When it comes to building a strong, functional, and aesthetic physique, exercise selection is everything. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but some movements deliver more results than others. Whether you’re trying to grow your legs, strengthen your back, or increase your athletic performance, understanding how and when to use exercises like the hack squat, leg press, hip thrust, or power clean can make all the difference.
In this complete guide to strength training, we’ll dive into 10 powerhouse exercises every lifter should know. These aren’t just trendy gym terms—they’re tried-and-true tools for muscle growth, strength, and injury prevention.
1. Hack Squat: Quad-Dominant Power
The hack squat is a machine-based compound movement that targets the quads while reducing strain on the lower back. Unlike the traditional barbell squat, the hack squat stabilizes your upper body, allowing for more focused leg work.
Benefits:
- Emphasizes the quadriceps with minimal spinal load
- Great for hypertrophy without heavy technical demand
- Ideal for beginners or as a burnout after barbell squats
How to Use:
Start with the hack squat as your primary quad-focused movement on leg day, or as an accessory after back squats. Use a controlled tempo to maximize time under tension and reduce momentum.
2. Leg Press: Big Load, Big Gains
The leg press is another staple for building lower-body strength. This machine allows for heavy loading in a more controlled environment, making it a favorite for those looking to push intensity without compromising form.
Benefits:
- Builds quad, glute, and hamstring strength
- Easier to isolate the legs compared to free-weight squats
- Helps train through sticking points or injuries
Pro Tip:
Vary foot placement to target different areas—high and wide hits more glutes and hamstrings, while low and narrow emphasizes quads.
The leg press pairs well with movements like the leg extension and hack squat for complete leg development.
3. Leg Extension: Isolating the Quads
For maximum quad isolation, the leg extension is unmatched. It’s a seated machine movement that targets the rectus femoris and vastus muscles—perfect for adding volume and size.
Why It Works:
- Great for hypertrophy in the quads
- Minimal skill or coordination required
- Ideal for rehab or pre-exhaust in supersets
Use the leg extension at the start or end of your leg session. It also serves as a fantastic pre-fatigue exercise before compound lifts like the sumo squat or pendulum squat.
4. Sumo Squat: Wide-Stance Strength
The sumo squat is a variation of the traditional squat with a wider stance and toes pointed outward. This shift in posture places more emphasis on the inner thighs, glutes, and adductors.
Why Use Sumo Squats:
- Hits neglected inner thigh muscles
- Promotes hip mobility and flexibility
- Excellent alternative to conventional squats for those with long femurs or hip restrictions
Integrate sumo squats into your routine once per week to build a stronger, more balanced lower body. They also complement deadlift training by improving hip drive.
5. Pendulum Squat: A Modern Quad Builder
The pendulum squat is a lesser-known but highly effective machine-based lower body movement. It provides a unique angle that mimics a hybrid between a squat and a leg press.
Advantages:
- Emphasizes the quads with deep knee flexion
- Reduces lower back stress
- Smooth, joint-friendly motion
The pendulum squat is particularly useful for lifters looking to build strength and size without the spinal compression of barbell squats.
6. Hip Thrust: Glute Growth Unleashed
No lower body program is complete without the hip thrust. This movement targets the gluteus maximus—the largest muscle in the body—and is a go-to for athletes and physique competitors alike.
Benefits:
- Maximizes glute activation
- Improves hip extension, sprinting, and jumping power
- Minimizes quad dominance
Use the hip thrust as a primary lift on glute days, or combine it with squats or lunges for maximum posterior chain development.
7. Power Clean: The Athletic Lift
The power clean is a total-body explosive lift that builds speed, coordination, and raw power. It’s a favorite among Olympic lifters, CrossFit athletes, and football players for a reason—it trains everything at once.
What It Trains:
- Posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, back)
- Core stability
- Fast-twitch muscle fibers and neuromuscular coordination
Add power cleans into your program 1–2 times a week to improve overall athleticism and force production. It also complements traditional strength training by developing speed and mobility.
8. Lat Pulldown: Upper Back Mass Builder
When it comes to building width in your back, the lat pulldown is essential. It targets the latissimus dorsi, helping create that coveted V-taper look.
