Ever Try Landmine Hack Squats?

Training
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I saw this being performed at a public gym last week for the first time – female lifter. I’m always tempted to ask, “Did you see that on T Nation?” when I see a unique exercise that we’ve written about. But I’m always afraid they’ll say, “No, Tik-Tok!” and my whole day will be ruined.

Tossed up an Instagram poll about it.

Here’s Lee Boyce with all the details:

Excerpt:

"Ordinary hack squats can be hit or a miss for some lifters. In my case, after a double knee surgery, they’re a huge miss. Enter landmine hack squats, where the foot-angle alone makes a world of difference for gimpy-kneed lifters.

LANDMINE HACK SQUAT

Instead of having to endure the compressive forces imposed by having your feet on a platform that’s exactly perpendicular to the direction of force (as you do with any conventional hack squat), the landmine hack gives the ankles a more open angle, and that means happier knees.

This creates a feeling similar to squatting with a Smith machine, without the confines of a completely fixed path. Having the weight on a fulcrum also allows you to make minor lateral adjustments to find the perfect groove.

Turning around allows you to find the perfect “lean” (and right foot position) to get a great pump."

2 Likes
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I keep meaning to try these. I have the Black Widow Viking Press attachment which would be perfect for these. I just need to figure out a way to rig it in my garage so I can elevate the bar enough to get under it.

3

I love doing these as a front squat instead so instead of turning around, I hold it with both hands around the upper chest area. Great exercise. I will typically superset it with weighted glute bridges or dumbell stiff leg deads at the end. Front landmines I found, really blow my quads up.

1 Like
4

I realize your post is over 3 1/2 years, but are you still doing Landmine Hack Squats as part of your leg training ? I was recently introduced to this exercise by my training partner. Her and I love it ! It is a fixture in our leg training. Some people bitch about the difficulty and challenge to get the barbell into position when using a heavy weight. I find “muscling it up” onto my shoulder a productive part of the exercise ! I scoff at the puny humans who suggest elevating the plates on a bench. My question to you is how would you sequence this exercise into leg training for optimal results ?