Squats in a hack simulator (car) with a barbell, back, leg press, for buttocks

Hack squats are a type of bench press exercise . Movement is performed in a special simulator located at a certain angle to the floor plane. This sports equipment allows you to diversify your leg muscle workouts.

What muscles work with a hack squat

Squats in the Hack simulator include all the muscles of the lower body and abdominals.

The main target group are quadriceps:

• The lateral muscle of the thigh . This broad muscle occupies almost the outer side of the upper limb. At the upper point, it is attached to the greater trochanter of the intertrochanteric line and the median lip of the rough line of the thigh. The lateral head creates the appearance and volume of the leg.
• Rectus . This is the longest muscle in this group. It starts from the anterior lower spine of the supra-acetabular groove. In the upper part, the straight head of the quadriceps extends to the back of the thigh and helps the biceps to flex the leg.
• The medial muscle . It becomes noticeable in the lower thigh and occupies a middle position. Attaches to the medial lip of the rough line of the thigh. In trained athletes, this head is clearly distinguishable in the form of a drop hanging over the knee.
• Intermediate wide . This is the weakest muscle of the quadriceps. It is located between the lateral and medial head. At the top, it attaches to the anterior surface of the femur.

All bundles of the quadriceps muscle at the lower point are attached to the large tendon, which covers the patella and joins the tibia. From the place and nature of the attachment of the quadriceps bundles, it follows that the main function of the quadriceps is to straighten the legs in the knee joint. This is the essence and main idea of squatting.

During classes in this simulator, the work includes:

• The back of the thigh (biceps and gluteus maximus).
• The muscles of the inner thigh.
• Muscle stabilizers of the middle part of the body (long extensors of the lumbar, oblique abdomen, direct abdominals).
• Muscles of the lower leg (soleus, calf).
• Muscles of the foot.

Static load lies on the deltoid muscles of the arms and upper back. There are a large number of variations of this exercise. They shift the load to a greater extent from one large muscle group to another. Depending on the position of the legs on the platform of the simulator, the adducting and abducting muscles of the thigh may be included in the work.

In this case, the load is removed from the lateral head of the quadriceps. In addition to the quadriceps weight of the projectile with weight, the gluteal muscles assume. This occurs when the feet are closer to the rear edge of the platform.

The technique of performing hack squats using a bar without a simulator

Squats in the hack simulator allows the athlete to reduce axial load on the spine. This is due to the location of the guides and the movable platform at a certain angle to the horizon.

However, such equipment is not found in every gym. In order to minimize the load on the spinal column, you can perform squats with a barbell behind the back and in front of the athlete’s chest.

Behind the back

Equipment:

• The projectile with the required load is installed on a flat surface. The athlete turns his back to him.
  
• Crouching, the athlete fixes the bar with a direct grip (hands look at the bar). Thumbs clasp a barbell and connect with index fingers to the lock. It is not allowed to tackle the vulture with the “monkey” open grip.
• Next, the process of straightening the body in the knees and hip joint should begin. It is important to move smoothly, without jerking.
• The process of lowering the bar is carried out until the moment at which the hips become parallel to the floor.

The entire cycle of the described actions is 1 complete repetition. The number of repetitions is determined by the athlete depending on the physical form and training goals.

Before breast

Equipment:

• The bar is fixed at the level of the shoulder girdle and rests on the athlete’s hands or deltoid muscles. The location of the projectile at this level allows you to deploy your shoulders and reduce the shoulder blades. This creates additional protection for the spine.
• Lowering from the upper position should be carried out smoothly. At the bottom of the thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Ascent to the starting point occurs without jerking.

The movements considered are one complete repetition.

Technique for doing squats in the simulator

The Gackenschmidt simulator is a tilted frame with a foot plate and a movable platform for installing additional loads. Most often, the guide platforms are fixed at an angle to the floor plane. For this reason, many athletes make a mistake in calculating the total load. It is equal to the weight of the projectile.

As you know, body weight is not equal to mass, but is defined as its product by the sine of the angle between the guides and the floor (approximately sin45 = 0.7).