Key Points:
- Great for those who can’t yet do full pull-ups
- Builds foundational pulling strength
- Trains upper lats, rear delts, and biceps
Use the lat pulldown as your main vertical pull or as a warm-up for pull-ups. Vary your grip (wide, close, neutral) to hit different areas of the back.
9. Face Pulls: Shoulder and Posture Saver
The face pull is one of the most underrated movements for shoulder health and upper back development. Performed using a cable rope attachment, it targets the rear delts, traps, and rotator cuff.
Why Every Lifter Needs Face Pulls:
- Improves shoulder mobility and posture
- Strengthens external rotators
- Prevents imbalances caused by excessive pressing
Include face pulls at the end of every upper body or push day to maintain shoulder health and prevent injury. It’s also an excellent corrective exercise for desk workers and anyone who trains chest frequently.
10. Cossack Squat: Mobility Meets Strength
The cossack squat is a dynamic movement that combines flexibility, stability, and unilateral leg strength. It’s a deep lateral squat that challenges the hips, groin, and glutes.
Benefits:
- Increases lower-body mobility
- Builds balance and coordination
- Strengthens inner thigh and glute medius
Add cossack squats into your warm-up routine or mobility work. They also make a great accessory lift on lower-body days for improving joint range of motion and reducing injury risk.
Integrating Strength Movements Into Real-Life Training Goals
Whether your goal is hypertrophy, athletic performance, or just functional daily strength, using movements like the hack squat, power clean, and hip thrust allows for tremendous adaptability. Let’s explore how to customize these exercises based on specific training goals.
1. For Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)
- Use moderate to heavy loads (65–80% of your 1RM)
- Train each muscle group 2x per week with sufficient volume
- Focus on compound lifts (leg press, sumo squat, lat pulldown) supported by isolation movements like leg extension and face pulls
Training Example:
- Hack Squat: 4×8–10 (slow eccentric)
- Leg Press: 3×12
- Leg Extension: 3×15–20
- Hip Thrust: 4×10
This kind of structure will help you build not just size but symmetry and muscular detail.
2. For Strength and Performance
- Lift in the 3–6 rep range with longer rest intervals
- Prioritize technical lifts like the power clean, pendulum squat, and hip thrust for explosive power
- Use accessory movements for joint health and imbalances, such as face pulls and cossack squats
Training Example:
- Power Clean: 5×3
- Pendulum Squat: 4×5
- Sumo Squat: 4×6
- Face Pulls: 3×20
This builds raw force output and athletic movement skills.
3. For Mobility and Functional Fitness
Movements like the cossack squat and face pulls are especially powerful when used for improving range of motion, reducing joint pain, and preparing the body for real-world movement demands.
These exercises are perfect for warm-ups, cooldowns, or active recovery days:
- Cossack Squat: 3×10 per side
- Face Pulls: 3×15–20
- Lat Pulldown (light): 3×12
- Band-resisted Hip Thrusts: 3×15
Exercise Variations for Progression and Longevity
As your strength increases, it’s important to add variations to prevent plateaus and reduce joint stress. Here’s how to progress or modify each of these 10 key lifts:
Hack Squat Variations:
- Reverse Hack Squat (face toward pad for more glute involvement)
- Single-Leg Hack Squat (for stability and symmetry)
Leg Press Variations:
- Unilateral Leg Press
- Tempo Leg Press (e.g., 3 seconds down, 1 second up)
- Banded Leg Press for added resistance
Leg Extension Variations:
- One-Leg Extension
- 1.5 Reps or Drop Sets
- Slow Eccentric Focused Reps
Face Pull Variations:
- Seated Face Pulls (adds core challenge)
- High-to-Low Rope Pull (hits lower traps)
- Paused Face Pulls for maximal rear delt activation
Lat Pulldown Variations:
- V-Bar Pulldown (more mid-back focus)
- Underhand Pulldown (biceps + lats)
- Single-Arm Pulldown for asymmetry correction
Hip Thrust Variations:
- Banded Hip Thrust (constant tension)
- Barbell Hip Thrust with Pause
- Single-Leg Hip Thrust
Power Clean Variations:
