Related guides: bench squat, burpee broad jump, goblet lunge, kneeling squat, reverse lunges, b stance hip thrust
Table of contents: skip to what you’re interested in
- How to use the v squat machine
- V squat workout
- Benefits
- Drawbacks
- Muscles worked
- Variations
- Alternatives
- Additional resources
The v squat, also known as the power squat, is a brilliant exercise for building quad strength whilst using the stability of the v squat machine. Whilst there are some drawbacks that we’ll mention later, there are plenty of benefits that make this exercise worthwhile, as long as you diversify your training with other exercises.
How to use the v squat machine: v squat machine form
- Our spine should be in contact with the back pad. Feet shoulder-width apart, or potentially a bit wider if you have less hip flexibility. Point your toes 15% to either side, which is not a lot of movement. Whilst a wider toe stance can feel more comfortable for deep squats, an angle that is too wide will disrupt stability which can lead to injury, be mindful of this.
- We want to find a middle ground for our foot position. The closer our heel is to the bottom of the footrest, the more quad engagement we’ll get. However, if we go too far back, our heels will rise which will significantly reduce stability and can lead to injury.
- We also don’t want to put our feet too far forward as this will make it harder for us to utilise the quads.
- To start the lift, drive your heels through the ground whilst bending the knees and pivoting at the hip. Be sure to keep your core tight and your spine against the back pad. Stop lowering when your hip reaches its maximum flexion.
- When you’re at the bottom of the lift, once again drive your heels into the ground and push your hips up, contracting your glutes at the top of the lift.
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V squat workout: sets and reps
If you’re looking to train for hypertrophy, aim for 10 – 12 reps for 3 – 4 sets with 1 – 2 minutes rest. When we’re training for hypertrophy, we’ll be gaining a mixture of size/mass and strength. With this type of training, we’re creating new muscle cells as well as enlarging muscles cells.
If you’re training for strength, aim for 1 – 5 reps for 3 – 5 sets with 2 – 5 minutes rest. When we’re training for strength, we’re going to see an increased density of muscle cells with less size vs hypertrophy training as the muscle cells aren’t enlarging as much.
Here’s a guide on training for strength vs training for hypertrophy.
Related guides: bench squat, burpee broad jump, goblet lunge, kneeling squat, reverse lunges, b stance hip thrust
V squat benefits
Great for isolating the quads
Whilst the glutes play a role in this movement, this exercise is brilliant for targeting the quads. Because this is a machine exercise, we’re moving in a 2D plane of motion, using fewer core and stabilisation muscles. This means that we can load more weight on the quads than we could do with a barbell squat for example.
When performing barbell exercises we have to consider the importance of core and stabilisation muscle which can sometimes hold back our big lifts. With machine exercises, our core or stabilisation muscles hold us back a lot less. But this is a double-edged sword that we’ll touch on in drawbacks.
We don’t need to have perfect form
Heavy barbell lifts require training to perform correctly. This is in terms of movement, strength and stability. When we use a machine we’re negating some of the risk associated with big barbell lifts as the movement is much more controlled. This allows us to increase the load with the v squat machine faster than we could with a barbell squat and potentially gain more quad growth. But it’s important to consider these benefits with the potential drawbacks…
V squat drawbacks
The v squat is not as functional as the barbell squat
It’s great that we can place more load on the quads using the v squat, however, in isolation this exercise can be a hindrance due to the 2D nature of the movement. In reality, when do we ever move in a 2D plane of motion? We don’t. This is why we require our core and stabilisation muscles to assist us with a huge variety of movements. Because the v squat requires much less core and stabilisation muscle activation, we’re training these muscles to a lesser degree.
aesthetics, we need to focus on these additional muscles. What’s the point in building huge muscles if you can’t incorporate them into your life? If you’re going to incorporate the v squat into your routine, make sure that you’re also performing free-weight/barbell leg exercises like the barbell squat and weighted lunges.
The v squat gets easier at the top of the lift
Because of the design of the v squat machine, the weight is harder to move as you go down, and easier to move as you go up. This means that the tension on the muscles varies throughout the lift. This may not work for some people as they would like the exercise to be equal throughout the lift for the sake of balance.
During the motion of the lift, the balance in load on different muscles changes. For example, at the top of the lift the glutes are doing much more work to push the hips forward than they were at the bottom of the lift. If you would like your v squat to be more balanced, use a thick resistance band, attaching to the appropriate areas on your v squat machine to make the top of the lift harder.
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V squat muscles worked
Quadriceps
The quads are the main focus of this exercise, as we’ve discussed. These muscles are primarily concerned with the extensions of the knee joint.
As we lower from the start of the movement, the quads will stabilise the movement, ensuring that the knee joint doesn’t collapse or move too quickly.
As we start the second half of the lift, pushing upwards, the quad will work to extend the knee joint.
Glute Maximus
Covering most of the posterior of the pelvis, the glute maximus is the largest and most powerful glute muscle. Whilst it has a range of functions, in the case of the v squat, it’s primarily focused on pushing the hips forward (hip extension).
V squat machine variations
Front v squat
This is the standard v squat that you can see in the instructional video at the top of the page with our chest pointing forward with our back on the main pad. This variation put emphasis on the quads.
Reverse v squat
To perform this v squat variation, we want to have our chest touching the back pad whilst our back points away from the machine. This variation activates the glutes and hamstrings more.
Hack v squat
We’ve seen some of you searching for this. There is the hack squat machine and the v squat machine, but not a hack v squat. Personally, we prefer the v squat as it does a better job of mimicking the more functional barbell squat due to its upright nature vs the decline of the hack squat.
V squat alternatives
Barbell squat
If you can complete the barbell squat safely, that is to say, with the correct form and without pain, it should be the focal point of your leg workout. It’s a brilliant exercise for quad and glute strength, as well as your core and back.
Furthermore, as a compound movement, the barbell squat will burn more calories, as well as help to spark increased testosterone levels which is great for muscle growth. Finally, the exercise is incredibly functional. At Blackridge Fitness, we want to help you achieve functional strength that can help you every day, the barbell squat does this.
Leg press
Some people can find the v squat uncomfortable. The leg press creates an extremely similar movement but from a different angle. We’re also keeping our torso static as our legs push the weight away, contrary to the v squat where we’re moving the weight away with our torso. Whilst we’re mimicking the squat slightly less with this movement, you may find that it works better for your body.
Weighted lunges
Now moving onto a single leg movement, lunges can be a brilliant way to increase focus on the range of movement. They’re also an incredible full-body workout when done correctly as we’re spending more time with the weight which can give us some cardiovascular work to deal with. You can perform this workout in a walking motion or statically, taking a step, then going back to your original position. We would recommend reverse lunges for extra glute activation.
Additional resources
- A Comparison of Machine versus Free-Weight Squats for the Enhancement of Lower-Body Power, Speed, and Change-of-Direction Ability during an Initial Training Phase of Recreationally-Active Women
- Muscle Activity in Single- vs. Double-Leg Squats
- Evaluation of Muscle Activities During Different Squat Variations Using Electromyography Signals
- Related guides: bench squat, burpee broad jump, goblet lunge, kneeling squat, reverse lunges, b stance hip thrust
Olly is a CIMSPA accredited personal trainer with a BSc degree in sport management from Solent University. He has over 10 years experience helping clients reach their health & fitness goals.
