Barbell Hack Squat
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Barbell
HOW TO PERFORM
- Set a loaded barbell on the floor behind you and stand just in front of it with the feet about hip width.
- Squat down with the chest up and take the bar behind your legs with an overhand grip just outside the hips.
- Brace and drive through the whole foot to stand, keeping the bar close against the backs of your legs.
- Sit straight back down the same way until the plates touch the floor.
FORM TIPS
- Raise the heels on small plates if the bar catches on your calves or your heels lift. It also keeps the torso more upright and the work in the quads.
- The bar drags up the backs of the legs, so wear long socks or tights.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Quads
Secondary
- Glutes
- Forearms
- Traps
- Adductors
- Abs
- Lower Back
- Hamstrings
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.