Power Hack Squat Machine

Starting position

1. Step into the machine with your back against the pad and your shoulders under the shoulder pads. Keep your back and hips pressed into the pad.
2. Place your feet on the platform shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly, feet a little in front of your body.
3. Straighten your legs without locking your knees and release the safety catches. Hold the handles.

Execution

1. Inhale and slowly bend your knees, lowering until your thighs are parallel to the platform, or as deep as you can without your hips leaving the pad.
2. Knees track in line with your toes, heels stay down.
3. Exhale and press through your whole foot to stand back up, stopping just short of locking your knees.

Common mistakes

• Hips peeling off the pad at the bottom — the lower back rounds and takes risky stress.
• Knees caving in — extra strain on the knee ligaments.
• Heels lifting — the load shifts to the knees and the balls of the feet.
• Locking the knees at the top — the joints hold the weight instead of the muscles.

Beginner tips

• Before your set, make sure you know how to engage the safety catches, and always lock them after the last rep.
• Higher feet on the platform means more glutes; lower feet means more quads — start in the middle.
• Lower slowly, over 2–3 seconds.

Alternatives

• Leg Press — similar work with less stress on the back
• Hack Squat — the same squat in another machine
• Kettlebell Squats — no machine needed