Barbell Hack Squat start and end position

Barbell Hack Squat is a compound exercise targeting the legs: several joints work together, it takes heavy loading well and belongs at the start of a session. Secondary muscles: glutes, core. Equipment: barbell. Difficulty: advanced, requires solid technique and training history. It takes 5 steps; the most common mistake is covered in the tip below.

Step-by-step

Place the bar behind your legs and squat down to grip it with palms facing backward
Keep your chest up and back flat, then drive through your heels to stand
Squeeze your glutes at the top to reach full extension
Bend your knees to lower the bar under control behind your legs
Pause at the bottom before the bar touches the floor, then drive back up

Coaching tip

With the bar behind your legs your torso stays upright; this is the rare barbell squat that truly targets the quads.

Caution

Skip this move or ask a professional first if you have pain or an injury in: knee, lower back. FitCi filters it out of your program automatically based on the injuries in your profile.

How to program it

Sets × reps and rest by goal; load and long rest matter most on compound lifts. Start at the bottom of the range in week one; add 2.5–5% when you hit the top with clean form.

Goal	Sets × Reps	Rest
Strength	4 × 4-6	180 s
Muscle gain	3 × 6-10	150 s
Fat loss / conditioning	3 × 10-15	90 s

FitCi applies this table to your age and goal automatically and writes weekly progression.

Alternatives

At home, no equipment: Bodyweight Squat, Wall Sit
Same muscle, different equipment: Goblet Squat, Leg Press, Hack Squat

More legs exercises

Add this exercise to your program

Build your own program in FitCi, pick an expert template, or photograph the plan your coach gave you; the app tracks sets, reps and weight.

Get it on the App Store Get it on Google Play