Leg Press Hack Squat Machine Review

The leg press hack squat machine combo is the biggest piece of equipment in my garage gym.

It used to be my folding weight rack but not anymore.

I’ve set this in the perfect spot between both garage doors and I love it for leg day workouts.

Let’s check it out!

Unboxing

The leg press hack squat machine was shipped in 4 boxes labeled 1 through 4.

Everything came neatly covered in bubble wrap and styrofoam blocks.

No damages to report.

Once I started taking pieces out of every box I noticed everything was labeled.

This is great because it matches numbers in the instructions manual making it way easier to assemble.

Assembly

The instructions manual is easy to understand.

It shows numbers for each part and since everything is labeled, it’s straight forward.

Of course, the hardware is labeled too so I knew exactly which pieces to use.

Overall assembly took about 2 hours but I made sure everything was done right and kept double checking.

I did everything by myself so having another person would definitely cut down assembly time and help with heavy pieces.

Specs

• Dimensions: 84″ L x 47″ D x 56″ H

• Weight: 385 lbs

• Weight capacity: 400 lbs

• Bearings: Linear

• Back pad: 36″ H x 18″ W

• Band pegs: 4 included

• Hack squat foot plate: 26″ W x 27″ H

• Leg press foot plate: 25.5″ W x 13″ H

• Storage plate horns: 9.5″ L

• Weight plate horns: 10 3/4″ L

Leg Press Hack Squat Machine Combo

And here it is all assembled.

In that pic I have it set up for hack squats but this can easily be changed into a leg press machine in seconds.

I’ll show you how that’s done in a bit but first I’ll show you some of its features.

Features

Linear Bearings

The weight sled carriage slides up and down two heavy duty rods via linear bearings.

I’ve seen other machines that use rolling bearings and those don’t last very long so this is much better.

The rods are long which is good for taller people so the weight sled can travel a long path.

Linear bearings give it a commercial machine smooth feeling which I love.

Safety Handrails

Each side of the leg press hack squat combo machine has safety rails.

These rails rotate and have 3 safety catches (pegs) with rubber sleeves.

The job of the safety rails is to lock and unlock the sled (it can be locked at 3 different heights).

In the picture above I labeled them with white arrows.

The sled has a horizontal bar on each side like you see above.

This bar sits on top of the the safety catches when locked in place.

The safety handrails also have two handles: a low one and a high one.

In the picture above I’m doing a leg press so I’m using the low handle.

To lock the sled, the handle stays close to the machine.

Then before I start the leg press, I unlock the sled by rotating the handle out.

If I’m doing a hack squat it works the same way but for this exercise I use the top handles.

In the locked position the handle is close to the machine.

To unlock it, I turn the handle out.

Depth Adjuster

Towards the bottom of the sled there’s a telescoping depth adjuster that prevents the sled from going all the way down.

This is there for my safety, so I don’t get pinned down by the weights if I’m doing a leg press.

Or get stuck at the bottom of a hack squat.

If for some reason I can’t lift the weight, the depth adjuster will support the sled and I can move off the machine without getting pinned.

The depth adjuster has 7 different height settings so it can be used by people of different heights.

Weight Plate Horns

Directly below the sled are the weight horns.

Each horn is 10 3/4″ long.

I like this design because it keeps all moving weight plates within the frame of the machine.

With my kids always roaming around my garage gym this is good.

Here’s what it looks like when I load up competition bumper plates on them.

I can easily fit 4 or 5 bumpers on there.

With thin weight plates of course I can load up more.

Here’s another view of the weight horns.

And here’s what that looks like if I was doing leg presses.

Band Pegs

Right at the base of the leg press hack squat machine there are 3 holes on each side.

These are for 4 band pegs.

I can move the band pegs closer or further from the weight horns to add accommodating resistance to my workouts

I just throw bands on the pegs and weight horn and use them in combination with the weight plates.

So as the sled moves up, the bands continue to add resistance making the exercise harder.

Weight Plate Storage

At the end of each post there’s 2 storage horns.

Each one of these is 9.5″ long and with a total of 4 storage horns, I have plenty of room to use as weight plate storage.

The storage horns are compatible with all Olympic sized weight plates with 2″ center holes.

Rubberized Feet and Wheels

Each corner has a rubberized foot to keep the machine from moving around and they work as intended.

With a machine this heavy, it’s not going to move at all.

There’s also two wheels on one end of the machine.

