Hack Squat Machine?

[AllLoadedUp]

I workout in a small gym. The Hack Squat is a hundred years old and the angle is almost straight up. It kills my knees and once you get enough plates on it the thing moves unevenly. So I decided to try out Golds and the Hack Squat there. Its a newer one with a lower angle and most importantly it doesn't bother my knees. Just one problem. It will only hold 6 plates each side. I was doing that for 12 reps. And yes I go to the bottom. I wanna join there also so I can start doing legs there. My question, does anyone make and sell some kind of hook thing you can put on the end of each shaft on the Hack Squat to add plates to? I may just have to get a friend to weld something up. It sucks the machine has no way to add plates to it. Thanks.

 

[Big Vin]

You'd better check with Gold's to see if they would even let you add that to their machine, even if you just use it when training. They hate liability.
That being said, why don't you just add rest/pauses at the end of your sets or something to make it tougher? Or rep and a halfs (all the way down, half way up..then back down..finally all the way up)?

 

[The Tren Train]

^exactly


or you could do hack squats later in the workout...after say.. leg presses, leg curls, and regular squats

 

[tri-terror]

Whats your leg workout look like? Do you do barbell squats or front squats?

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[OutToLunch]

Trap bar squats holding the lower handles hit the quads might good as well.

 

[dorian123]

I'm against hack squats-too hard on the knees

But if you want to do them pre exhaust with other leg exercises and do them last-this will warm up the knees and put less stress on the knees and tendons

 

[brocksamson]

add bands :lightbulb:

 

[prostock]

going all the way to the bottom = knee disaster later on in life. 90 degree and you ll still get the job done without wrecking urself.. pro

 

[Gaintrain]

90degree or tad below, ass ankle squats are an ego thing which I have learned later in life now that I'm 30 are brutal on your knees.

 

[PitbullTank]

hack squat is my fav quad exercise... ... but that is one machine that varies GREATLY each different one i use... ill travel to a further gym for a better one and some that i won't use at all bc the angle or whatever doesn't feel right ...

 

[rAJJIN]

6 plates a side is pretty darn strong man! I would go down and not back up.
The old machine made you strong!

 

[rAJJIN]

See if they will buy some 100lb plates? Or like the guy above said, chains or Bands.

 

[maldorf]

Pile plates on top?

With the leg press I used to use I could stack plates on top of the platform. Is there anyway to stack some plates up there, probably not but worth mentioning.

 

[DECABEATZ]

My gym does not even have a hack squat summertime 2016 I'm upgrading gyms and joining powerhouse. I really wish I lived near bev Francis in Long Island New York I would be so blessed to get to train there. East coast Mecca! One day I hope as long as my career can move me close by

 

[AllLoadedUp]

See if they will buy some 100lb plates? Or like the guy above said, chains or Bands.

I thought about that. But usually the 100 plates are about as thick as two 45lbs and take up just as much room on the shaft. I'm really surprised the damn thing doesn't have an extra shaft like the Leg Press machines do. I think I will do like was mentioned above and add bands. I've never worked with those things before but I know they work. So it will probably be time for me to learn.

 

[Ashop]

You'd better check with Gold's to see if they would even let you add that to their machine, even if you just use it when training. They hate liability.
That being said, why don't you just add rest/pauses at the end of your sets or something to make it tougher? Or rep and a halfs (all the way down, half way up..then back down..finally all the way up)?

Most commercial gyms probably wont allow it,,but you never know.
If your doing 12 reps,,,up it to 21's for awhile.

 

[AllLoadedUp]

With the leg press I used to use I could stack plates on top of the platform. Is there anyway to stack some plates up there, probably not but worth mentioning.

It was my first thought. But just no way to add any plates.

 

[AllLoadedUp]

My leg routine consist of heavy one week. Light the next. I ALWAYS warm up/ pre-exhaust with extensions. Then on to regular squats. Then Hacks. Then Leg Press. But I don't do Leg Press alot because I feel like mostly its just good for busted blood vessels in your eyes. On my light week I do 10x10 in an hour or less. The weight is lighter but man those last 4 sets get heavy. My goal right now is 10x10 with 405. I'm not far off. :headbang:

 

[AllLoadedUp]

Most commercial gyms probably wont allow it,,but you never know.
If your doing 12 reps,,,up it to 21's for awhile.

Yeh after I did the 12 reps with the machine loaded up. I dropped to 3 plates a side and just went all the way in the hole and did like 1/4 reps coming out of the hole and then right back down. That sucked. My quads were about to explode.

 

[AllLoadedUp]

You'd better check with Gold's to see if they would even let you add that to their machine, even if you just use it when training. They hate liability.
That being said, why don't you just add rest/pauses at the end of your sets or something to make it tougher? Or rep and a halfs (all the way down, half way up..then back down..finally all the way up)?

Yeh I was doing that after the heaviest set. There are alot of ways to make it harder. I'll just play around with it and probably like already said get some bands.