Elite bodybuilder says hack squats are his go-to move for a leaner waist and bulking up leg muscles

• Elite physique athlete Erin Banks said hack squats are a key exercise for his leg day workouts.
• Hack squats focus more on the quads and glutes, instead of using core or back muscles.

Bodybuilder Erin Banks doesn't skip leg day, but he does skip popular lower body exercises like traditional squats and deadlifts.

Instead, the two-time Arnold Men's Physique winner said he prefers a movement called the hack squat to to build muscle and definition.

"Leg day is crazy, I've grown my legs tremendously," he told Insider in an interview on his partnership with the fitness drink brand CELSIUS.

Typically, squatting with weight on your shoulders, in front of your body, or in a goblet squat fires up your abs to help you hold the weight.

The hack squat redistributes the weight for greater emphasis on the quads and other leg muscles, using a hack squat machine that creates an angle to emphasis the front of the legs.

You can also do the exercise using a barbell. Start with the bar on the ground behind your calves and grab the bar with a wide grip, positioning your body as if you're setting up for a deadlift. Keeping your chest high and arms by your sides, drive your feet into the floor to extend your legs and raise the weight until it's just under your butt.

Together with other exercises targeting the glutes, and hamstrings too, Banks said hack squats help him sculpt leg muscle for an elite physique.

Hack squats can help isolate lower body muscles for better gains

Banks said he prefers hack squats because they focus more on the quads and glutes and put less pressure on the core and back. As a result, he's able to keep a smaller midsection, which is ideal for physique competitions that reward the quintessential V-shape with broad shoulders and a small waist.

"I don't really squat or deadlift because it compresses the waist, and you need to carve your body in a different way," he said said.

A typical leg day routine for Banks involves exercises that isolate the lower body muscles, including lying hamstring curls, hack squats, leg presses, walking lunges, and movements for the adductors (inner thigh muscle). The workouts are usually four sets of about 15 repetitions to build muscle, he said.

For people who don't compete in pro bodybuilding, there's no reason to avoid traditional squats, since the extra core work is more of a bonus than a side effect, personal trainers previously told Insider. Squats, as well as deadlifts, are compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once, helping you get more bang for your buck on your fitness journey.

And if you want to get a six-pack, nutrition is more important than the type of exercises you do.

"For getting abs, people think they need to go to the gym and do ab exercises. But if your food is not correct, you will never have abs like me," Banks said.