Machine exercise

Belt Squat (Machine) form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The machine belt squat loads the squat pattern through a belt attached at the hips, training the quadriceps, glutes, and adductors while removing nearly all compressive load from the spine. Lifters use it to accumulate heavy leg volume when their lower back is fatigued or injured, to train around upper-body injuries that prevent bar support, and as a quad-focused hypertrophy movement with a very stable setup.

Belt Squat (Machine) illustration

How to do Belt Squat (Machine)

  1. 1Stand on the platform, fasten the belt snugly around your hips, and attach it to the machine's loading pin or lever.
  2. 2Set your feet shoulder-width apart, release the safety handles, and stand tall to take up the load.
  3. 3Inhale and brace your core, then squat down by bending your knees and hips until your thighs reach at least parallel.
  4. 4Keep your chest up and knees tracking over your toes; do not let the belt pull you into a rounded lower back.
  5. 5Exhale as you drive through your whole foot to stand back up, finishing with the hips fully extended.
  6. 6Re-engage the safety handles before loosening the belt at the end of the set.

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Track Belt Squat (Machine) in Plates

Save this movement to a workout template, log sets and rest periods, and keep your training history in one focused gym tracker.