Barbell Hack Squat

1. Stand with a loaded barbell on the floor behind your heels, feet about shoulder width apart.
2. Squat down and grip the bar behind your legs with a double overhand grip just outside your thighs.
3. Flatten your back, lift your chest and pull your shoulders down before initiating the lift.
4. Take a breath, brace your core, and stand up by driving through your heels, keeping the bar close to the back of your legs.
5. Extend the hips and knees together until you are fully upright, exhaling as you pass the hardest point.
6. Reverse the movement by bending the knees and hips, lowering the bar under control back behind your heels.
7. Reset your back position on the floor between reps rather than bouncing the weight.

Common Mistakes

• Rounding the lower back: letting the spine flex to reach the bar shifts stress from the legs onto the lumbar discs; sit down into the start position instead of folding over.
• Scraping the bar into the legs: dragging the bar hard against the calves and hamstrings breaks the bar path; keep it close but moving vertically.
• Rising hips first: shooting the hips up before the chest turns the lift into a stiff leg pull and removes the quad emphasis.
• Starting too heavy: the awkward behind the body bar path punishes poor bracing, so build up from light loads like 40 to 60 kg before pushing weight.