Leg Press Vs Hack Squat Mass Building Benefits

In this QUAH Sal, Adam, & Justin answer the question "I know squats are best for leg development, but if you had to choose between the leg press and the hack squat which one is better?".
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Video - • Mind Pump Episode #115...
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"Leg Press Vs Hack Squat Mass Building Benefits"
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[@michaelporter4538]

I am more confused after this. Thanks

[@Ethiokarate1]

😂😂😂

[@Doesitfan]

same

[@CaribbeanQueen72xx]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@RogueAgent00]

😂😂😂

[@blah7918]

Hack squats are better 🤣

[@HTXatLarge]

Hack > Press. After building a fair squat over the last few years & have used the leg press but not the hack squat. I recently started using the hack squat ( 2.5 weeks) and can attest that it's considerably reduced the struggle coming out of the hole on my heaviest squats. So much that I've adjusted my goals for the year.

[@iang8169]

Have you tried the hammer strength hack sqaut ( sometimes called a hack sled ) where the weights are loaded around your hip amd not over your head and you you dont put your hands over near your head ? And if so what do you like best regular hack squat or the hammer strength hack sled ?

[@Volare0912]

​@@iang8169 as a person who tried both i could attest that hack sleds are waayyy better than the other one. you can feel your quads way more in hack sled. you can use the other machine for calf raises i think idk thats just my opinion.

[@MrtrapLive]

It's not greater. Your results are from being a new exercise and shock to your system

[@iang8169]

@mrtrapllive do you see any difference in hypertrophy between the two ? We have room for either a leg press or hack squat in out condo gym but not both.

[@tannerpoulter8484]

I love the leg press but one nice thing about a hack squat is getting a larger range of motion for the hip

[@AVB15]

My gym doesn’t have a hack squat.😔

[@mrsugar2352]

That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. “The nice thing about a hack squat” hacks squats are horrible start to finish 🤣🤣

[@tannerpoulter8484]

@@mrsugar2352 That is why they are so widely used right?

[@mrsugar2352]

@@tannerpoulter8484 no no I wasn’t having a go. It’s just funny you used the word nice to describe a hack squat lol

[@RyanAl92]

​@@mrsugar2352 Um... They're great. What are you saying?

[@hawaiianrussian1047]

As much hate as the leg press gets, I’ve seen many people who don’t squat and do the leg press instead and make great leg gains 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@timmyjohnson1195]

Exactly, people have this notion that squats are the end all be all exercise for legs. When in reality, hack squats, leg press along with lunges are key to leg growth. As well as RDL and ham curls.

[@curtisharolson6643]

Me too 👍🏾

[@moradtaouati5633]

The best for quads

[@GrayLEVALE]

I really needed this. I’ve been trying to figure out which to switch barbell squats for on 2nd leg day of the week. The last bit of advice was solid. 4-6 weeks on one and 4-6 weeks on the other.

[@4525Reality]

Worked in construction for years, and I had to retire the bar squat. My lower back just can’t take it. I found the hack squat and it’s a godsend. Also as an added bonus, no need to wait for the squat rack to open either. Loading up the leg press doesn’t give me the post workout feeling in my legs tho.

[@neganmarie4996]

This is a great podcast, extremely educational. Thanks guys!

[@stevendiaz2656]

Leg press is bad but top IFBB pros use them all the time...Big miss on this one, just don’t let your back round when doing leg press. Grip the handles hard to help prevent that

[@curtisharolson6643]

Brace abs and retract shoulder blades, which and the back will be stable

[@filippo1852]

I’ve been lifting for 20 years and hack squat is undoubtedly superior to leg press. What good is loading a ton of weight on leg press when you can’t feel the legs working? A component of building muscle involves placing yourself in mechanically disadvantaged positions that challenge the muscles to the greatest degree possible - this is the essence of hack squat. Most don’t do it because it can be hard on the knees, BUT if you stay consistent and work on form, range of motion, and most importantly repetition over time, your legs will adjust and then begin to THRIVE. Tom Platz concurs that hacks are superior and ranks it as one of the best leg exercises; Platz also felt leg press was more “showy” as opposed to effective and regarded it as more or less useless. Phil Heath is also a massive advocate of hacks. Hacks > leg press

[@Ak353-d7u]

4:21 If you leg press single leg the other leg is there for emergency backup safety first 💯🔥😎😎

[@dangalangslanger1254]

When picking between two exercises..pick the one you want to do the least, cause thats the one you need to do most cause your week in that movements..i do like the do both advice.

