Why the Hack Squat is harder than it looks

Last Saturdays session was pretty intense. After playing Football in the morning, I headed straight to the gym. It was a full body day, but I got a humbling after using the hack Squat machine.

In the video. you'll see my first serious attempt at hack squats. I went in expecting to move big weight, but the machine had other plans. I actually started light before the coach encouraged me to increase the weight "Look at the size of your legs," he said, haha. I like to start small with unfamiliar routines so I can get the technique and form right to avoid injuries before moving up to more challenging weights. l eventually did, and it was incredible. Not only is it a difficut exercise, it's also really effective in various ways

• Quad iscolation: It fully isolates the quads more than barbell squats and other variations. The leg placement and position, combined with the time under tension, especially if you add a little pause at the bottom, ensures more quad activation.

• Fixed movement path (no cheatingl: One of the pros of using machines rather than free weights is that you can't cheat the movement. Your back is stiff, it puts less strain on the lower back, and the movement stays in a straight line throughout.

• Increased time under tension: Immediately you remove the latch holding the weight. your quads start to burn and activate.

When next you go to the gym, ensure you use the hack Squat machine and come and thank Stevenson later. Thank you for reading. Till next time.

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