The Body Sculpting Bible for Women (29 page)

After the hold, use your thigh muscles to bring your torso back up to the starting position and exhale as you go up.

Perform the determined number of repetitions after coming all the way up to the starting position and pausing momentarily at the top of the movement. This makes sure you do not bounce up and down, which would place more stress on your knees, and it also ensures the squat is done with perfect form.

Hack Squat

While free weights (like dumbbells and barbells) will help to target your body in motion, machines are also a great addition to your workout routine. The best thing about machines is that they isolate a body part, making it very safe to use them when recovering from an injury in an unrelated spot. Of course, if this is the case, you should be consulting your doctor before attempting any exercises. Form is still crucial when using machines. It’s a myth that you automatically are in the correct form when seated at a machine. Be careful to position yourself correctly. Try varying your foot position to target different parts of your quads.

PROPER ALIGNMENT

Place the back of your torso against the hack squat machine back pad. Make sure your head is up at all times and your back remains against the pad.

Position your shoulders under the shoulder pads provided on the machine.

Put your legs in a shoulder-width stance with your feet on the platform, toes pointed slightly out.

Place your arms on the side handles of the machine above your shoulders and disengage the safety bars.

Your legs should be straight without locking your knees.

TECHNIQUE AND FORM

Begin to slowly lower the unit by bending your knees. Inhale and continue down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. The fronts of the knees should make an imaginary straight line with the toes that is perpendicular to the thighs.

During the movement, your back will move along the pad (but the pad win stay in one place).

Exhale and begin to raise the unit by pushing the platform with your toes, straightening your legs, and returning to the starting position.

Remember to pause slightly at the top of the movement, making sure that your lowering is as measured as possible, in order to remain in perfect form.