[@connorklemp354]

reverse lunge wants to know my location

[@kingvolt8694]

@@connorklemp354 hate that exercise so baddd

[@Sirvalian]

The one I want to do the least is usually that one that leads to pain in something else than the muscles.

[@RoddyH-os9jx]

The hack kills my knee's. Doesn't matter where I place my feet or how much weight I put on. my knees ain't having it. Yet I have zero knee problem on the leg press. The biggest I've ever gotten my quads was doing primarily leg press and weighted lunges. As long as your body feels good doing it leg press can give you great size and strength gains.

[@nerdacademy3231]

All I do for legs is 5 sets of hack squats, leg curls, and calf raises. Around 12-15 reps each set. My legs are pretty big. Am I mr Olympia? Not even close, but I look good I thinks

[@igt2173]

Cause u do PPL I guess...my gym don't have hack squat I do 4 sets of smith mschinet squats..2 sets of Bulgarian squats and finish it of with leg curls and calf raises

[@randomnordmann4020]

Should be good enough, leaves time for some arm isolation work on leg day and skipping regular squats just removes one more chance of injury that will cause you time out of the gym, muscles lost and fat gained. Mr Olympia, as in roided up mass monsters, isn't something to aim for anyway.

[@nerdacademy3231]

@@Momoa786 ah I can’t do RDLs because of a disc bulge

[@leescammell9988]

Good cardio, loading all the plates on and off

[@alexandervalladares2501]

I like both. I would say leg Press for me. Great Podcast !!!

[@preronabasu2417]

The more videos I see like these, the more I appreciate our old school bread & butter Barbell back squat.. Just do a good set of barbell squat till failure & full stop! You've done more than enough for your lower body & core..

[@blah7918]

6:31 got bored of waiting so just decided to cut in then 🤣!

[@michaelblack6888]

I don't have access to any machines and front squats are very awkward and painful resting heavy loads on my clavicle. I don't seem to feel it in my quads very much doing back squats. What I have found that works best for me to target my quads and only have a barbell is the barbell hack squat. It is the real deal.

[@hivibe2526]

I do 5x5 barbell squats Then stiff leg deadlifts Then leg extension machine Then superset leg curl and calf raises Then finish off with hack squats focusing more on TUT

[@AVB15]

Nice

[@ferbo7863]

TUT is bullshit

[@vikoccult7494]

My leg day is almost the same but I would do the hacksquat after the SLDLs and the leg extension as last. Compounds with a deep loaded stretch should come before a isolation with only peak contraction.

[@isaacmunoz2261]

Why hacksquat at the end wont you be fatigued?

[@randomnordmann4020]

5x5 is a recipe for injury. Unless you're a wannabe power lifter, just go higher reps. At some point you'll want to ditch the regular squat all together because the amount of weight you can load on your spine will be too high risk.

[@kevinm7523]

The only leg exercise i really no longer do is the barbell free squat, due to lumbar issues, I've moved over to Smith squats, but at 50 i still incorporate every variation of leg exercise possible over the course of a week of training

[@rickrosas726]

I prefer single leg presses on the horizontal press and I do hack squats as my compound movements

[@jacobmenard1980]

Leg press is a greater LEG exercise because it isolates legs and there’s less risk of injury.

[@stevendiaz2656]

Yeah , they brought up how it’s unsafe. Sure if you let your butt come off the seat and round your back

[@RyanAl92]

20% of this video was explaining how the leg press isn't safe. AND they didn't even bring up how many people snapped their knees on the leg press.

[@stevendiaz2656]

@@RyanAl92 that’s if they fully locking out. But yeah it’s odd they mentioned lower back never have pain on my lower when leg pressing must be due to rounding the back

[@RyanAl92]

@@stevendiaz2656 It's odd because YOU never had lower back pain? Many people I personally know have lower back pain when they leg press. Most people have their lower back round off the pad when the knees hit the chest and they don't even realize it. But when you watch them, you can see the rounding.

