The reverse hack squat is a machine squat performed facing the back pad with the shoulders under the pads, which tilts the torso forward and loads theglutes and hamstringsalongside the quads. Turning around on the hack squat machine changes the hip angle: instead of sitting back into the pad with an upright torso, you hinge slightly forward over the platform, so the hips travel further and the knees travel less than in the standard version. The sled still fixes the path and keeps the load off your spine. Bodybuilders program it as a glute-biased accessory after free-weight squats.
What Muscles Does the Reverse Hack Squat Work?
- Primary: Quadriceps, gluteus maximus
- Secondary: Hamstrings, adductor magnus (inner thigh)
- Tertiary: Erector spinae (lower back), gastrocnemius (calves), rectus abdominis
How Do You Set Up for the Reverse Hack Squat?
Load the hack squat sled and step onto the platform facing the back pad. Set your chest against the pad and your shoulders under the shoulder pads, hands on the handles. Place your feet shoulder-width apart in the middle or lower third of the platform, toes slightly out. Stand tall to take the weight, release the safety catches, and brace your trunk before the first descent.
How Do You Perform the Reverse Hack Squat?
- Stand the sled up and release the catches with your chest on the pad and your feet set.
- Bend your knees and push your hips back slightly, lowering the sled with your chest sliding down the pad.
- Descend until your thighs pass parallel or your heels start to lift, whichever comes first.
- Pause briefly at the bottom with the weight spread across your whole foot.
- Drive through the heels and midfoot, extending hips and knees together until you are standing tall against the pad.
- Stop just short of locking the knees, reset your brace, and begin the next rep.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Hips back, chest on the pad: lead the descent with your hips so the glutes load instead of the knees shooting forward.
- Heels heavy: keep them glued to the platform through the bottom; if they lift, the feet are set too high.
- Squeeze the glutes to finish each rep against the pad rather than pushing the sled with your back.
- Keep the knees tracking over the second toe as they bend.
- Breathe in at the top and out on the drive up.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Loading the sled beyond what you can control on the descent: you drop into the bottom and bounce the knees, which is where the knee joint takes the most strain; pick a weight you can lower over three seconds.
- Placing the feet too high on the platform: the range shortens and the heels lift at the bottom; bring them down until the heels stay planted.
- Rounding the lower back to get deeper: with the torso already tilted forward, lumbar flexion under the sled loads the discs; stop at the depth where the spine stays neutral.
- Letting the knees cave together on the way up: the adductors take over and the hips stop driving; push the knees out over the toes.
- Locking the knees hard at the top: it unloads the muscles and rests on the joint; stop just short.
What Are the Best Reverse Hack Squat Variations?
- Hack squat: the standard version with the back on the pad, more upright and more quad-dominant.
- Narrow stance reverse hack squat: feet close together increases knee travel and shifts the load toward the outer quads.
- Wide stance reverse hack squat: a wider, toes-out stance recruits more adductor and glute.
- Single-leg reverse hack squat: one foot on the platform with a lighter sled, for correcting a weaker side.
- Smith machine hack squat: the bar behind the calves on a fixed path reproduces the pattern without a sled.
How Do You Progress the Reverse Hack Squat?
- Add one plate per side, 10 to 25 pounds depending on the sled, once you finish all sets at the top of the rep range.
- Work from 8 up to 12 reps per set before adding weight.
- Add a set per week, from 3 up to 4 or 5.
- Slow the descent to three seconds and pause one second at the bottom, or lower the foot position to increase depth.
How Should You Program the Reverse Hack Squat?
Program the reverse hack squat as the second or third lift of a leg day, after a free-weight squat or deadlift and before isolation work. One to two sessions per week is enough. Do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps with 90 to 120 seconds of rest. It complements a hamstring curl in the same session by covering the hip extension the curl leaves out.