I won’t be moving this 350 lbs machine often but it’s good to have the wheels option to make moving it easier.

At the other hand of the machine is a long handle.

If I need to move it, I pick it up from the handle and roll it around.

Hack Squat Set Up

Ok it’s time to get to the good stuff.

I’m going to show you all the components of the hack squat set up.

Foot Plate

The foot plate for the hack squat set up has a massive 26″ wide by 27″ tall foot print.

I have plenty of space to move my feet all over this thing.

It’s diamond plated so my feet aren’t sliding all over the place.

The foot plate has 3 openings.

A circle right in the top middle to attach a back pad when doing leg presses (I’ll show you that later).

Here’s the top of the calf block.

Like the foot plate, it’s diamond plated for grip.

The bottom has angled lips that fit right into the foot plate slots.

Here’s what the calf block attachment looks like when it’s hooked up to the foot plate.

I can do standing calf raises while in the hack squat set up.

And here’s what the calf block looks like from the side.

The foot plate angle can also be adjusted.

Right behind it there’s a knob that lets me raise or lower the foot plate support.

I like to keep the plate vertical when doing hack squats and angled when doing leg presses.

Back and Shoulder Pads

The back pad sits in between two shoulder pads.

I’m going to pull it back so you can see how it’s held in place.

The back of the back pad has a chrome cylinder that fits right into the frame.

It slides in and out easily and the back pad is sandwiched in between the sled so it doesn’t move anywhere.

Right above each shoulder pad there’s a rubberized handle.

This helps to keep my hands out of the way so I don’t pinch my fingers when the sled is moving up and down.

With the back pad on and the foot plate at the angle I want, it’s go time.

I pull the safety rails out to unlock the sled and I’m off to hack squat.

When I’m done I pull the safety rails in to lock the sled in place.

From this same set up I can attach the calf block to do standing calf raises.

Now I’m going to show you how to switch it to a leg press machine.

From Hack Squat To Leg Press Machine

First thing I do is remove the back pad from in between the shoulder pads.

Then insert the chrome cylinder into the center hole of the hack squat foot plate.

Here’s what the back pad looks like resting on the foot plate.

Now it’s time to add the seat pad.

The back of the seat pad has two cylindrical metal rods that fit right into two holes on the frame.

And just like the back pad, there’s no screwing involved.

The angles at which they sit and my bodyweight keeps the pads from moving around.

So now the bottom half of the leg press is all set up.

Now it’s time to set up the top half, the foot plate.

Right behind where the back pad was set for the hack squat, there’s a red spring loaded pull pin.

When I pull the pin, it unlocks the leg press foot plate which is folded down right below it.

Then all I have to do is flip the foot plate up until I hear it click.

Once it clicks, the pin has locked it in the upright position.

To change it back to a hack squat set up, I just do the opposite.

Here’s the leg press foot plate with my feet on it.

The dimensions on this foot plate are 25.5″ wide by x 13″ tall.

With the pads and foot plate set up, it’s time to rock and roll.

Just unlock the safety railings and I’m leg pressing.

Right next to the seat pad, there’s a pair of non-moving handles to keep my hands on.

Leg Press vs Hack Squat: What’s The Difference?

Watch the short video above to learn about the mass building benefits and differences between the hack squat and leg press.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Stability: Unlike a barbell squat, I have more stability on a machine so I can focus on pressing as much as I can with my legs

• Volume: I can add volume to my training (for hypertrophy) knowing I can easily lock the sled if I fail a rep

• Weight capacity: I can add a lot more weight to the machine than I can to a barbell (for strength and hypertrophy)

• Safety: Safety catches and the depth adjuster prevent me from getting stuck if I fail a lift

• Three-in-one: I can switch from hack squat to calf raise to leg press machine in seconds

• Build: Made out of steel and weighing 350 lbs, this machine is solid

Cons

• Footprint: The machine takes up 7 ft x 4 ft of space so you’ll need to plan out your home gym accordingly. For a space saving option, check out the vertical leg press machine.

Leg Press Hack Squat Machine Review

Although it takes up more space than any other machine I own, I’m very happy with my leg press hack squat combo machine.

The sled glides up and down smoothly and the machine easily changes from the hack squat to leg press and vice versa in seconds.

I like having this versatility so I can add more volume and press more weight on leg days.

Adding bands with the band pegs also makes the exercises more challenging.

And the extra weight plate storage is a plus.

Check Out The Leg Press Hack Squat Machine