[@stevendiaz2656]

@@RyanAl92 stop thumbs uping your comment, and no it’s a machine w/ back support your lower back shouldn’t be going into it. Only if a load of weight and don’t grip the bars tightly your butt might come off the seat and your back will round, then when you push to straight your legs your back will also straighten and it might hurt. Just shit technique

[@NonprofitWrench]

Idk why people hate on the leg press so much. Depending on your goals and situation it may be the best leg exercise available. You can change focus with foot positioning and you can incorporate a variety of beyond failure techniques that you could never ever accomplish doing squats. All that with a reduced risk of injury and less taxing on the central nervous system, thus keeping you on your routine and in the gym. And like they said, back in the 90's leg presses were the go-to leg exercise for many pros.

[@iang8169]

Its because if you do the same deep range of motion as a hack squat ( ie take the leg press so your knees touch your shirt ) then probably your butt comes off rhe pad and youll get lower back problems. I hack squat one day and leg press another and so far no lower back pain when taking my knees to my shirt

[@NonprofitWrench]

@iang8169 yea, you definitely want to make sure you're not going so deep on leg press that your butt starts to wink or curl because you could injury your back. Every exercise has risks and increased risk when performed improperly.

[@michaelthorne209]

There're all tools use them.

[@jemand8462]

This video is totally useless because they mix up the two exercises from minute one on all the time and contradict their own claims in the next sentence.

[@adamsc1181]

Bruh adam 12 plates on single leg leg press is crazyyyyy. Just 2 to 7 assisted reps with the other leg is what im managing rn

[@rampage222555]

They both have their ups and downs. I don't particularly see one as better than the other. One can fuck up your back if your form sucks, the other can fuck up your knees if your form sucks. There is value in the increased range of motion of the hack squat, there's also value in the increased volume and weight of the leg press. I think some of the negativity towards the leg press in this video comes from bias towards wanting a leg exercise that carries over to the barbell squat. That's fine, but I personally think the leg press and hack squat complement each other much better than either with the squat, for bodybuilding purposes.

[@daviddelgadillo4502]

For some reason my lower body is so much weaker then my upper body. Takes 3 times longer to recover even tho I’m only doing hack squats with NO PLATES

[@mgzone23]

Condition your legs on leg press higher reps ,work up ...

[@tessa2726]

No plates? :s im a chick and put 45’s on that sucker the first time I hopped on. Give it a try

[@daviddelgadillo4502]

@@tessa2726 i tried 25's and couldnt even move, sorry.

[@tessa2726]

@@daviddelgadillo4502 at least you tried 😭 hope you get there some day! Leg press and leg extensions till you get there. I still remember not being able to do Bulgarians so I ain’t shaming you at all dude!

[@akaandre3562]

@@daviddelgadillo4502 one thing that can help is stretching after workout 10-15 min. Cuz i felt the same as u guys. But stretching does miracles when it comes to pain

[@grandcalamity6921]

My take Those leg presses where you're reclined back and the weight is coming down at an angle- really feel it in my glutes. I have a high foot placement. Hack squat I assumed was bad from hearing others shit on it. Tried it once cause everything else was in use- hit my Quads in a way I'd never experienced before. Don't write it off until you try it a few times imo

[@dk4366]

Ive noticed im more prone to popping a rib with leg press. Reverse hack squat I can get full range of motion without any problems. Way more natural.

[@bendodd2405]

Hack squats are better for strength strength training and carry over better to back squats as you need to use your core and full body in a hack squat but for pure leg size.... The leg press is probably a bit better.. The reason is, like any machine you can take it alot further past failure and do it far more safely. Muscle growth comes from doing more than last time and the hack squat is limited to your core and other smaller muscles still to allow this effectively

[@koreyg8552]

People love the leg press for the ego because they can stack plates and half rep with chicken legs as opposed to only doing a plate or 2 plates on each side of the hack

[@aquamarine99911]

Great bit. Did both yesterday and my thighs are still burning. Obviously range of motion is the key thing here. But I will try the single leg press instead, while keeping the hack squat.

[@SheaRoberts]

My gym doesn't have hack squat. Just leg press and barbell squats. Barbell aggravates my left knee but I still do it. But the leg press is easier on my knee and I can build volume.

[@zakariabakkali2563]

Leg Press Is awesome for deadlift strenght

[@beau__]

I’ve made some pretty good gain when just using the leg press machines. Idk why it always gets such a bad rap.