- Hang Power Clean (from knees for easier learning curve)
- Clean Pulls (for strength without the catch)
- Dumbbell Power Clean (great for home gyms)
Sumo Squat Variations:
- Dumbbell/Kettlebell Sumo Squat
- Tempo Sumo Squats
- Barbell Sumo Deadlift (for more posterior engagement)
Pendulum Squat Variations:
- Wide-Stance Pendulum (for glute bias)
- Narrow-Stance Pendulum (for quad focus)
Cossack Squat Variations:
- Bodyweight Only (for beginners and mobility)
- Goblet Cossack Squat
- Elevated Heel Cossack (for better depth and knee alignment)
Mental and Motivational Benefits of Strength Training
Strength training isn’t just about aesthetics or numbers—it has deep psychological benefits. Incorporating structured routines with movements like the hip thrust, sumo squat, or face pulls offers:
- Improved confidence as lifts progress
- Stress relief through endorphin release
- Greater body awareness and self-control
- Better discipline and habit building
- Long-term mental resilience
By staying consistent with key compound lifts and meaningful accessory work, you’re also investing in your long-term mental and emotional health—not just your physique.
Who Can Benefit from These Exercises?
These movements aren’t just for bodybuilders or elite athletes. Nearly anyone can benefit:
| Group | How These Exercises Help |
|---|---|
| Beginners | Develop full-body strength and coordination with machines like the leg press and hack squat |
| Intermediate Lifters | Use power cleans and hip thrusts to take performance to the next level |
| Athletes | Enhance explosiveness and mobility with pendulum squats, face pulls, and cossack squats |
| Seniors | Preserve muscle mass, posture, and joint integrity with safe options like lat pulldown and leg extension |
| Women | Grow glutes and legs safely using the hip thrust, sumo squat, and cossack squat |
| Rehabilitation | Controlled strength work through leg extensions, face pulls, and light lat pulldown helps rebuild strength post-injury |
Closing the Loop: Building a Well-Rounded Strength Program
To build a complete strength training routine that covers every major muscle group and function, aim to integrate all of the following categories each week:
- Bilateral Leg Strength: Hack Squat, Pendulum Squat
- Glute & Posterior Chain Work: Hip Thrust, Sumo Squat
- Knee Isolation: Leg Extension
- Upper Pulling Strength: Lat Pulldown, Face Pulls
- Explosive Power: Power Clean
- Mobility & Balance: Cossack Squat
The combination of these 10 movements creates a training environment that stimulates hypertrophy, enhances mobility, and supports real-world functional strength.
Recovery Strategies for Optimal Progress
Lifting hard is only half the equation—recovery is where strength gains happen. Incorporating advanced exercises like power cleans, pendulum squats, and hip thrusts can be taxing. That’s why smart recovery is essential.
1. Sleep
Aim for 7–9 hours per night. Deep sleep is where muscle repair, hormone regulation, and nervous system recovery happen.
2. Nutrition
Support your training with proper macronutrient intake. Focus on:
- Protein for muscle repair
- Carbohydrates to restore glycogen
- Fats for hormone balance
Hydration and micronutrients (especially magnesium and potassium) also play a major role in muscle function and recovery.
3. Mobility Work
Exercises like the cossack squat aren’t just strength builders—they double as mobility drills. Incorporate dynamic stretching and soft tissue work (foam rolling) into your weekly routine.
Final Words: Build Strong, Train Smart, and Stay Consistent
Strength isn’t just something you chase—it’s something you build, one rep at a time. Exercises like the hack squat, hip thrust, face pulls, and power clean are more than just movements; they’re tools that shape your health, enhance your body, and empower your life.
By understanding how to implement, adapt, and progress these exercises in a strategic and personalized way, you’re giving yourself the blueprint to not just build muscle—but to build capability, confidence, and long-lasting fitness.
So grab the barbell, load the leg press, tighten your straps, and start moving. Your strongest self is waiting—one cossack squat at a time.