My name is James Gold. The funny thing about the barbell hack squat is that it looks more like a reverse deadlift than any form of squat. If you’re truly a beginner to the barbell hack squat than the rubber 25lb or 10lb plates will suit you well. The barbell hack squat is a close variation to the machine-based hack squat exercise, making it a great substitute. Often referred to as the reverse deadlift, the behind the back positioning of the bar in the barbell hack squat puts a lot of pressure on the quads to force them to grow.. Allows the lifter to train both the squat and deadlift pattern at the same time, 3. Having the barbell requires you to bend your knees more to stay balanced, while allowing you to stay more upright. After this several second pause you’ll then slowly return to the bottom of the movement where you’ll also pause for an additional several seconds essentially performing an eccentric isometric. The barbell hack squat is an old school strength exercise that’s been used for decades by bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts alike to build strength in the quads, glutes, and hamstrings. The barbell hack squat is a compound leg exercise which targets the quad muscles, while also using the hamstrings, glutes, calves, hips, core and lower back as secondary movers. Comments are moderated – and rel="nofollow" is in use. So much so that without the name you would never associate the two. There are also many variations of hack squats you can practice such as: barbell hack squats, hack squats with Smith machine. You're almost there - please check your email inbox to confirm your subscription. 10. With that said if your looking for a hack squat variation that allows the lifter to maintain ideal squat mechanics without sacrificing form, activation patterns, or optimal body positioning you’ll want to give this constant tension eccentric isometric hack squat a try. This provides even greater constant tension as you won’t set the weight back to the floor throughout the set. the bar running into the glutes, it also decreases the total tension to the posterior chain. While holding the barbell, use a shoulder-width grip with your palms facing back. Barbell Hack Squats are not an exercise that everyone is built to do. Reinforces proper hip hinge mechanics throughout, 4. I say always leave one on the backburner, to use when it’s time to re-shock your body into adaptation. Helps clean up squat and deadlift mechanics due to the elimination of momentum. If you do n… Keep in mind that one may need to squeeze the scapulae on lockout. A hack squat may be a good introduction to the traditional barbell squat. The four muscles in the front of your leg that comprise the quadriceps are the rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, and the vastus lateralis. Choose two of the three for your weight lifting sessions. It develops lower body parts such as the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. Simply put the movement becomes a bit more of a quad isolation movement rather than a well-rounded lower body lift. Reinforces proper postural mechanics and spinal alignment due to the strict and rigid body positioning. Ingrains the idea of loading through the hips and heels rather than shifting anteriorly towards your knees and toes, 5. To avoid having a rounded lower back, do not look down when you are at the starting position. Some people say that they do barbell-hack squat as an alternative to machine hack squat. For this, you stand on the machine's foot platform with the pads resting across your shoulders and then squat as low as possible before standing back up. Unlike regular barbell squats, hack squats are easy on your lower back, and for a lot of lifters, that’s a very welcome benefit. According to European strength sports expert and Germanist Emmanuel Legeard this name was derived from the original form of the exercise where the heels were joined. Barbell hack squats are more beneficial than the regular squats in the way that they give the option of training your thigh muscles by limiting excessive development of the hips. 9. I suggest using 50-60% of the load you would typically handle on deadlifts and aim for 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps per set.