hacks are killing my knees... need ideas

[PTAaron]

Okay... here's the situation - since having to switch gyms I have been having issues with the hack squat machine... I don't know if it is the angle, or the platform or what it is exactly, but it is just killing my knees - and the one at my other gym was just fine. This machine also has the shoulder pads just slightly farther apart and it compresses my bad AC joint - so all in all I am going to have to drop Hacks... but I am not sure what to replace them with...

Looking through the other quad exercise threads basically I see hacks, squats, leg press, front squats ... and thats about it.
Right now I am doing leg press for one of the days, ATF smith squats on another day, and the 3rd day was hacks. I tried doing zercher squats but couldn't hold enough weight that way to get a reasonable workout. Front squats are out of the question because of my AC joint issue.

Anyone got any brilliant ideas?

[babygetoboy]

Free-weight squats

[The Munster]

Have you tried different foot placement? Doing hacks I have to have my feet at the very top of the foot platform or I feel to much stress on my knees. Are you wrapping your knees? Hacks are the only leg movement that I feel stress on my knees. TLM and I just started wrapping our knees for these and it helps tremendously!
Also, the should pads on the hack machine at our gym bothers TLM's shoulders so on the day we're doing hacks, she brings a large towel, rolls/folds it along it's length and places that on her shoulders before getting into the machine. That's helped her too.

[lionel]

Those leg press with diff angles..? One parallel to the ground and another at an angle.. know some hack squat machines can actually function as a leg press to.. but at that angle..

[MsteveM]

what about barbell hacks?

[Trulyhuge]

Wrap the knees. I had the same problem but i started wrapping them and no pain!

TH

[Gollum]

:iagree:

[PTAaron]

I wrap my knees, and I have tried every possible foot position and stance width combination... The pain at the time is minor, but for the next few days to week I have enough pain that it messes up the next leg workout in the rotation.

I just dropped free squats because I was having to lessen my range to add weight.

Any instructions for barbell hacks? I remember seeing them somewhere...

[PTAaron]

We do have a parallel to the ground leg press - cable and weight stack design, thats an idea. I've always been afraid of those ever since the cable snapped on one while I was using it - talk about an exercise hurting your knees... and the stupid gym owner actually had the nerve to try telling me I was going to pay for repairing the machine!

[ctgblue]

Barbell hacks are basically a like a deadlift behind the legs, the bar is held behind you but you dont have to set it down

http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/...HackSquat.html

[Shawn "Future" Bellon]

Barbell hacks arent worth doing. Pretty cumbersome. If you didnt like zurchers you wont like there. You may have to have a heavier, low rep squat day and a lower weight, high rep day for squats. Maybe mix things up if you have too. Superset some things every so often. But you should not do the hacks.

[nemo]

barbell walking lunges
not the greatest exercise for getting strong on but they are fairly effective (i find anyways) and they are certainly better then nothing

[rowtogrow]

barbell hacks torch my quads, great exercise

[Shadrach]

barbell hacks torch my quads, great exercise

:iagree:

Barbell Hacks are one of my favorite exercises.

[Shawn "Future" Bellon]

Well, trying doing barbell hacks with real weight.