The moving part of the equipment is equipped with a soft back and supports for the shoulders. The weight of the inventory lies on the deltas. The simulator is equipped with special handles for fixing hands. There are separate modifications in which there are no main supports, and the weight of the platform has to be held on hands.

The implementation of any athletic exercise should begin with a warm-up and preliminary approaches with light weight.

After this, you can begin to implement the working approaches:

• It is necessary to install the platform at a suitable height and sit under it.
• The back and shoulders should be firmly pressed to the corresponding panels and rollers.
• Feet should be placed in the middle of the bottom plate so that the heels are slightly in front of the imaginary line of the body.
• The feet are set shoulder width apart.
• You need to look right in front of you. It is not allowed to look down or look away.
• The platform should be removed from the supports, creating tension in the muscles of the legs. The movable stoppers must be pushed to the side and a smooth lowering start.
• Squatting is performed until the angle between the thigh and lower leg reaches
• Upon reaching the indicated position, one should rise up without a pause.

When doing squats in a hack machine, it is important to ensure proper breathing. Inhalation is carried out when moving down. During this period of time, the diaphragm experiences less stress and is easier to stretch. Exhale – when moving up.

Reverse Huck Butt Squats

The Gackenschmidt machine is easy to use. Exercises in the simulator will be able to master a novice athlete. This is made possible by clearly fixing the trajectory of movement. From the practitioner is required to evenly carry out work with legs and control the position of the back.

However, these features of the sports equipment create a number of difficulties for experienced athletes. Hack-simulator is designed to train the muscles of the anterior surface of the thigh. This means that with the standard execution technique, it will not work to load the gluteal, abducting or adducting femoral muscles.

To train the gluteal muscles in the hack machine, the method of backward placement of the body is used when performing the exercise. The practitioner is turned face towards the movable platform and its guides. This allows you to accentuate to move the pelvis back when lowering and lifting. Such changes in the technique of movement shift the emphasis on the athlete’s buttocks and biceps of the thigh.

Leg setting options

Squats in the hack simulator can be performed with 4 basic positions of the legs, subject to the classical technique of movement. The position of the feet and the distance between them may differ depending on the anatomical features of the athlete. But the general recommendations and techniques used remain unchanged.

Narrow staging.	Feet extended as far forward as possible.	This option allows you to load the lateral head of the quadriceps femoris
	Feet nearby. At the bottom, the knees “cover” the fingertips.	This setting of the legs allows you to shift the force from the front to the back surface of the leg.
Shoulder width apart.	The feet are turned outward or parallel.	Equally, all 4 bundles of the quadriceps are included in the work.
Wide setting	Legs set at the edge of the platform. Socks turned outward.	The muscles of the inner surface of the thigh are included in the work.

Benefits of Hack Squats

Squats in the Gackenschmidt simulator are a complete basic exercise. During the movement, all the muscles of the lower body, back and abdominal muscles are involved. This suggests that classes in the hack machine, as well as squats with a barbell on the shoulders, contribute to the production of growth hormone.

As a result, functional hypertrophy of the quadriceps and muscles of the whole body occurs. Unlike classic squats with free weight, a hack squat allows you to accentuate individual bundles of the quadriceps muscle. And also include gluteal, biceps femoris and adductors.

This becomes possible due to the lack of the need to maintain balance in the process of movement and the possibility of variation in the setting of the legs. Classes in the Gackenschmidt machine allow you to safely operate with large working weights. The tilt of the platform reduces the axial load on the spinal column.

Movable multi-level stops make it possible to train to achieve a failed state in the muscles without using an assistant.

The platform moving along the guides allows novice athletes to easily master the technique of the exercise. Soft support rollers and anatomical back provide the athlete with a comfortable position in a sports equipment.

Disadvantages of exercise

Classes in the hack machine have 2 significant disadvantages:

• During the execution of the movement with any setting of the legs and body position, a large load falls on the knee joint. For this reason, hack squats are not recommended for people with injuries in this area of the body, arthritis and arthrosis.
• Unable to control weight weights. Barbell squats prevent overload. A beginner will not be able to perform the repetition with a weight significantly exceeding his working one. Since the auxiliary and main muscles of the athlete are not prepared for such a load, the risk of injury from the improper choice of projectile mass is excluded. The Hack-simulator makes it possible to work with large weights, since the role of stabilizers in the process of performing the movement is minimized.

