As a runner, strong legs are important when it comes to speeding up and avoiding injury. However, in an effort to mix up my leg exercises and add some weight to my barbell squat, I hopped on the squat machine. What is a squat machine, and are hack squats better for you than squats? Read on to find out more.
Squats work the entire lower body, targeting the calf muscles, gluteals, quads, and hamstrings. You’ll also use your core to keep your body stable during the squat. Squats, whether done on a machine or with a barbell, will focus more on the front of your legs, so your quads will be working harder during this.
Looking for more leg day inspiration? Take a look at this The 7-Move Kettlebell Workout to Build Bigger LegsAnd the 5 exercises to build the lower body with dumbbellsAnd what happened when This fitness writer tried Emi Wong’s skinny legs workout.
What is a squat hack?
Squats are usually performed on a machine in the gym that looks a bit like a straight leg press. The squat machine has an angled platform on which to stand, and a movable backrest, with shoulder pads and handles, that slide up and down as you squat. Although each squat machine is slightly different, here’s how to do a squat hack:
- Load the weight onto the racks attached to the back and shoulder pads. You’ll often find that you can lift more weight during squats than you would in a squat, but if you’re new to this move, it’s a good idea to start with little or no weight to get used to the machine.
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart, and adjust the shoulder pads if you need to.
- Release the safety handles and sit down with your knees bent until they are at a 90-degree angle.
- Pause here, then push back from your feet to the starting position.
I added squats to my leg day routine – that’s what I learned
In an effort to build stronger legs as I prepare for my next marathon training session, I’ve added squats to my routine. This is what I learned:
My legs worked harder
I soon realized that using a squat machine meant I didn’t need to use my core to stabilize my body while I squat. This means I can load more weight onto the machine, and really feel the effect of the weight on my quads when I complete a rep. I don’t have the best grip strength, so I often find it difficult to gain more weight if I’m doing squats with a barbell or dumbbells (here’s The best adjustable dumbbells for weight training at home), but the squat hack machine removed that challenge.
As mentioned above, a common machine squat breakout mistake is adding too much weight too soon – if you’re not doing a full range of motion, you won’t get the benefits of this exercise, so be sure to start light and build up.
It really made me focus on my looks
The joy of using a squat machine is that you can really perfect your squat technique. The squat hack is often recommended by trainers for beginners and it’s easy to see why — by removing the load on your upper body and core, you can really strengthen your legs in this movement. In regular squats, I often struggle with lowering my body and placing my knees at a 90-degree angle, so I appreciate taking a little time on this.
Maybe I’ll stick to barbell squats in the future
As a runner, I’m pretty much in control of my quads, so breakout squats likely won’t be a regular part of my routine going forward, as I need to target my glutes and hamstrings more. Although I kept my muscles engaged throughout my reps on the squat machine, I didn’t feel like they were working as hard as they do on the barbell squat. The traditional squat is a compound movement, which means you’re targeting multiple muscle groups at the same time, and I prefer getting more bangs for my buck when training my legs.
Looking for more workout inspiration? here How to do a side squatAnd the How to do the Bulgarian squatAnd why are you You shouldn’t be doing a squat challenge.
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