![]() If you use two kettlebells (which I recommend for the added weight), you have to stabilize the kettlebells with the upper back and shoulders of each side, increasing the overall effectiveness of the exercise. If you’re interested in the barbell hack squat though, here’s a short video on how to do it…Ī kettlebell front squat is a great alternative to the hack squat because it offers all of the benefits of them, whilst providing a single-limb challenge too. I’ve seen plenty of people try it, but the technique is often a disaster. The barbell hack squat requires a combination of hip flexibility and mobility, forearm strength (our dumbbell forearm workout focuses solely on forearm strength), core strength (our abs workout focuses solely on core strength), lumbar control and thoracic spine rigidity that a lot of people, (especially beginners) just don’t have. But I would almost NEVER recommend it because I think it’s an exercise that only well-trained individuals can do safely and even then there are simpler, more effective alternatives. Yes, there is a free weight alternative to a hack squat machine. Is there a free weight alternative to a hack squat machine? ![]() If you’ve had knee issues in the past, I’d avoid hack squats almost entirely – certainly heavy ones.Īs I’ve mentioned in previous articles, machines don’t improve athleticism and movement efficiency, so if your goal is to be more athletic, hack squats won’t help you much.įinally, hack squats are part of the squat family, and the benefits of squats are abundant. If you think back to my article on whether Smith Machines are dangerous, one of the issues raised was that Smith Machine squats don’t activate the hamstrings much so can potentially cause knee instability issues. Thus, reducing their overall effectiveness and perhaps making them dangerous for people with knee issues.Īt the risk of getting a little geeky here (but hey, you come here for proper information, so I’m giving it to you), this is important because lower activation of the hamstrings is important for knee stability.Ĭonclusions drawn from this research back up findings from previous research showing that trunk activation in the back squat was greater than the hack squat despite the same relative loads. When a myriad of squat patterns were studied, researchers found that the hack squat had the lowest activation of the erector spinae (back muscle) and semitendinosus (muscle in the hamstrings). In my opinion though, even factoring these benefits in there are better alternative squat patterns.
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