Smith Machine Squat
| Exercise Summary | |
|---|---|
| Primary Muscle(s) | Quads |
| Secondary Muscle(s) | Glutes, Hamstrings, |
| Equipment | Machine |
| Emphasis | Compound |
| Type | Squat |
Smith Machine Squat Instructions
- Be in a strong athletic position: knees flexed, core and glutes activated, chest up, and shoulders back.
- Get underneath the bar, placing it on your traps.
- Situate your feet slightly more in front of you. This will cause you to feel as if you are leaning back into the bar.
- A setup similar to a hack squat.
- Feet are slightly outside shoulder-width and pointed out slightly.
- You still want a strong, vertical torso position with your chest up and eyes fixed straight ahead.
- Extend your legs to unrack the bar.
- Descend into the bottom position. Try to get more range-of-motion than you normally would on a barbell squat variation.
- Once you reach the bottom position, accelerate back up driving your feet through the floor.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top position.
*Tips*
- This variation, because of the machine and your setup, will be more glute focused.
- Always look straight ahead, never look directly up or down. You want to maintain a neutral neck position.
- Be aware of the fixed bar path before you squat.
- Don't overextend/arch your back. Focus on core tightness and a neutral spine.
- Don't bounce out of the bottom, control the exercise through the full range-of-motion.