How to do squats in Smith to pump your hips well
Miscellaneous / / April 02, 2023
This exercise can be helpful, but not for everyone.
What is this exercise
Squats in Smith are a strength exercise for pumping the legs and buttocks, performed in a special simulator. The neck in it is fixed on metal guides and moves up and down strictly vertically.
Thanks to this, the exercise is somewhat easier and safer than working with a free barbell on your back.
Why do squats in Smith
This exercise is suitable for various purposes.
To safely load the hips and buttocks
Free weight squats are quite a difficult movement, especially for an unprepared person. We have to make efforts not only to extend the legs and keep the back straight, but also to maintain equilibrium.
In the Smith machine, the bar moves along a given trajectory, due to which the muscles that stabilize the body receive significantly less load than when working with free weights.
In addition, to put the projectile on the racks, it is not necessary to fully straighten up. At any moment, you can only turn your wrists, and the bar will be fixed on the simulator.
Thanks to this, beginners are able to safely perform a complex multi-joint exercise.
To shift the load on different muscle groups
To pump the front side of the thigh to the maximum, need to increase the range of motion in the knee joints, and to shift the load on the buttocks - in the hips.
When squatting on the Smith machine, you can experiment with foot placement and thus adjust the tension in certain muscle groups.
If you place your feet closer to the bar, as in a back squat, and move your pelvis back during the exercise, more load will go to the buttocks.
If you move your legs slightly forward and perform the movement in a full range, it will be better to work out the front side of the thigh.
Who should not do squats in Smith
You should not do squats on the Smith machine if:
- Do you have knee problems?. Since the knees are further from the bar during the squat in the simulator than in regular squats, the load on them increases. So, if you have problems with knee joints, it is worth considering other exercises for pumping the legs.
- You want to increase the working weights in the back squat. If your main task is not pump up muscles, and to increase the performance in squats, doing in Smith does not make much sense. In these exercises, the stroke of the bar, the angles of flexion in the joints, and the load on the stabilizing muscles are different. So, when you switch from a machine to a free bar, you won't be able to work with the same weight.
- You know how to squat and want to load your hips to the fullest. In one experiment figured outthat the free weight movement loaded the front of the thigh by 49% and the back by 26% better than the same movement in Smith. So, if you are not afraid to squat with a free barbell and want to load your muscles to the fullest, this exercise will not be useful to you.
How to do squats in Smith
First, adjust the height of the bar in the simulator. Check that it is at the level of your shoulder.
Then turn to face the frame, duck under the barbell and stand with the bar resting on your shoulders.
Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower. If you have already tried the barbell back squat, use your normal stance for this exercise, but move your feet forward about 7-10 cm.
Straighten your legs, twisting the bar slightly to remove it from the racks.
Bend your hips and knees as you lower into a squat. Keep your back straight and your heels off the floor.
Then press your feet into the floor and straighten your legs. If your lower back is rounding, try moving your legs slightly forward.
How else can you do squats in Smith
In Smith, you can perform different variations of squats.
With a neck on the chest
This exercise pumps the front side of the thigh better. At the same time, the lower back will also receive more load, so if you have back problems, you should be more careful to perform this movement.
Come to the bar, put your feet shoulder-width apart or a little narrower. Grasp the bar, tuck your elbows forward or fold your arms over your chest, as in the video.
Remove the barbell from the racks, straighten your back and tighten your abs. Lower yourself into a full range squat—as deep as you can. Make sure that the lower back is not rounded, and the heels do not come off the floor. Straighten up and repeat.
On one leg
This movement helps to load the hips and buttocks better than the two-legged squat. At the same time, due to the fixed bar in Smith, it is much easier to perform.
Put a support - a bench or step platform - 1-1.5 steps from the frame. Dive under the barbell, place the bar on your shoulders and place the toe of one foot on a raised platform. Remove the bar from the machine and hold it with your hands.
Lower yourself into a squat until your knee touches the floor behind your standing leg. Make sure that the second knee does not wrap inward. Straighten up and repeat.
How to Add Smith Squats to Your Program
Pick up the weight in such a way that you can perform 8-12 repetitions while maintaining the correct form. At the same time, keep in mind that for a good load on the muscles, the last repetitions in the approach should be heavy.
Don't forget to warm up. First, do Smith squats with an empty bar, then add 5-10 kg and perform 3-5 reps with each weight until you reach the desired one. Do 4-5 sets with it.
To properly pump the hips and buttocks, do not limit yourself to working in Smith. Also add squats with free weights - with a barbell, dumbbells or kettlebell, use lunges and stepping on a platform.
Read also🧐
- Exercises that pump the buttocks better than squats and deadlifts
- Are deep squats really bad for your knees?
- How to do barbell squats to get results, not problems
- Squat program for those who want beautiful thighs and elastic buttocks
Text worked on: author Iya Zorina, editor Natalya Murakhtanova, proofreader Natalya Psurtseva