How to do hack squats

[Maximum6]

bodybuilding.com/fun/glasscut2.htm

How do you do the hacksquat where you have your Back OFF the pad and only your butt on it? Like where is the shoulder pad suppose to be ?

[gti steve]

Looks different, but could be very effective.


i personally love the barbell hacksquats in comparison to the machine/

[youngblood]

Are you referring to the Rev. Hack Squats in the video with the link you posted? Or are you talking about the "Tom Platz Style" hack squat where you bring your knees pretty far forward and touch them to the footplate?
I'm not exactly sure of your question. Clarify, and I've done both so I can tell you how to do either......

[Tim Wescott]

Justin,I think he`s talking about the Platz style hacks which is like a hack/sissy squat combo......really advanced and a good way to tear a quad if your form is off or poundages too heavy.

[Maximum6]

the exercise I was referring to is in the video in the link.

When you basically have the BUTT on the pad....but your BACK is not in contact with the padding at all.

Basically a squat with a bit of hip drive ....done on a hacksquat machine.

I would like to know how to position yourself correctly for that exercise, and the Reverse Hacksquat.

[youngblood]

For the first exercise (butt on pad), the best thing to do is make sure that your shoulders are at the foremost point on the yoke (where your shoulders "harness" into). So, instead of leaning all the way back against the pad, you want your head off the pad and just follow with a straight back for your ass to plant on it's usual place. Just make sure to hold your head up. As you can see on the video, they use a pad between the neck area and the machine, for extra stability. Good idea, but not 100% necessary.

Rev. Hacks:

These are odd the first few times you do them. But, from the ground up....notice in the link that the guy has his feet very low and wide on the footplate? Also, half his foot is off the plate- this is really the only way to do them correctly. If you put your feet anywhere else, really, you end up arching your back like a PL'er in a bench press, and while squatting that's not a good thing.
Unlike the previous exercise, this time you want your head at a 45* angle to the yoke and backpad. Sort of "set your collarbones" into the yoke, and imagine sticking your ass out. From here, just stabilize your body and squat.

Start with a very light weight (sissy weight! ) and learn the movements first. For Rev. Hacks, you can work your way up a really heavy weight- at least I could use 1-2 plates per side heavier when I had a machine that I could do these on.

Look at the links, and study them. All the info you need is really in them.

Happy lifting.

[gti steve]

seems to me like reverse hacks are like the power squat?

[youngblood]

They are similar, but the positioning of the machine is very different. A power squat, sometimes erroneously referred to as a Power Squat, you're more straight up. Whereas the Rev. hack you are almost like a football lineman powering through in practice on the sled.
Both are great, but much like a front squat and a back squat are similar, they have a very different effect on your legs.