Quad day, no balance tax. Just push.
Keep your lower back glued to the pad the whole way down, don't let it round off.
The hack squat machine puts a squat's worth of knee bend under load while the pads carry your torso, so your quads take the full hit without your balance or back holding the session hostage. The fixed track lets you sink to parallel and beyond with confidence, and the glutes assist driving out of the bottom. It's the machine for hammering quads with big weight when you want squat depth without squat logistics.
Both hit quads hard, but the hack squat keeps you in a standing squat pattern with more knee travel, which many lifters feel more in the quads. The press lets you load even heavier. Pick by feel, or run both across the week.
Shoulder width, around the middle to lower half of the platform for maximum quad. Higher foot placement reduces knee travel and eases the quad bias if your knees want a gentler day.
You're going deeper than your hips allow on that foot setting, so your pelvis tucks and your back peels off the pad. Stop just above that point, or move your feet slightly higher on the platform.
