Hack Squat 40
Plate loaded hack squat on a 40 degree sled.
Made to order in Vietnam. Factory direct, USD pricing, shipped worldwide at container scale. Any RAL colour, your upholstery, your logo.
Plate loaded hack squat on a 40 degree sled. Deep, joint friendly quad loading with your back supported the whole way, so you train legs hard without the spinal cost of a barbell squat. Linear bearings on hardened guide rails, multi-position safety catches, commercial steel. Made to order.
What is a 40 degree hack squat?
A hack squat is a plate loaded leg machine where you stand on a platform with your back against a pad and your shoulders under pads, then squat a sled that runs on a guided track. On the Phoenix Hack Squat 40 that track is set at 40 degrees, slightly shallower than the traditional 45. The shallower angle gives a deeper range of motion and a more upright torso, and it puts the quads squarely in charge of the lift.
The sled runs on linear bearings over hardened guide rails. That is the detail that separates a hack squat you train on for ten years from one that starts to grind in year two. The track stays smooth under load, rep after rep, member after member.
Why gyms buy a hack squat
Every commercial floor needs a heavy leg station that members can use without a spotter and without supervision. The squat rack is not it. The hack squat is. Back on the pad, shoulders under the supports, load the sled and squat. Multi-position safety catches mean a member can take a set to the last rep on their own and bail safely if they miss it. That is the difference between a machine people look at and a machine people queue for.
Bodybuilding floors buy it for quad development. Athletes and lifters buy it to keep training legs hard around a lower back that cannot take a loaded bar. Commercial gyms buy it because it turns over fast and never needs a stack or a cable serviced.
Hack squat vs leg press
Both support the back, both are plate loaded, both let you go heavy alone. The difference is the pattern. A leg press is a pushing movement done seated or lying, pressing the sled away. A hack squat has you standing under the load and squatting it, which keeps the torso engaged and loads the hips and knees through a range much closer to a real squat. The leg press wins on absolute load. The hack squat wins on carry over to standing strength and on quad development. Run both if you can. If you are picking one for a strength or bodybuilding floor, pick the hack squat.
Hack squat vs pendulum squat
A hack squat runs the sled straight on rails, and the rep gets easier as you approach lockout. That lets members load it heavy and finish the set. A pendulum squat swings the load on a pivoting arm with the torso upright, and the rep is hardest at the bottom and through the drive out. The pendulum is the harder quad builder at lower plate loads and allows a deeper squat. The hack squat moves bigger weight and suits more of your members. The 40 degree hack squat sits closest to the pendulum in feel, with the deeper range and the upright torso, while still moving the loads a hack squat is known for. Pair it with the Phoenix Pendulum Squat for the complete picture.
40 degree or 45 degree?
Phoenix builds both. The 40 degree sled gives a slightly deeper range and a more upright torso, which drives the work into the quads. The Hack Squat 45 runs the traditional 45 degree angle and shifts a little more load onto the posterior chain, so glutes and hamstrings do more alongside the quads. Bodybuilding floors chasing quads and lifters who want depth usually pick the 40. General commercial floors and strength gyms often pick the 45. If you are not sure which suits your floor, call Andy and talk it through.
Setting up in seconds
Set the safety catches for your depth. Back on the pad, shoulders under the supports, feet on the non-slip platform. Release the sled and squat to the catches. Feet higher on the platform brings in more glute and hamstring. Feet lower and closer drives the quads. Members learn it in one set, and the safeties mean nobody needs to stand over them while they do.
What you get
- Plate loaded, no stack to service and no cable to stretch
- 40 degree sled angle for a deep, controlled range and an upright torso
- Linear bearings on hardened guide rails for a smooth track that stays smooth
- Padded back and shoulder supports
- Multi-position safety catches. Train to failure alone, bail safely
- Non-slip foot platform
- Commercial steel frame with powder coat finish
- Any RAL frame colour and 6 upholstery colours
Built for
- Commercial gyms that need a heavy leg station members can use unsupervised
- Bodybuilding floors chasing quad development
- Athletes and lifters loading legs around a cranky lower back
- Strength gyms that want a deep squat pattern without a bar on the spine
Built for the floor
Deep, quad first
The 40 degree sled gives a deeper range and a more upright torso than a 45. The quads run the lift, the knees and hips move through a full range, and the back stays on the pad the whole way.
Legs to failure, no spotter
Multi-position safety catches mean a member can take a set to the last rep alone and bail safely. Commercial gyms leave it unsupervised. Members queue for it.
Smooth for years
Linear bearings on hardened guide rails. The sled tracks the same clean line in year five as it did on day one, under every member who steps on it.
Built for the floor
Commercial steel frame, powder coat, padded back and shoulder supports, non-slip platform, plate loaded with nothing to service. Load it and run it.