Common Hack Squat Errors

Up to 90% of all errors when doing squats in the hack simulator are made due to improper selection of projectile mass.

The load that does not correspond to the capabilities of the athlete leads to the following violations:

• Separation of the heels of the feet from the supporting plane . An error occurs in a situation where the power of the quadriceps is not enough to rise to the highest point. In this case, the body of a novice athlete tries to include additional reserves in the form of the gluteal and back muscles.
• Mixing knees . The quadriceps femoris is the strongest group in the lower body. This is especially true for untrained athletes. With a high load, there is a shift towards strong muscles and the knees of the student are reduced to the center so that the lateral head can do more work.
• The separation of the lumbar spine from the supporting platform is associated with the need for the body to include additional fibers in order to cope with the exorbitant weight of the burden. Also, this error can occur as a result of insufficient flexibility of the athlete in the hip joint or the anatomical features of the muscles of the back of the thigh.
• Uncontrolled downward movement. Often combined with the wrong push to move up. When performing the exercise, the foot should rest completely on the platform, and the load should be distributed over its entire surface. In the case when the weight of the load exceeds the permissible limits, the athlete is not able to control the position of his own body, both in the negative phase and in the positive.

Among novice athletes, a number of errors arise related to ignorance of the basics of human physiology and the nuances of the simulator design:

• Rest at the bottom or top of the trajectory. In the first case, the load on the knee joint increases significantly. In the second – a waste of time.
• Head turns. The spine passes through the entire human body. Although at the time the hack squat is performed, it is not subjected to axial load, but the muscles of the upper part of the body experience strong static stress. The slightest sudden movements can cause injury.
• Incorrect breathing.
• The back does not press firmly against the back of the simulator. In this case, the main advantage of the simulator is lost and the spine begins to experience significant deformities.

Tips on pumping quadriceps for girls

Training the front surface of the thigh for women should be carried out according to the split system. Since the lower part of the female body relative to the male is more developed, the set of exercises for the quadriceps should be selected according to the following principles.

They are:

• The inclusion of basic movements. Performing multi-joint exercises can bring a good effect to any athlete. But in view of the fact that women’s legs are distinguished by a high degree of endurance, girls can only achieve the result by performing hard training.
• Maximum load in the average range of repetitions.
• Alternation of exercises in the training split. The high strength endurance of the female legs determines the quick adaptability to the standard training program. Stagnation can be avoided by constantly changing the exercises used.

Safety recommendations

Squats in a hack simulator is important to start with warm-up approaches. This will help preserve the knee joints and ligaments. Do not forget about articular gymnastics. Particular attention is paid to the lower body. Rotational movements will help to warm up the junction of the two bones, and the joint bags will be filled with lubricating fluid.

Before starting training in the Gackenschmidt machine, it is recommended to perform several approaches in the hyperextension simulator. This will help tone the extensor muscles of the back and create additional fixation in the lumbar spine.

During the movement, you need to carefully monitor the position of the pelvis relative to the rear bearing surface of the equipment. In case of insufficient flexibility, the lower back may begin to come off. In this case, it is necessary to reduce the amplitude to the level at which it is possible to observe the correct technique for performing the exercise.

What can replace hack squats

You can replace squats in the Hack simulator:

• Leg Press . This option is a complete alternative for a hook machine. The simulator is an inclined frame located at an angle to the floor plane. At the same time, the upper body of the athlete is motionlessly located on the stationary support of the equipment. During the exercise, the legs are moving the athlete.
  
• Squats with dumbbells or with a barbell behind your back or in front of your chest.

Squats in the Gackenschmidt machine can diversify the training program of both an experienced and a beginner athlete. The lack of load on the spine and the ability to work with large weights makes the simulator an effective tool in the formation of large and strong muscles of the anterior surface of the thigh.

Video about squats in the hack simulator

HACK machine for girls squats: