Hey hey, we’re back with Part 2 of the squat guide. And yes, there are somehow even more variations than the ones we covered in Part 1.
Part 1 covers barbell, dumbbell, and bodyweight squat variations, including high bar and low bar back squats, front squats, overhead squats, sissy squats, Spanish squats, and goblet squats.
Today we’re covering:
- Landmine Hack Squat
- Machine Hack Squat
- DB Foam Roller Hack Squat
- Safety Bar Squat
- Pendulum Squat
- Deficit Sumo Squat
- Flat Foot Split Squat
- Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
Machine and Split Squat Variations at a Glance
If you’re trying to figure out which one makes the most sense for your goals or your equipment, start here.
| Variation | Main emphasis | Best fit for | Equipment |
| Landmine Hack Squat | Quads | Hack squat alternative, limited equipment | Barbell + landmine |
| Machine Hack Squat | Quads + full lower body | Stable, heavily loaded leg training | Hack squat machine |
| DB Foam Roller Hack Squat | Quads | Home gym, minimal equipment | Dumbbells + foam roller |
| Safety Bar Squat | Quads + hips | Lifters who prefer a different upper body position | Safety squat bar + rack |
| Pendulum Squat | Quads + glutes | Supported, hypertrophy-focused leg training | Pendulum squat machine |
| Deficit Sumo Squat | Glutes + adductors | More hip range of motion | Dumbbell or kettlebell + platforms |
| Flat Foot Split Squat | Quads + glutes | Single leg training, adjustable emphasis | Dumbbells or barbell |
| Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat | Quads + glutes | More demanding unilateral training | Dumbbells or barbell + support |
There’s no universally best variation here. The better question is which one fits your training goal, the equipment you actually have, and a setup you can perform well enough to progress over time.
How Squat Setup Changes Quad vs. Glute Emphasis
Before the individual movements, here’s the principle that ties most of them together.
When a squat variation allows more knee flexion and lets your knees travel farther forward, quad demand usually goes up.
Translation: any time your knees are driving forward over your toes, you’re likely using and abusing your quads.
That’s why hack squats, many safety bar setups, heel-elevated squats, and certain split squat positions feel so quad-heavy.
Knee travel isn’t the only thing that determines muscle involvement, though. Torso angle, hip flexion, stance, stride length, range of motion, machine design, limb lengths, and loading all matter too. And your glutes don’t suddenly stop working because a squat is “quad-focused.” We’re talking about emphasis, not an on and off switch.
Still, keep the knees-forward rule in your back pocket. It’ll tell you what almost any squat variation is going to hit before you ever try it.
Landmine Hack Squat
A useful substitute if your gym doesn’t have a hack squat machine.
- Place the bar between a GHD or two plates so it’s secure
- Clean the bar off the floor and flip it around
- Feet should be out in front of you
- Your body leans back at an angle with the weight resting on the plate
- Keep your feet planted and drive your knees over your toes
The setup takes a little practice the first time. Once you find the right foot position, it creates a similar upright, knee-dominant feel to a machine hack squat.
The goal isn’t to copy the machine perfectly. It’s to create a squat pattern that lets you train your legs effectively with the equipment you actually have. That distinction matters, because a good substitution preserves the intent of the exercise without needing to look identical.
Machine Hack Squat
If your gym has one, this is a very straightforward way to load your legs.
- Start with your feet around shoulder width
- Position them lower on the platform for more knee travel and quad emphasis
- You may need to put yoga blocks under the shoulder pads to get full range of motion
- Keep your back and glutes firmly pressed into the pad
- Keep your whole foot planted and use a range you can control
That yoga block tip is the one most people don’t know. Plenty of hack squat machines won’t let taller lifters get deep enough, and raising the shoulder pads solves it instantly.
On foot placement: lower generally means more quad, but that doesn’t mean “as low as humanly possible.” Your ankle mobility, limb lengths, and the machine’s design all matter. Choose a position where you can move through a controlled range without your heels peeling off the platform.
Different hack squat machines also feel wildly different. One may feel perfect. Another may feel like it was designed by someone who has never met a human femur. That’s normal.
DB Foam Roller Hack Squat
Meet the minimal equipment hack squat (:
You’ll need dumbbells and a foam roller.
- Place the foam roller behind your back against a wall
- Start from the bottom, grab the dumbbells, and stand up
- Walk your feet slightly forward and lean back into the roller
- Like the landmine version, you’ll be slightly leaned back
- Keep your chest up and drive your knees over your toes
The roller lets your torso move smoothly along the wall while you stay leaned back, which makes it much easier to create that knee-dominant pattern with almost no equipment.
