Narrow Stance Hack Squats

How to do the Narrow Stance Hack Squats

1. Place the back of your torso against the back pad of the machine and hook your shoulders under the shoulder pads provided.
2. Position your legs in the platform using a less than shoulder width narrow stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Your feet should be around 3 inches or less apart. Tip: Keep your head up at all times and also maintain the back on the pad at all times.
3. Place your arms on the side handles of the machine and disengage the safety bars (which on most designs is done by moving the side handles from a facing front position to a diagonal position).
4. Now straighten your legs without locking the knees. This will be your starting position.
5. Begin to slowly lower the unit by bending the knees as you maintain a straight posture with the head up (back on the pad at all times). Continue down until the angle between the upper leg and the calves becomes slightly less than 90-degrees (which is the point in which the upper legs are below parallel to the floor). Inhale as you perform this portion of the movement.
6. Begin to raise the unit as you exhale by pushing the floor with mainly with the heels of your feet as you straighten the legs again and go back to the starting position.
7. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Muscles worked

Role	Muscles
Primary	quads
Secondary	calves, glutes, hamstrings
Equipment	machine
Difficulty	intermediate
Type	compound

No machine? Train the same muscles with these

Ordered by how likely you are to own the 6 options.

Bodyweight Walking Lunge Bodyweight Freehand Jump Squat Bodyweight Squats - With Bands Resistance Bands Bodyweight Squat Bodyweight Dumbbell Lunges Dumbbell Dumbbell Rear Lunge Dumbbell

Easier than the Narrow Stance Hack Squats

Same movement pattern, lower entry difficulty — work up from here.

Barbell Squat beginner · Barbell Barbell Walking Lunge beginner · Barbell Bodyweight Walking Lunge beginner · Bodyweight

Harder than the Narrow Stance Hack Squats

Reverse Band Power Squat expert · Barbell Power Jerk expert · Barbell Overhead Squat expert · Barbell

Superset the Narrow Stance Hack Squats with

Opposing hamstrings work — alternate sets without extra rest.

Smith Machine Hang Power Clean hamstrings Reverse Hyperextension hamstrings Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Deadlift hamstrings Lying Leg Curls hamstrings

Common questions

What muscles does the Narrow Stance Hack Squats work?

The Narrow Stance Hack Squats primarily works the quads, with the calves, glutes, and hamstrings as secondary movers. Barbell Full Squat, Barbell Lunge, and Barbell Squat train the same muscle, across 9 equipment types.

What equipment do you need for the Narrow Stance Hack Squats?

A Machine. Without a machine, Bodyweight Walking Lunge, Freehand Jump Squat, and Squats - With Bands train the same muscle, and 27 of the catalogue's options for this muscle need no equipment.

Is the Narrow Stance Hack Squats suitable for beginners?

It is rated intermediate. Start with Barbell Squat, Barbell Walking Lunge, and Bodyweight Walking Lunge and work up.

Where should the Narrow Stance Hack Squats go in a workout?

Early — the Narrow Stance Hack Squats is compound, working 4 muscle groups, so run it first or second while you are fresh, then superset Smith Machine Hang Power Clean and Reverse Hyperextension later.

Similar exercises

Barbell Full Squat Barbell Barbell Lunge Barbell Barbell Squat Barbell Barbell Squat To A Bench Barbell Barbell Step Ups Barbell Barbell Walking Lunge Barbell