[@beaucarpenter4688]

6 sets of leg press and 4 sets of Hack squats and you are done.

[@jarrydevans5324]

Hack over regular squat for us glass backers 😂 I’ve had multiple back injuries from squatting and nothing since I started the hack squat. Thanks

[@skullcrusher6012]

I think a better comparison is hack squat and leg Sled since feet are closer to the floor

[@timothybullard9612]

Both exercises are great.

[@nataliamunoz8625]

i find it soo hard to get mind muscle connection with leg press.

[@rocky1399]

U gotta drop the weight down

[@Siberius-]

Less weight, and you can also slow down the movement, definitely including the negative portion. Then it will be less weight and less reps (to start building up from) which I see as a good thing. More effective, less time consuming with reps and loading weight, less risk of injury, etc. Also easier to get into the mindset. If all your lifts are heavy as shit (because you're maybe utilising compromised form), then it can be harder to have the motivation to do it.

[@Whiskydanger]

Gotta have leg muscles to connect with.

[@hanskazan7403]

because you doesnt have muscle to connect with

[@Siberius-]

I mean, she might have a decent amount of leg muscle to connect with... we don't actually know that. Also I feel like you can feel the right things, without having much muscle.

[@jwilburn4712]

I HAVE NEVER SEEN A VID WHERE THESE GUYS ARE ACTUALLY IN A GYM To me; Hack Squats discipline you more to keep range of motion better than both leg press or traditional barbell squat.

[@mr.speyside5240]

Do both 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Whiskydanger]

Tldr:do one for a meso and the other for the next.

[@saunch_bodybuilding5546]

For programming, would you recommend the hack squat or the box squat for an alternate leg day main movement? For bodybuilding focus

[@alexwilliams5587]

Definitely hack squat

[@topemeister3000]

Definitely hack squat. The box squat is a powerlifting accessory.

[@Staymotivatedtodayandenjoylife]

Dorian Yates only did one set to failure on the leg press and the hack squat and had great legs. He never did free weight squats either.

[@spitshinetommy3721]

Dorian squated in his younger days. He ditched them as his career progressed.

[@zakeria]

U can poop and get bigger quads with the juice

[@topemeister3000]

False. Like Tommy said, he did them in his younger days (he was heavily inspired by The Quadfather - Tom Platz), but he stopped them due to injury and the risk to exacerbate said injury.

[@randomnordmann4020]

Unless you're on roids too you shouldn't try to emulate what roid monsters do for any muscle.

[@tessa2726]

Damn. If only it were that easy

[@julienrodot8288]

And how about the belt squat ! I am lucky to own one at home and it is the freakin weapon to build solid legs 😅👍

[@marcosduran4169]

Tom platz only used hacked squats and squats

[@RyanAl92]

Tom Platz was a mad man on mad juice.

[@guts1859]

I prefer the hack

[@JohnDoe_2500]

Lmao @ Lifting weights in a Recliner 😂🤣😭

[@MindPumpShow]

😂

[@dannychampion25]

How do I build knee tendon strength and tendon strength for the rest of my body

[@cress1974]

Justin saying you don’t see anybody going knees to chest . Hell half the people squatting don’t even break parallel.

[@persianatural]

Great channel

[@saunch_bodybuilding5546]

mahdiarmuscle tabasi enjoying the different opinions

[@marcusroto]

Had me until advocated for switching up leg exercise for “muscle shock” benefits. No such thing. Progressive overload leads to Hypertrophy. Not continuously introducing new exercises for shock value.

[@theneverending9319]

Leg press because my lower back sucks

[@Khaos969]

Hack squat destroys your knees

[@salimattal2864]

Yes

[@hangman2513]

When you’re single leg leg pressing is your foot in the center of the platform?

[@misfits12o]

No that’s a good way to get hurt

[@Khaos969]

No you would be off centre wouldn’t you … your foot goes in line with the knee you don’t turn into the middle Fuck urself up

[@piyushjadhav048jadhav3]

Hack squat>>>>>

[@fitta74]

Dorian Yates only used the leg press machine.

[@varnadorel]

Not true. He used both the leg press and hack squat.

