Smith Machine 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.