Especially useful for home gyms, or for commercial gyms where the hack squat machine has apparently been occupied since 2019.
Landmine vs. Machine vs. Foam Roller Hack Squats
These three all create a hack-squat-style pattern, but they solve different equipment and loading problems.
| Variation | Equipment | Stability | Loading potential | Best use |
| Machine Hack Squat | Hack squat machine | Very high | High | Hypertrophy and heavier leg training |
| Landmine Hack Squat | Barbell + landmine | Moderate | Moderate to high | Hack squat alternative |
| DB Foam Roller Hack Squat | Dumbbells + wall + foam roller | Moderate | Limited to moderate | Home gym or minimal equipment |
The point isn’t making all three feel identical, because they won’t. It’s choosing a version that creates a stable, knee-dominant squat pattern you can train progressively.
This is also exactly how we use exercise substitutions in practice. In our Strength and Hypertrophy cycles, a low bar back squat has been programmed as the primary strength movement with high bar squats listed as the strength swap, and machine hack squats, heels-elevated back squats, and foam roller DB hack squats listed as hypertrophy-focused swaps for the same slot.
Safety Bar Squat
A very useful variation for a lot of lifters.
- Rest the safety squat bar securely across your upper back
- Grip the handles and keep your elbows tucked in
- Chest up, core braced, and drive your knees out
- Let your knees and hips bend together, staying in control through the whole rep
Because you don’t have to reach behind yourself to grip a straight bar, this can be much more comfortable if the shoulder or wrist position of a traditional back squat is limiting for you. It’s a common option for people coming back from an upper body injury.
It also changes where the load sits, so don’t assume the same weight you use for a straight bar will feel identical.
One practical note: safety squat bars vary in weight, and some are noticeably heavier than a standard 45 lb barbell. Check the specific bar at your gym before you start doing plate math.
Pendulum Squat
If your gym has one, enjoy your good fortune.
- Great for training quads and glutes while minimizing strain on your lower back
- Keep your feet flat and planted on the platform
- Feet low on the platform means more quad focus
- Feet higher and wider means more glutes
- Control the bottom position and drive through your whole foot as you stand
The machine supports your torso through the entire movement, which makes it much easier to push your legs genuinely hard without balancing a free weight. That extra stability is one reason machine squat variations are so useful during hypertrophy-focused training.
If you’re trying to decide when a stable machine movement makes more sense than a free weight strength movement, our guide to strength training vs. hypertrophy goes deeper into how exercise selection changes depending on the goal.
Deficit Sumo Squat
A fun way to work your glutes and adductors.
- You’ll need a dumbbell or kettlebell plus two stable elevated surfaces
- Use a wider stance with your feet planted
- Keep your chest up and push your knees out
- Descend slowly to or just below parallel, letting the weight travel below the level of your feet
- Stand back up with control
The deficit is what makes this work. Standing on the boxes gives the weight room to travel farther than it could from the floor, which increases the available range at your hips.
The important word here is stable, though. Don’t build a sketchy deficit out of random objects because the internet told you more range is always better. Use solid boxes, benches, or platforms designed to hold your weight.
Flat Foot Split Squat
Simple, effective, and easy to modify.
- Great option if you have knee pain, or if rear foot elevated split squats just don’t feel comfortable
- Keep both feet on the floor, holding dumbbells or using a barbell
- Lower under control with your front foot planted
- Glute focused: lean your torso forward with a vertical shin on the front leg
- Quad focused: stay upright and drive your knee over your toes
That setup tweak is worth memorizing, because it applies to basically every split squat and lunge you’ll ever do.
Forward lean plus vertical shin equals more glutes. Upright torso plus knee driving over toes equals more quads.
It isn’t a perfect on and off switch, though. Both your quads and glutes are still working. You’re just changing the emphasis.
Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
Same general idea, back foot elevated, and yes, it usually feels significantly harder.
- Elevate your rear foot on a stable surface
- Elevating it gives you more range of motion and shifts more load onto your front working leg
- Control the descent and keep the front foot planted
- Use the same setup tweaks as above to make it glute or quad focused
- Ankle pain? Use a leg curl machine, or place a pad on a barbell in a squat rack
That last tip solves a real problem. Plenty of people find resting their foot on a hard bench uncomfortable, and a padded surface fixes it without changing the movement at all.
You’re not required to suffer through an awkward bench position just because Bulgarian split squats have excellent PR.
Flat Foot vs. Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat
These two are closely related, but the setup changes the difficulty and the stability demands.
