How To Squat On A Smith Machine

If you’ve ever wanted to expand your glutes beyond their natural capacity, then we would certainly recommend that you invest in a decent Smith machine.

These machines are amazing for developing your glutes beyond their natural capacity and giving yourself great muscles and solid strength.

This will deliver you a compound exercise, helping you develop mainly the muscles in your thighs and legs, as well as giving you additional strength in the spine, the abs, and your hamstrings.

This exercise could be classed as intermediate, which means that it will be perfect for beginners who are looking to increase their strength training.

If you are wanting to promote your muscles, then what better way than using a rack that you can be sure will give you everything that you need for a solid pump. If you're wondering which is the best one to get, check out our guide to the best home smith machines that will help you achieve your goals. 

You might also be wondering, how best to use a Smith machine to get you the proper definition in your muscles? What features does a Smith machine have over regular dumbbells?

Well, if you want to hear some of the best tips and techniques that you should use to squat properly and develop your glute muscles, then we would recommend that you keep reading.

We have compiled a handy how-to list for you to determine what the best posture and knee angle is to optimize your workout.

How To Set Up Your Machine

One of the main reasons for having your Smith machine set up in the proper way is so that you can avoid improper form, which is the beginning of both long- and short-term injury. Make sure you have the correct pose even before you lift the weight from its housing.

When you are setting your bar, you should make sure that it is at shoulder height. Then you should stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, giving yourself plenty of surface area for you to squat with an even distribution of weight.

Then take your shoulder bar and raise it up so you are carrying it with the weight of your body. Make sure that your hands are moved slightly closer together, clasping the bar firmly and tightly.

You should then squeeze your back muscle and core so that you are fully ready to lower the bar.

Once you have the bar away from the rack, you should angle your feet from around 15-30 degrees, giving you proper support for your lower back. If you are particularly tall or have long legs, then you’ll want to angle your feet even further apart.

Placing your feet in front of the Smith machine will mean that you have a solid center of gravity that you can use to support the full drop of your body with your weight. This will also put enough tension on your quads to guarantee muscle building.

Before you drop, make sure that your head is facing straight ahead, your eyes are locked forward and your posture is straight.

Make sure that you are completely mindful of the muscles in your legs as you squat, as exercise requires that firm connection between body and mind.

When you are about to lower yourself, make sure that your elbows are slightly behind you rather than pointed straight down, as this will alleviate the strain that you put in these areas.

How To Lower Yourself

Before you lower yourself, make sure that you inhale deeply and brace yourself in your core area. If you have lower back issues, then we would recommend that you use a back brace to take some of the pressure off this area.

As you lower yourself, make sure to break your hips and your knees together, taking care to jut the knees slightly as you come towards the ground.

It is important that you try and distribute the weight evenly throughout your body, mainly in the lower back, the hips, and the knees.

How To Raise Yourself

Once you have been fully lowered to the ground, push off the floor with your feet. You should imagine that you are trying to do a leg press from the floor to the ceiling.

You should hold your breath until you are near the top of your rep. This will help you push through the sticking point that can happen at this point, especially if you are nearing the end of multiple reps and your body is getting tired.

How To Avoid Common Mistakes

Here are some of the most common mistakes that a lot of people make when they are squatting.

Getting A Good Range Of Motion

If you are only going halfway down with your squat, then you are really cheating yourself out of the full benefits of doing one of these exercises.

You should make sure that you lower yourself all the way to the floor to get that deep stretch in your glutes and hamstrings. Doing a full squat where the hips match the knees will guarantee 7% more muscle growth.

Pushing Your Knees Forward

Putting your knees over your toes will be a guaranteed way of blowing them out in the long term. You might feel like you are getting a deeper stretch in those leg muscles, but you will suffer in the knees when you start doing this.

Try stepping away from your Smith machine and allowing a more conservative level of forward knee extension.

Rounding The Back

This is another very unhealthy overextension of a key muscle that will not only take the necessary stress off your thighs, but will compress your spine and cause you more injury in the long term.