knee pain from hack squats

[quadzilla500]

Anyone get knee pain right over there knee cap? It is like a straight line goes right over my knee cap and I only get this when I do hack squats...Any tips or suggestions would be great... Thanks guys

 

[maldorf]

Anyone get knee pain right over there knee cap? It is like a straight line goes right over my knee cap and I only get this when I do hack squats...Any tips or suggestions would be great... Thanks guys

Dont do them. Hack squats, IMO, are terrible for the knee join. It puts a lot of strain on it because of the unnatural angle you are squating at. You can lessen the pain you get though by properly positioning the platform you stand on. I always tried to raise it enough so that it was more like doing a real squat than a sissy squat. When you have the platform down more its more like a sissy squat and puts a whole lot of sheer stress on the petellar tendon.

I finally gave up on these because no matter what I tried my knees still got sore if I did them for any length of time. I could get away with doing them maybe once a month.

 

[dece870717]

Ah the hack squat, fucked up my knees like nothing else. I agree with maldorf, don't do them or if you are hell bent on doing them use knee wraps.

 

[maldorf]

Ah the hack squat, fucked up my knees like nothing else. I agree with maldorf, don't do them or if you are hell bent on doing them use knee wraps.

I think there are a lot of guys like us that feel the same way. Heck, knee wraps wont even save your knees on those. I dont understand why so many people try to do hacks when all you really need is the squat.

 

[mountaindog1]

Hack Squats are awesome. You have to have a good machine though, and you can't do them early in the routine. They are not meant to be done first or second, they are meant to be done when you have your thighs loaded with blood..kinda like lunges. If you have machine that is crappy, don't do them. I know right when I get on a hack machine if it's natural or not.

Squats are king, but leg presses and hacks are awesome secondary movements.

JM

 

[maldorf]

Hack Squats are awesome. You have to have a good machine though, and you can't do them early in the routine. They are not meant to be done first or second, they are meant to be done when you have your thighs loaded with blood..kinda like lunges. If you have machine that is crappy, don't do them. I know right when I get on a hack machine if it's natural or not.

Squats are king, but leg presses and hacks are awesome secondary movements.

JM

I always did mine last. The machine I always used was Nebula out of Versailes Ohio. I thought those were about the best around? That machine did nothing but tear me up if I tried to do it on a regular basis.

 

[quadzilla500]

thanks guys thought it was just me... I love squats, and leg presses. I think they are my favorite muscle group of all to work....

 

[mountaindog1]

I always did mine last. The machine I always used was Nebula out of Versailes Ohio. I thought those were about the best around? That machine did nothing but tear me up if I tried to do it on a regular basis.

Well maybe you aren't meant to hack squat. I have never had one knee problem in my entire life, and I work hack squats very hard...my point...depends on the person, the machine, and the order...saying they are bad is not a fair statement, because they aren't bad for everybody.

JM

 

[maldorf]

Well maybe you aren't meant to hack squat. I have never had one knee problem in my entire life, and I work hack squats very hard...my point...depends on the person, the machine, and the order...saying they are bad is not a fair statement, because they aren't bad for everybody.

JM

SUppose its a person by person basis, but a lot of guy have trouble with them. I did like the feel I got out of them and thats why I used to try to do them. Raising the platform helped me some. I would go heavy on them and perhaps I should have kept the reps higher. On a few occasions I worked up to around 5 plates on a side for a solid 8 reps or so going deep. Maybe I went too deep?

 

[mountaindog1]

SUppose its a person by person basis, but a lot of guy have trouble with them. I did like the feel I got out of them and thats why I used to try to do them. Raising the platform helped me some. I would go heavy on them and perhaps I should have kept the reps higher. On a few occasions I worked up to around 5 plates on a side for a solid 8 reps or so going deep. Maybe I went too deep?

Actually I think people get into trouble by not going deep...they try to slow down the weight and reverse action midway through the rep..and that can be tough on the knee as opposed to going a little deeper. Another thing I do not like to see is excessive use of knee wraps. Use them to much, you will lose teardrop strength, which means you lose knee support, which means greater chance of injury and/or knee pain...

this is how i like to do them form wise

YouTube - hack squats with drops.MPG

 

[madmick]

Dont do them. Hack squats, IMO, are terrible for the knee join. It puts a lot of strain on it because of the unnatural angle you are squating at. You can lessen the pain you get though by properly positioning the platform you stand on. I always tried to raise it enough so that it was more like doing a real squat than a sissy squat. When you have the platform down more its more like a sissy squat and puts a whole lot of sheer stress on the petellar tendon.

I finally gave up on these because no matter what I tried my knees still got sore if I did them for any length of time. I could get away with doing them maybe once a month.

I agree, they are knee killers

 

[cachexic]

Every couple of months I attempt to do hack squats. I put a couple of plates on each side, do two repetitions, get off and remember why I don't do them. Very uncomfortable for my knees even with low weight.

Narrow stance free squats to parallel for me.

 

[mojolnir]

I am 6'3 and I am not sure if its my height or the machine but hacks fuck my knees up as well. I keep hacks in my routine but I do them half way through the workout when my legs are filled with blood.

Also, I do them only with high reps (15-20) and I usually super set them with lunges just go get an insane pump.

 

[CBRXX]

I've used hack squat machines with no issues in the past, but the machine at my present gym has this weird angle to it and it kills my knees. The last time I used the machine I screwed up something in my left knee pretty bad. Luckily it has healed and I am ok, but still feel it a bit. I'm ony using leg press machines now due to this injury and rotator cuff surgery. When I do squats again, I'll know for sure how my knee is. But I will never use the hack squat machine again. It's not worth the risk of injury to me.

 

[tenny]

Actually I think people get into trouble by not going deep...they try to slow down the weight and reverse action midway through the rep..and that can be tough on the knee as opposed to going a little deeper. Another thing I do not like to see is excessive use of knee wraps. Use them to much, you will lose teardrop strength, which means you lose knee support, which means greater chance of injury and/or knee pain...

this is how i like to do them form wise

YouTube - hack squats with drops.MPG

a big yes sir right here

i almost get somewhat of a "bounce" at the bottom
of ALL my squat movements because i'm so deep

never had a problem with my knees either
maybe i had a few mishaps from not being
properly warm up

which is taking longer and longer these days

 

[maldorf]

Actually I think people get into trouble by not going deep...they try to slow down the weight and reverse action midway through the rep..and that can be tough on the knee as opposed to going a little deeper. Another thing I do not like to see is excessive use of knee wraps. Use them to much, you will lose teardrop strength, which means you lose knee support, which means greater chance of injury and/or knee pain...

this is how i like to do them form wise

YouTube - hack squats with drops.MPG

Yeah, thats how I would do them too.