Hitting the legs Hard is one of my very beloved things to do in the gym. But even for me, there are days when the Barbell Squat is just not on the menu...I whether don't feel like doing it that day or I've just done it recently.
That's where this practice comes into play...the Rack Hack, as I like to call it. Basically, it combines the benefits of free squatting (moving your body straight through space, supporting the load on yourself, having free time of movement) with the benefits of the hack squat motor (your body is more stabilized, it's easier to get set up and achieve the exercise).
Rack Rails
Usually, you'd think these benefits would be mutually exclusive...after all, how can you pronounce free time of movement where your body is legitimately more stabilized!
I'll show you...
First you're going to need a power rack and a barbell. Set one of the protection rails up high (about shoulder height) and one of the rails low (around midsection height). When you set a bar on it, it'll be tilted downward at a fairly steep angle.
Before you put any weight on the bar, test the height to make sure you can squat down and get your shoulder under it (because that's what you're going to be doing in the exercise!).
Once you've got the height set, load Both ends of the bar. You don't need as much on the higher end - that's more for anchoring the weight. Be particular when you load the bottom end as the plates will have a tendency to slide. Put a plate on then immediately put a collar on.
Now you have a choice...you can do the practice with no padding or with a towel wrapped nearby the end of the bar (the acceptable barbell pad won't fit because it would go on the thick end of the bar). In the demo pics, I'm using a towel. If you're using lighter weight, it won't matter so much.
Squat down beside the bar and set your right shoulder under the end. Your back should be right up against the weight plates. Reach up and grip the end of the bar with both hands to keep operate of the bar and lock yourself onto it.
Now stand up! You'll consideration that you're somewhat locked into the movement while still maintaining free time of movement. The end of the barbell moves freely in space, allowing you to find your own groove in the practice while still having the one end of the bar anchored so you have a pivot point to move from.
This is a very effective combination that legitimately does give you the best of both worlds. The other cool thing? You get exquisite core training as well, because you're supporting the weight on one shoulder.
Because of that, I suggest alternating sides with the exercise. I do 3 reps on one side then 3 reps on the other side, going back and forth. You can also do your full set of reps on one shoulder, take your rest period (60 to 90 seconds is good) then do your next set on the other shoulder. whether way works just fine.
I suggest sets of 8 to 12 reps with this practice but feel free to experiment with different weights and ranges...because the other nice thing about this setup is that you stop at the bottom.
What's so special about that? It means you can push your legs until they're trashed and naturally set the weight back down on the rack rail without ever worrying about getting stuck under a bar.
So if you're finding for a way to do hack squats and your gym doesn't have the motor for it, this is a very effective alternative. You can also set the bar up higher, set a calf block down and do standing calf raises with this type of setup as well.
When you give this practice a try and can't walk usually for some days after because your legs are like rubber, you can blame me. I'll accept it.
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