How is the Landmine Hack Squat different from the Landmine Squat?

In the Landmine Squat you face the anchor and hold the bar end at your chest with both hands. In the Landmine Hack Squat you face away from the anchor, rest the bar on one shoulder and lean back into it, a position coaches use to keep the torso tall and the work focused on the quads.

Should I switch shoulders between sets?

Yes. The bar loads one side of your body, so alternate the shoulder it rests on from set to set to keep both sides of your trunk and legs working evenly.

How deep should I squat?

Go as deep as you can while your heels stay flat and your pelvis does not tuck under, which for most people is around thighs parallel to the floor or a little below. Depth can be built gradually as your hips and ankles allow.

Can I do it without a landmine attachment?

Yes. Wedge one end of the barbell into a corner, protect the wall and floor with a towel, and check that the end cannot slide before you load the bar.

Can it replace the hack squat machine?

It can stand in for it when you have no machine, since it copies the leaned-back, feet-forward position for quad-focused work. It is still a different movement, because the bar moves in an arc and sits on one shoulder, so loads are usually limited by how steadily you can hold it rather than by your legs.

How much weight am I actually lifting?

Less than the full bar and plates, because the anchor supports one end, and the share you carry changes with the angle of the bar. Track the plates you use and compare loads only on the same setup.

Landmine Hack Squat

What Is the Landmine Hack Squat?

Landmine Hack Squat is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quadriceps and also engages the glutes, adductors and core. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you stand facing away from a barbell anchored at one end in a landmine, rest the free end on one shoulder, lean back into the bar and squat.

The setup borrows the leaned-back, feet-forward position of a hack squat machine without needing the machine. The anchor carries part of the bar's weight, and leaning into it lets your torso stay tall while your knees travel forward, which keeps most of the work on the quadriceps. Because the load sits on one shoulder rather than across the upper back, the lower back carries relatively little, which makes it a useful quad builder for home gyms and for lifters who want leg work without heavy spinal loading.

It is a different movement from its neighbors. In the Landmine Squat you face the anchor and hold the bar end at your chest, while the Barbell Hack Squat holds a barbell behind the legs and the Hack Squat runs on a fixed sled. Here the load is offset to one side, so your obliques and trunk work to stop the bar from bending or twisting you toward the loaded shoulder, and coaches switch the bar to the other shoulder from set to set to keep both sides even.

The Landmine Hack Squat usually sits as an accessory in a leg session, after the main squat or deadlift, and suits moderate to high rep sets where the quads can be worked hard without a heavy bar on the back. Lifters with little squat experience should first learn to sit straight down with flat heels using the Landmine Squat or Dumbbell Goblet Squat, then move to the leaned-back version once that pattern is steady.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Vastus Lateralis: Primary
Vastus Medialis: Primary
Gluteus Maximus: High
Rectus Femoris: High
Adductor Magnus: Medium
Erector Spinae: Low
External Oblique: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low
Soleus: Low
Semitendinosus: Minimal

Instructions

Anchor one end of a barbell in a landmine, or wedge it securely into a corner, and load a plate on the free end.
Lift the free end, turn to face away from the anchor, and rest the bar on top of one shoulder beside your neck so the end of the bar sits in front of you.
Hold the end of the bar with both hands in front of that shoulder at about chin height, elbows pointing forward and down.
Walk your feet a short step forward so they sit slightly in front of your hips, about hip to shoulder width apart with your toes turned out slightly.
Lean back into the bar so it supports part of your weight, keep a straight line from your head to your hips, and brace your core.
Bend your knees and hips to sit straight down, letting your knees travel forward in line with your toes while your torso stays tall and your heels stay flat.
Lower until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, or as deep as you can go without your heels lifting or your pelvis tucking under.
Push through your whole foot to stand back up into the leaned-back start position.
Finish your reps, return the bar to the floor under control, and rest it on the other shoulder for your next set.

Common Mistakes

Standing upright with feet under the hips
Without the backward lean and slightly forward foot position, the bar is no longer supporting you and the movement turns into an awkward offset squat that is harder to balance.
Heels lifting at the bottom
Rising onto the toes shifts the load onto the front of the knee and makes the lift unstable, so keep the whole foot flat and stop the descent before the heels come up.
Pelvis tucking under
Squatting deeper than your hips allow rounds the lower back at the bottom, so stop at the depth where your spine stays neutral.
Knees caving inward
Letting the knees drift toward each other takes tension off the quads and stresses the knee, so keep them tracking in line with your toes.
Always loading the same shoulder
Keeping the bar on one side every set lets one side do more of the trunk work, so switch shoulders from set to set.
Resting the bar on the neck
Placing the bar against the neck instead of on top of the shoulder is uncomfortable and can irritate the neck, so set it on the muscle beside the neck and pad it if needed.

Injuries

Landmine Hack Squat is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The anchor carries part of the bar's weight, the loads used are usually moderate, and the bar rests on one shoulder instead of across the upper back, so the lower back is loaded far less than in a barbell back squat.

The knees take most of the stress, because the upright torso and forward knee travel put the knee extensors to work through a deep bend. If your knees are irritable, shorten the range and build depth gradually. The lower back is at risk when the pelvis tucks under at the bottom or the lean collapses, so only go as deep as you can while your heels stay flat and your spine stays neutral. Rest the bar on the muscle on top of the shoulder rather than on the neck, add a bar pad or folded towel if it presses uncomfortably, and make sure the anchored end cannot slide, especially when the bar is wedged into a corner instead of a landmine.

To regress, use the Landmine Squat, the Dumbbell Goblet Squat or the Bodyweight Squat. To progress, add load, pause at the bottom or slow the lowering phase, and move to the Barbell Front Squat or the Hack Squat when you want heavier quad-focused loading.

Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the knee or lower back, numbness or tingling where the bar rests on the shoulder or neck, or if the bar starts to shift and you lose balance.

Overview

Primary Focus: Quads
Equipment: Barbell and landmine
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is the Landmine Hack Squat different from the Landmine Squat?: In the Landmine Squat you face the anchor and hold the bar end at your chest with both hands. In the Landmine Hack Squat you face away from the anchor, rest the bar on one shoulder and lean back into it, a position coaches use to keep the torso tall and the work focused on the quads.
Q: Should I switch shoulders between sets?: Yes. The bar loads one side of your body, so alternate the shoulder it rests on from set to set to keep both sides of your trunk and legs working evenly.
Q: How deep should I squat?: Go as deep as you can while your heels stay flat and your pelvis does not tuck under, which for most people is around thighs parallel to the floor or a little below. Depth can be built gradually as your hips and ankles allow.
Q: Can I do it without a landmine attachment?: Yes. Wedge one end of the barbell into a corner, protect the wall and floor with a towel, and check that the end cannot slide before you load the bar.
Q: Can it replace the hack squat machine?: It can stand in for it when you have no machine, since it copies the leaned-back, feet-forward position for quad-focused work. It is still a different movement, because the bar moves in an arc and sits on one shoulder, so loads are usually limited by how steadily you can hold it rather than by your legs.
Q: How much weight am I actually lifting?: Less than the full bar and plates, because the anchor supports one end, and the share you carry changes with the angle of the bar. Track the plates you use and compare loads only on the same setup.