[@goonzsquad1]

Even before that he did barbell squat

[@zeroman614]

Nope

[@goonzsquad1]

@@zeroman614 yea he did and there’s been plenty of interviews of him talking about it

[@topemeister3000]

False. He did them in his younger days (he was heavily inspired by The Quadfather - Tom Platz), but he stopped them due to injury and the risk to exacerbate said injury.

[@wario1015]

Hack squats are better you get a better range of motion and don’t forget the goal of doing legs is to be a beast when doing squats

[@johnjohntv1195]

Lmfao, they tried to explain why leg press is inferior and then went on to describe every reason why it’s superior 🤣

[@VwapTrader]

7:14 Al uses the F-word My parents told Me not to use.

[@Sharkenite]

To sum it up, do what works for you and your body.

[@jesssandoval7659]

What’s better a hack squat/leg press combo or single machines.

[@e.t.893]

🔥

[@17_jager37]

Me: is unsure what machine I should get This video: uh yeah thats a bad idear btw Me: so no leg press just squats - ah yes

[@RyanAl92]

Machine to get for your home gym? Are you kidding me, mate? Just back and front squat. This video is more for people who enrolled in a gym and have access to both a leg press and a hack squat and don't know what to do with them.

[@17_jager37]

@@RyanAl92 still prefer Hackensmith and leg press over squats due to the pump

[@SuperCDS1]

A 45 degree leg press will only give you 71% of the load because of the angle

[@Vlek]

youre still moving the same weight just less or more height depending on the height difference of the sled at highest vs lowest yes itl feel easier to move relative load of 50 kg 2 meters than 100 kg 1 meter but both of those still get you the same ammount of total tension if you perform them in the same timeframe

[@ehLeanne311]

Leg press is bullshit, the reason you can load so much weight is because you're not even lifting, your pushing the weight, why even bother 1 legged leg press that's even more wanky "hell look bro I'm leg pressing 100kg with one leg" 🤣🤣There's something just wrong with doing one leg only of any exercise for a complete set besides wasting time

[@salimattal2864]

Go Max deep on it 😂😂😂 plus more safe for knee

[@JoseYuri]

I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HACK SQATS! They Are extremely tough for me and make me feel weak AF.

[@jasoncortez1238]

You probably are weak AF. Just keep working them.

[@JoseYuri]

@@jasoncortez1238 I am when it comes to hack sqats. I also have been using wrong form placing feet further out not realizing it’s a quad focused machine 😓

[@leecourtney1225]

@@JoseYuri Me too but you know what that's a great thing. As for this oh if you want good quads you must place your feet low BS. Sure if you drop your feet low and narrow you will get more quad activation but for me my knees just can't take travelling too far forward so I put them high, wide and ensure I kick them out, yeah I get a bit more glute work but ffs you will still be lighting up them quads if you maintain tension (don't lock out or rest at the top) glutes don't work knee flexion which is basically what a hack squat is regardless of knee stance. The leg press is way more comfortable for me which in my experience basically means less effective and my days of barbell squats as a 45 year old pretty beat up always natty man are over 😂

[@randomnordmann4020]

Yeah I don't seem to be able to load any more on them than regular squats. At least they are safer so I can include them but I don't feel as much for my quads as a single leg press can do.

[@SLouiss]

Depends. For a taller person with long femurs I’d say hack Squat. Leg press for short legs.

[@jawbaw6471]

Hack squats can ruin knees.

[@RyetheBred]

Any leg exercise can ruin knees, if you're dumb.

[@marcosduran4169]

Squats also

[@spitshinetommy3721]

Leg press is the only one of the three that gave me knee pain. Mainly because I was a newb and was locking out at the top.

[@zeroman614]

Only if you’re a dullard

[@youtubehatesfreespeech]

My knees felt more comfortable on the hack squat compared to barbell and leg press.

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

The fact that guys who can't squat 225 can do 5 plates on a leg press shows that its not worth using compared to a hack squat.

[@salimattal2864]

They dont go deep

[@mikemorin7411]

Nice post but if you don’t use the F word would be a lot nicer. You don’t need to curse to be a man. It’s just a filthy word to use.

[@WTFnecktatto]

I love the super sqajt machine, feels safer then regular sqauts so j can push much more wieght

[@Sirvalian]

What's the difference between sqajts and sqauts? Please enlighten us.