precautions while Performing Squat Exercises

In order to avoid injuries or joint issues during squat exercises, it is advisable to follow precautions [14] to obtain maximum benefits.

Start your exercise with a warm up to prepare your muscles and joints.
Do not start directly with heavier load, initiate with a lighter weight.
Remember to inhale while you lower yourself and exhale when you push the weight up.
Do not set your feet too low on the platform to cause knee strain.
In addition, keep your back firmly pressed against the pad to support your spine and avoid it to cause strain.

Key Takeaways

The hack squat machine offers a great option for strengthening your glutes and quads.
Learn these different hack squat machine exercises and work on improving the strength and stability of your lower body.
For getting the best results with hack squat machine exercises, remember to stay consistent and maintain proper form.