Before we talk about the hack squat, we need to talk about who invented it.
It’s 1905. No squat racks. No Smith machines. No leg press. No pre-workout. No Instagram. If you want to be strong, you figure it out — with your body, with whatever’s available.
Two men figured it out better than almost anyone in recorded history. One from Estonia. One from India.
George Hackenschmidt: The Russian Lion
George Hackenschmidt was born in 1878. By his early twenties he was being called the strongest man in the world. A world champion wrestler and, unusually for his era, an intellectual — he wrote multiple books on physical culture and philosophy. He was still doing handstands at age 80. He died in 1968, at age 89, reportedly still training.
What he gave the training world was the hack squat: a barbell held behind the legs. The movement is brutally honest. There’s nowhere to cheat.
The Great Gama: Undefeated in 5,000 Bouts
Born in 1878 in what is now Pakistan, The Great Gama became the most dominant wrestler in the history of South Asian wrestling. In a career spanning over 50 years, he reportedly never lost a match. In roughly 5,000 competitive bouts.
Every single day, Gama performed 5,000 bethaks — the Hindu squat — plus 3,000 Hindu push-ups. Plus wrestling practice. Five thousand squats. Daily. For decades. Let that land.
The Bethak / Hindu Squat
In the Hindu squat, the heels rise as you descend. The arms swing forward as you go down, back as you rise. It’s rhythmic, flowing, meditative at volume. What 5,000 bethaks daily built in Gama: legs reportedly measuring 28 inches at the thigh. A body that held elite function into his 50s.
He wasn’t just doing reps. He was building a practice. There’s a difference.
What This Means For Your Training
Volume builds capacity over time, not overnight. Full range develops full strength. Bodyweight first, always. The mind is part of it.
Start with 20 Hindu squats. Feel the difference — the heel rise, the arm swing, the rhythm. Build to 50. Then 100. This is how you honor the tradition.
Move. Groove. Repeat. Smooth.
You're on your way. And we're here with you.