Hack Squat 40 specs
| Type | Plate loaded 40 degree hack squat |
|---|---|
| Sled angle | 40 degrees |
| Target muscles | Quads, glutes, hamstrings |
| Guide system | Linear bearings on hardened guide rails |
| Supports | Padded back and shoulder supports |
| Safeties | Multi-position safety catches |
| Foot platform | Non-slip |
| Loading | Plate loaded, no stack to service |
| Frame | Commercial steel, powder coat finish |
| Finish | Satin black frame and black upholstery standard. Any RAL frame colour, 6 upholstery colours, standard, contrast or diamond stitch |
| Build | Made to order in Vietnam, shipped worldwide FOB or delivered |
| Origin | Designed and built in Vietnam by Phoenix Strength Co. Vietnam origin documents supplied with every shipment |
| Pricing | USD, factory direct. Quoted per unit, per package or per container |
| Shipping | FOB Vietnam or delivered, consolidated with the rest of your fit out |
Hack Squat 40 questions
What is a 40 degree hack squat machine?
A plate loaded leg machine where you stand on a platform with your back on a pad and your shoulders under supports, and squat a sled that runs on guide rails set at 40 degrees. The shallower angle gives a deeper range of motion and a more upright torso than a 45 degree hack squat, with a stronger quad bias. Your back is supported the whole way.
What is the difference between a 40 and 45 degree hack squat?
The sled angle. A 40 degree hack squat gives a slightly deeper range and a more upright torso, which drives the work into the quads. A 45 degree hack squat shifts a little more load onto the posterior chain, so glutes and hamstrings share more of the work. Phoenix builds both. Bodybuilding floors chasing quads usually choose the 40. General commercial floors and strength gyms often choose the 45.
Which is better for quads, a 40 or 45 degree hack squat?
The 40. The shallower sled angle keeps the torso more upright and lets you squat deeper, and both of those things put more of the work on the quads. The 45 is the better all rounder if you want glutes and hamstrings to share the load.
Is a hack squat or a leg press better for building legs?
A hack squat for quads and carry over to standing strength, because you stand under the load and squat it. A leg press for the highest absolute loads and for beginners, because it is a seated or lying push. Most premium gyms run both. If you are buying one machine for a strength or bodybuilding floor, buy the hack squat.
Hack squat vs pendulum squat, what is the difference?
A hack squat runs the sled straight on rails and is hardest in the mid range, so it moves big loads and suits more members. A pendulum squat swings the load on an arc with the torso upright and is hardest at the bottom, so it punishes the quads at lower loads and allows a deeper squat. The 40 degree hack squat sits closest to the pendulum in feel while still moving hack squat loads.
Does the Phoenix Hack Squat 40 have safety catches?
Yes. Multi-position safety catches let a member train to failure alone and bail safely if they miss a rep. That is what makes it a machine commercial gyms can leave unsupervised.
Is the Phoenix Hack Squat 40 plate loaded?
Yes. It is plate loaded with no weight stack to service and no cable to stretch. Plates go on the sled and come off fast between sets.
Why do linear bearings matter on a hack squat?
The sled on the Phoenix Hack Squat 40 runs on linear bearings over hardened guide rails. That keeps the track smooth under heavy load and keeps it smooth after years of commercial use, instead of grinding or sticking as cheaper sliding systems do.
What colours can I get it in?
Standard finish is a satin black frame with black upholstery. Use the Build Your Finish picker on the product page to choose from Any RAL frame colour and 6 upholstery colours, with standard, contrast or diamond stitch, for a branded fit-out.
Is the Phoenix Hack Squat 40 made in Vietnam?
Yes. The Phoenix Hack Squat 40 is designed and built in Vietnam by Phoenix Strength Co, the original Vietnamese strength equipment supplier, in production since 2016. Vietnam origin documents are supplied with every shipment, so it is not caught in the China specific tariffs applied by the United States and some other markets.
How do I buy the Hack Squat 40 outside Australia?
Factory direct from Phoenix Strength Co in US dollars. Request the USD price list and catalog on this page, then WhatsApp Andy on +61 422 046 895 with your quantity and destination port. Single machines, packages and full container fit outs are all quoted, FOB Vietnam or delivered.
I have seen a machine in Vietnam that looks like the Phoenix Hack Squat 40. Is it yours?
If it is not sold by Phoenix Strength Co it is a copy. Phoenix designed this machine; lookalikes do not carry Phoenix engineering, materials or warranty. Send us a photo or a link and we will tell you straight whether it is ours.
Vietnam’s original strength equipment supplier. Since 2016.
Phoenix has been in operation in Australia since 2009 and manufacturing in Vietnam since 2016, with more than 1,000 gyms fitted. Everyone else in Vietnam came after us. Since we proved the model, copycats have set up and gone to market with equipment that looks like ours. Same shapes, same ideas, none of the engineering, materials or warranty behind them.
If you see equipment in Vietnam that looks like Phoenix, it is a copy, and a bad one. Ask us first and tell us immediately. We will tell you straight whether it is ours.
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