Squats with a barbell in the Smith machine - execution technique for women and men

Hello, friends! How useful is a squat machine in building a beautiful body? What is it all about and what are the nuances of practicing it?

And can such training cause harm? My article today is dedicated to just this topic - join us, a lot of interesting and useful things await us!

Squats are perfect for pumping up the gluteal muscles, as well as the muscles of the hips, back, and legs. In addition, it is also a strength and aerobic exercise.

To increase it and make this exercise more effective, using the maximum possible number of muscles, a variety of exercise machines were invented. Today we will focus on their most popular options.

Smith Squats: Features and Benefits

The Smith machine works great on the buttocks and legs, and also works additional muscles. Smith squats are very popular for girls, since working with a regular barbell is not always safe for them, and it is not always advisable.

When we just start playing sports, our muscles are not yet ready to perform classic squats. Try to perform the exercise with an empty bar if you have had little to no experience with the sport before. It will be hard for you. The knees will move, the pelvis may lean forward or fall back, and the bar will slide onto the shoulder blades. The good thing about the Smith machine is that it allows you to minimize all these problems.

Smith machine squats have the following benefits :

Beginners can perform the exercise in the simulator, one of the goals of which is targeted muscle training. Having mastered such squats, in the future you will be able to work with free weights without any problems.
Exercises can be performed without a partner. At any time, you can independently rotate the bar and lock it in the required position. This is convenient if you cannot ask someone for help.
When doing Smith squats, you won't be able to fall because you'll be leaning on the bar, which is in a clearly vertical position. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about balance - just lean on the bar and do the exercise.
The squat technique in Smith will be more precise than when working with free weights.
Such exercises can be performed even if you have problems with your knees, since you can adjust the depth of the squats and the placement of your legs.
With the Smith machine, you can perform several exercises on different muscle groups at once, which allows you to provide an effective workout at once.
The risks of getting grass are minimized, which again makes using the machine a good choice for beginners.

What a DIY barbell rack should look like

The rack must be practical and compact in order to be suitable for the “harsh” conditions of the living space. That is why the described projectile has so many devices and amenities. The secret is to have the rack also serve as parallel bars. All this should be foldable and adjustable in length and height. It is thanks to these features that a conventional barbell rack turns into

Smith Squats: What Muscles Work?

Smith machine squats for women and men can be classified as basic exercises. They use the following muscles:

target muscle – quadriceps femoris;
synergists – adductor magnus, gluteus maximus, soleus muscles;
dynamic stabilizers – back of the thigh, calf muscles;
stabilizers – spinal extensors;
the antagonist muscles of the stabilizers are the oblique and rectus abdominis muscles.

A complete picture of the muscles that work during Smith squats can be seen in the photo.

Squats in Smith: technique of execution

Before you start doing squats with a barbell in the Smith machine, you need to warm up and stretch the muscles of your legs and lower back. The exercise is then performed as follows:

Go to the machine, place the bar at the correct level. It is important to define it. The height should be such that you do not sag under the barbell and do not stand on your toes. The step between levels is usually 10-15 cm, so choosing the right one will be quite easy.
Stand under the bar so that it is located between your shoulder blades and neck. Grasp the barbell with a comfortable grip slightly below your shoulders. With your elbows up, squeeze your shoulder blades together as much as possible. You can find circular grips in gyms. They can be used so that the barbell does not put pressure on your back and so that it does not leave bruises. The weight should not rest on the neck, not on the vertebrae, but on the muscles between the shoulder blades.
To perform Smith barbell squats, you can approach the bar from both sides. You can try both options to see which is more convenient. Most often, athletes stand towards the outside of the machine, with their backs to the bar, and not inside the machine, but here everything is individual.
Place your legs beyond the line of the bar so that you are leaning on it. This option is ideal for squats in Smith for the buttocks of girls, since it allows you to focus specifically on the gluteal muscle. Bend your lower back so that your pelvis moves back slightly. Natural deflection is allowed.
Rotate the bar to remove it from the safety mounts. Try to pull your elbows up as much as possible.
Now get down. Make sure your knees do not go beyond your toes. Move your pelvis back and your body slightly forward. You won't fall while doing Smith Butt Squats, so stand up with confidence.
Squat until parallel to the floor or slightly lower. Stay in this position for a second. As you exhale, return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise as many times as necessary.

Why are they needed?

Squats with a barbell placed on the sternum or on the shoulders help to engage the following muscles:

quadriceps;
biceps in the front and back of the thigh;
muscles that activate the thigh;
gluteal muscles;
extensors of the spinal column.

But the muscles in the peritoneal area, as well as all muscle groups of the lower extremities, serve as stabilizers.

Smith machine squats: options

With a device like the Smith, squats can be performed in different ways. So, they may differ depending on how you place your feet. This will affect the pumping of certain muscles.

