What is the point of Hack Squats?

[Scarymonster]

I realize there is value in variety and they hit your quads well, and if you have no rack but want to squat heavy Hack Squats can be good... maybe it's my specific height or whatever but I can't seem to do them with good form and they just seem pointless when I could do front squats. WTF?

 

[flak]

Chances are, you could do Hack squats with more weight than you could manage for front squats, especially if you clean the bar for front squats.

For some people, Hacks are a good option because they don't require as much balance, and the stress on the shoulders is different.

Supposedly, bodybuilding coach Vince Gironda emphasized Hacks and shunned traditional barbell squats, because he thought Hacks caused a lot less glute development.

Overall, I think you can just chalk it up to "different strokes for different folks" -- some people find Hacks biomechanically easy, or psychologically rewarding, or just fun. If you don't, no big deal. So long as you're doing proper front squats, you're good to go.