Flat Foot Split Squat | Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat | |
Rear foot | On the floor | Elevated |
Stability demand | Usually lower | Usually higher |
Range of motion | Moderate | Often greater |
Loading options | Dumbbells or barbell | Dumbbells or barbell |
Beginner friendly | Usually more | Usually less |
Quad or glute emphasis | Adjustable by setup | Adjustable by setup |
Neither one is automatically a quad exercise or a glute exercise. Torso angle, stride length, knee travel, hip flexion, loading, and your own anatomy all affect where the movement feels hardest.
Choose the version you can control and progressively load.
Which Squat Variation Should You Choose?
Depends what you’re trying to accomplish.
More quad emphasis: landmine hack squat, machine hack squat, foam roller hack squat, safety bar squat depending on setup, pendulum squat with a lower foot position, or split squats with a more upright torso and greater knee travel.
More hip and glute emphasis: deficit sumo squat, pendulum squat with a higher or wider stance, or split squats with a longer stride and more forward lean.
Prefer a different upper body position than a straight bar back squat: safety bar squat.
Want more external support: machine hack squat or pendulum squat.
Minimal equipment: foam roller hack squat, deficit sumo squat, or flat foot split squat.
Want single leg strength: flat foot split squat or rear foot elevated split squat.
No hack squat machine: landmine hack squat or foam roller hack squat.
You don’t need all of these. Find one or two that match the goal of your program, fit your equipment, and let you train hard with good control. Then actually give them enough time to progress.
Novelty is fun. Progress usually requires repeating things.
And if you missed it, Part 1 of our squat variation guide covers the barbell, dumbbell, and bodyweight options.
Frequently Asked Questions About Machine and Split Squat Variations
Is a Hack Squat Better Than a Barbell Squat?
Not universally. A hack squat provides more external stability and makes it easier to focus on loading your legs. A barbell squat requires more balance, stabilization, and skill.
If your goal is specifically improving your back squat, you need to practice the back squat. If your goal is building your legs with a stable movement you can push hard, a hack squat is a very useful option.
What Can I Do if My Gym Doesn't Have a Hack Squat Machine?
Landmine hack squats and dumbbell foam roller hack squats are two solid alternatives. They won’t feel exactly like the machine, and they don’t need to. The goal is creating a similar knee-dominant squat pattern with the equipment you actually have.
Is a Pendulum Squat the Same as a Hack Squat?
No. Both are machine-based squat variations that support your torso, but the path of the machine and the resistance profile are different. Individual machine designs also vary a lot between gyms.
Are Bulgarian Split Squats Better for Quads or Glutes?
They can train both. A more upright torso with more forward knee travel creates more quad demand, while a longer stride with more forward lean shifts emphasis toward the hips and glutes. Again, emphasis rather than isolation.
Is a Safety Bar Squat Easier on the Shoulders?
It can be. Because the handles are in front of you, you don’t need to reach behind your body to grip a straight bar. Many lifters find safety bar squats more comfortable when shoulder or wrist position limits a traditional back squat.
What Is the Best Squat Variation for Quads?
Machine hack squats, pendulum squats, foam roller hack squats, and more upright split squat setups can all be strong quad-focused options. The best one is the variation you can perform through a useful range of motion, load progressively, and recover from.
What Is the Best Squat Variation for Glutes?
Longer-stride split squats, deficit sumo squats, and variations that allow plenty of hip flexion can all be useful. No squat completely isolates the glutes, though.
Is a Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat the Same as a Bulgarian Split Squat?
In most gym conversations, yes. “Bulgarian split squat” is commonly used to describe a split squat performed with the rear foot elevated. The exact height and setup vary.
Are Machine Squats Good for Building Muscle?
Yes. Machine squats can be excellent for hypertrophy, because the external support reduces some of the balance and stabilization demand and lets you focus on pushing the target muscles hard.
That doesn’t make them automatically superior to free weights. They’re simply another useful tool.
Where Paragon Fits
You don’t need every machine on this list to train your legs well.
Our programs include detailed workouts, lifting tips, movement demos, and substitution options so you can adapt exercises to the equipment you actually have without losing the intent of the movement. The app currently includes 600+ movement demo videos along with modification, substitution, and scaling ideas.
That matters whether you’re training in a fully equipped commercial gym, a smaller garage setup, or somewhere that owns exactly one leg machine and it’s always broken.
If you’re training at home or with minimal equipment, we also have Home Gym Physique and DB Physique options, and each programmed movement includes swap choices so you can work with machines, barbells, or dumbbells depending on what you’ve got.
Choose the variation that fits the goal, then train it consistently.
Take a look at the Paragon training programs and choose the one that fits your equipment, schedule, and training goals.
