The squat is regarded as the king of lower body exercises. It works the quads, glutes and core simultaneously.
No one can argue that the barbell squat variations are the most effective. Their ease of use and the fact they allow us to add lots of external load ensure we can place optimal amounts of tension on the working muscles.
Many body composition coaches would argue that the Hack Squat machine is a better exercise for targeting the quads. We’d have to agree that while the Barbell Back Squat does provide a huge amount of muscular recruitment, many clients and athletes due to their biomechanics may utilise other muscles such as the glutes or back far more during it’s execution.
So the hack squat really is a brilliant lower body exercise. A hack squat machine will set you back £2,000-£3,0000, so not something most people will want to do for home workouts. But at SOS Athletic Excellence we are bringing you a fantastic alternative today.
It’s a home based Hack Squat that requires minimal kit with only a Stability Ball and Bands. Not only is this exercise easy to set up, the kit is readily available and this exercise will almost perfectly match the strength curve of a squat.
What do I mean by this?
The squat is always hardest at the bottom of the movements and easiest at the top and the bands align with this strength curve perfectly. The bands decrease in tension as we get weaker in the squat and tighten as we stand up. It really is a perfect exercise to overload the quads and provide tension and muscular fatigue.
So with the UK still in lockdown and gyms in Wales not expecting to open for at least another month, now is a good time to get back into training if you’ve been inactive.
In order to get back into squatting at home we definitely recommend the Banded Hack Squat.
All you ned is a set of bands and a stability ball.
Watch this video of Coach Sam explaining how to do this exercise and how to set it up effectively amd leave a comment and let us know if you’ve tried this exercise.
