10 Best Sled Lying Squat Alternatives for Limited Equipment

If you can’t use the sled lying squat, choose exercises that emphasize hip extension and glute activation: barbell hip thrusts, Bulgarian split squats, Romanian deadlifts, single-leg glute bridges, or sled pushes. Focus on driving through the heels, keeping a neutral spine, and squeezing the glutes at full hip extension to replicate the movement pattern.

Original Exercise: Sled Lying Squat

Sled Lying Squat
Primary Muscle
Glutes
Equipment
Sled
Difficulty
Intermediate
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Calves
How to Perform Sled Lying Squat
  1. Adjust the sled machine to a comfortable weight.
  2. Lie on your back on the sled machine with your feet on the footplate.
  3. Position your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly angled outwards.
  4. Grip the handles of the sled machine for stability.
  5. Engage your glutes and core muscles.
  6. Push through your heels and extend your legs to lift the sled.
  7. Lower the sled back down by bending your knees and hips.
  8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Sled Lying Squat Alternatives

Best Match
Sled 45° Leg Press

1. Sled 45° Leg Press

99.9% Match
Glutes Sled Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat and footplate of the sled machine to a comfortable position.
  2. Sit on the sled machine with your back against the backrest and your feet shoulder-width apart on the footplate.
  3. Grip the handles on the sides of the seat for stability.
  4. Push the footplate away from your body by extending your legs, keeping your heels on the footplate.
  5. Continue pushing until your legs are almost fully extended, but without locking your knees.
Sled 45° Leg Press (back Pov)

2. Sled 45° Leg Press (back Pov)

96% Match
Glutes Sled Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat of the sled machine so that your knees are at a 45-degree angle.
  2. Sit on the sled machine with your back against the backrest and your feet shoulder-width apart on the footplate.
  3. Grip the handles on the sides of the seat for stability.
  4. Push the footplate away from your body by extending your legs, keeping your heels on the footplate.
  5. Pause for a moment at the fully extended position.
Sled 45° Leg Press (side Pov)

3. Sled 45° Leg Press (side Pov)

96% Match
Glutes Sled Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat of the sled machine so that your knees are at a 90-degree angle when your feet are on the footplate.
  2. Sit on the sled machine with your back flat against the backrest and your feet shoulder-width apart on the footplate.
  3. Grip the handles on the sides of the seat for stability.
  4. Push against the footplate to extend your legs, straightening them completely.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly bend your knees to lower the footplate back to the starting position.
Sled 45° Leg Wide Press

4. Sled 45° Leg Wide Press

91% Match
Glutes Sled Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the sled machine to a 45-degree angle.
  2. Sit on the sled machine with your back against the pad and your feet on the foot platform.
  3. Position your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
  4. Push against the foot platform to extend your legs and straighten your knees.
  5. Pause for a moment at the end of the movement, then slowly bend your knees to return to the starting position.
Sled Closer Hack Squat

5. Sled Closer Hack Squat

90.7% Match
Glutes Sled Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the sled machine to a comfortable weight and position yourself with your back against the pad.
  2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform, toes slightly pointed outwards.
  3. Grip the handles on the sides of the machine for stability.
  4. Engage your core and slowly lower your body by bending your knees and hips, keeping your back straight.
  5. Continue lowering until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below.
Smith Full Squat

6. Smith Full Squat

87.4% Match
Glutes Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Set up the smith machine with the barbell at shoulder height.
  2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
  3. Step under the bar and position it across your upper back, resting on your traps.
  4. Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  5. Unrack the bar and take a step back, maintaining a stable stance.
Smith Sumo Squat

7. Smith Sumo Squat

87.4% Match
Glutes Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Set up the smith machine with the barbell at hip height.
  2. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointing outwards.
  3. Position yourself under the barbell, resting it on your upper back and shoulders.
  4. Engage your core and keep your chest up as you lower your body down into a squat position, pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
  5. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as you can comfortably go.
Smith Hack Squat

8. Smith Hack Squat

87.2% Match
Glutes Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the barbell on the smith machine to an appropriate height for your body.
  2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed outwards.
  3. Position yourself under the barbell, resting it on your upper traps and shoulders.
  4. Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  5. Engage your core and keep your chest up as you unrack the barbell.
Sled Hack Squat

9. Sled Hack Squat

86.7% Match
Glutes Sled Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the sled machine to a comfortable position for your height.
  2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform, toes slightly pointed outwards.
  3. Hold onto the handles or bars for stability.
  4. Lower your body by bending your knees and hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.
  5. Continue lowering until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below.
Smith Leg Press

10. Smith Leg Press

86.7% Match
Glutes Smith-machine Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Adjust the seat and footplate of the smith machine to a comfortable position.
  2. Sit on the machine with your back against the backrest and your feet shoulder-width apart on the footplate.
  3. Grasp the handles or sides of the machine for stability.
  4. Push the footplate away from you by extending your legs, keeping your back against the backrest.
  5. Pause for a moment at the fully extended position.

Why You Might Need a Sled Lying Squat Alternative

You might substitute the sled lying squat because you lack a sled, suffer from knee or lower-back irritation in the prone position, or prioritize unilateral strength work. Substitutes let you preserve the hip-extension stimulus that drives glute growth while avoiding painful joint angles. Pick movements that maintain a posterior-chain moment (hip hinge or loaded hip extension) and cue strong glute contraction, for example, pause at peak hip extension and actively squeeze the glutes. That preserves muscle activation and similar loading mechanics even when equipment or mobility limits rule out the sled variation.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Decide based on equipment, pain patterns, and training goal. For pure glute hypertrophy choose exercises that maximize hip extension torque (barbell hip thrusts or weighted bridges) and cue a full squeeze at the top. For unilateral control and knee-friendly loading pick Bulgarian split squats or single-leg bridges and keep the front knee tracking the second toe to reduce valgus. If you want posterior-chain stiffness and hamstring involvement, choose Romanian deadlifts and hinge from the hips with a braced core and long eccentric. Match range of motion, loading progression, and movement pattern to your primary goal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Sled Lying Squat work?

The sled lying squat primarily targets the gluteus maximus through hip extension, with secondary activation of the hamstrings and quadriceps to control knee flexion and extension. Core stabilizers and the adductors assist to maintain pelvic alignment and control the sled path.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Sled Lying Squat?

The Bulgarian split squat is the top bodyweight substitute for glute emphasis: keep the torso upright, front knee over the ankle, and drive through the front heel while squeezing the glute at the top. If you want a pure glute-dominant option, use single-leg glute bridges and pause at peak hip extension to maximize activation.

Can I build muscle without doing Sled Lying Squat?

Yes. Build glute and upper-leg muscle with progressive overload across hip-dominant and squat-dominant lifts (hip thrusts, RDLs, split squats). Use deliberate tempo, increased sets or load, and strong top-of-range glute contractions to replicate the activation you would get from the sled lying squat.

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