Feet together. In this case, the front parts of the quadriceps femoris receive the maximum load. Also, the load goes to the knees, so this option is only allowed for those whose knees are definitely healthy.
Feet shoulder width apart. A classic option that allows you to pump up the lateral parts of the thighs and their inner surface. Squats are often performed in this position on the Smith machine for girls.
Smith squats with wide stance. This is a classic women's option that helps work out the inner thighs.

To pump up your buttocks, you can place your legs a little further forward, while leaning on the bar with your back. As we have already said, there is no need to be afraid of falling.

There are also the following variations of exercises:

A difficult and rare exercise - knee squats in Smith . It is used in powerlifting and weightlifting to further develop the lower phase of the barbell squat. This squat puts an unusual load on large muscles, and also affects a number of small muscles that generally do not receive load in other variations of the exercise. The kneeling squat is used not for building muscle mass, but for complex muscle development. Please note that the load on the knees in this case is very high, so beginners should not perform these squats. It is also better to use soft knee pads to protect your joints.
Another option is the Smith front squat . They differ in that the barbell is not located on the back muscles, but on the chest and deltoid muscles. Due to this, the back will be in an almost vertical position, and this will radically change the load and muscles that are used during the exercise. Although this exercise is quite rare, it is effective, since in addition to the legs it also affects the upper body, including helping to form strong abs.
Plie or sumo squats . Assume a wide foot placement. The load on the quadriceps is lightened, but the inner thighs are pumped very well. The legs should be spread as wide as possible, the toes should be pointed to the sides at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The knees should not bend inward. Tighten the abdominal and buttock muscles during the exercise.
Squats with lunges. Such squats with a Smith machine also assume the same position as classic squats, but one leg must be pushed forward and the other bent until the thigh and shin form a right angle. Then climb back up. In this exercise, the front leg receives all the load, and the second only maintains balance, so you need to change legs.

How to do the rest

Before welding, you need to bend the sheets of steel so that they look like a hook. “Hooks” are welded to bars (30 by 30) 900 mm long. It turns out 2 long bars with a hook at the end. The pipe joint is welded behind the hook - the future beams. The same is done with another profile.

Every 5 cm a hole with a diameter of a bolt is drilled. Thanks to these holes, the barbell rack can adjust its height.

The height can already be adjusted, but how to change the width? To do this you will need a profile (30 by 30) with a length of 1100 millimeters. Holes are also drilled on it with a center-to-center value of 5 centimeters. Its place is in a larger profile (40 by 40), namely in the small block of the base of the letter “T”. Moving out from the base, it can adjust the width of the rack or bars.

Contraindications and precautions

Squats using the Smith machine are contraindicated for problems with the musculoskeletal system, knee injuries, varicose veins, pregnancy and lactation. If you have any doubts, it is recommended to consult a specialist.

In addition, proper Smith machine squat technique is important. Consider the following points to help you avoid making mistakes :

Don't be afraid to move your pelvis back. Otherwise, you will move slightly forward from under the bar, which will increase the load on the spine and the risk of injury, accordingly. There is no need to be afraid to stand correctly, because you cannot fall with this machine.
It is wrong for your knees to go too far beyond your toes. This distributes the load incorrectly and increases the risk of injury to the knees and spine.
Elbows should point up. This can be hard, and if you can't do it, squeeze your shoulder blades together and grip the bar tightly to anchor your body underneath it.
Lean on the bar without fear of falling. The pelvis should not move forward and backward when squatting. Standing directly under the barbell is wrong; in this case, the load is not what is needed for the exercise to be effective.
Squatting on your toes is highly discouraged. Although the Smith machine can prevent many injuries, such a mistake can cause damage to the joints of the body.
If squats are done in Smith for girls, the technique for performing them may be slightly different. Do not squat too deeply, as this can be dangerous for women's health under conditions of intense and constant training. When adjusting your weight, don't overdo it either.
Another recommendation for women. If you don't feel any tension in your buttocks while performing Smith squats, try placing your legs forward while moving your pelvis back. When standing in this position, you should feel the work of your buttocks.

Layout of the future projectile

Before you start work, you need to plan everything carefully so that you know what material is needed and how much to buy. Also at this stage, it is important to choose what type of rack itself will be, what kind of bench it will be for a bench press with your own hands. Drawings are also an integral part of the layout. In order for the projectile to turn out to be correct, everything must be done clearly according to the diagrams.

A bench press bench, made with your own hands, must have all the qualities it needs, namely practicality, compactness and reliability. The latter is one of the most important qualities, since working with considerable masses can simply break the projectile, so you need to make it powerful. Large pieces of iron welded together are exactly what you need. Yes, the equipment will take up some space in the apartment, but it needs to be sacrificed for the sake of training. What to do if there is not enough space in the apartment? It is necessary to make the structure compact. This can only be achieved with a collapsible projectile. When all the parts are disassembled, there will definitely be no problems with assembly and storage.