Squats in Smith: for girls, men, exercises on the simulator on the buttocks, technique

Squats are a versatile exercise that is great for pumping your legs, engages multiple muscles, and can be done anywhere. However, over time, training with your own body weight is not enough for further progress. That’s when all sorts of equipment comes to the rescue. If you’re going to do squats, take a look at the Smith machine.

مدرب لياقة بدنية على مستوى عالمي

“The simulator is a guide, on which the barbell is fixed. Thanks to this, the barbell moves strictly in a given trajectory. This makes movements more controlled, and training – safe.”

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The benefits of Smith squats

Smith turns classic squats into an isolation exercise, taking the load off the large muscles and redirecting it to the smaller ones. Isolation is used by both experienced athletes and beginners. The former do it to work each muscle in detail, while the latter do it to learn technique.

If you have little experience and are not yet ready to work with free weights, start with the Smith machine. The bar moves only vertically, so there’s less risk of dropping it and injuring yourself. All you have to do is choose the right weight and do the exercise with the correct technique.

Another undeniable advantage of squats in Smith is the ability to adjust the load. However, remember that in training it is important to do everything gradually. In the absence of the necessary preparation, do not take too much weight, and it is better to start with a small weight. This way you will protect yourself from injury.

What is the correct way to squat in Smith?

Despite the fact that the exercise is not difficult to perform, we can not fail to tell you how to do it correctly. In each movement there are nuances that must be studied to maximize the benefits.

التقنية

Adjust the height of the bar so that it is at the level of your shoulders.
The feet should stand at the width of the pelvis. Your back is straight and your shoulder blades are aligned and lowered.
Place the barbell on top of the trapezius muscles. Forearms in the same plane with the body, grip slightly wider than the shoulders. The legs should be slightly bent at the knees, do not stand straight.
On the inhale, do a squat to a 90-degree angle at the knee joints.
وأثناء الزفير عودي إلى وضعية البداية.
The squat should start with a backward pelvic movement.
Move smoothly, without jerking.

This exercise engages the gluteal, calf muscles, quadriceps and thighs. But what if you want to give your glutes a bigger workout? The answer is to put your feet closer to the bar and move your pelvis backwards during the exercise. If you want to work your thighs, then the opposite is true – put your feet further away from the bar, then the anterior surface of the thigh will get the maximum load.

But there is another option to shift the main load to the hips – do squats in the Smith machine with the bar on the chest or on one leg.

Squats with the bar on the chest

التقنية

Approach the bar, place your feet at pelvic width.
Grasp the bar and twist your elbows forward or fold them over your chest.
Remove the bar from the racks and straighten your back.
As you inhale, perform a squat with your legs bent to 90 degrees at the knee joints.
وأثناء الزفير عودي إلى وضعية البداية.
Do not linger at the lowest point.

Squats in Smith on one leg

التقنية

Place a step platform about a meter away from the bar.
Place one foot on the platform on the toe, place the other under the bar and bend the knee slightly.
Straighten your back and bring your shoulder blades in and out.
Remove the bar from the racks and place it on the trapezius muscles.
As you inhale, perform a squat until the knee of the back leg touches the floor.
The other leg should bend at the knee about 90 degrees.
On exhalation, smoothly return to the starting position.

Recommendations for performing squats in Smith

Regular squats in Smith means strong thighs, glutes, quadriceps and calves, it is an increase in overall leg strength and endurance, improving coordination and balance, as well as strengthening ligaments and joints. To get all of this, you just need to follow a couple simple rules.

The first is to make sure you warm up, and it doesn’t matter what kind of workout you’re doing, simple or complex. Injuries always sneak up unnoticed, and they are always bad timing. So protect yourself with a few simple warm-up exercises. If you perform such squats for the first time, do the first approach with an empty bar to quickly master the technique. And then choose a weight that allows you to perform 8-12 reps correctly and without cheating at the end of the approach.

Who shouldn’t do Smith squats?

Exercises performed with heavy weights can lead to injury rather than progress due to poor safety practices. In the case of Smith machine squats, we highly discourage you from trying to perform them if you have knee problems. Not only are squats on their own a serious challenge for your knee joints, but you’ll also be adding stress through the use of a barbell.

If your goal is to work your thighs, the Smith machine is not the best option. The fact is that when working with free weight, the front and back surfaces of the legs are loaded more than when performing the exercise in Smith. So if you are not a beginner and can do squats with a barbell without difficulties, we do not recommend performing them in a machine.

What should I combine squats in the Smith machine with?

Boris Ilyin: You should make a complex based on your goals and objectives, on which muscle group you need to emphasize. Combine exercises so that all links and load vectors are worked, i.e. both knee-dominant and pelvic-dominant movements.

That is, if you want to engage the front chain (quadriceps), you can perform squats together with front squat also in Smith or with a barbell. If the posterior chain (ZPB muscles), then with Romanian pull downs in Smith or with a barbell.

You can target one muscle group, for example, the glutes. Then gluteal bridge and sumo squat will work for you.

Boris Ilyin: You can also combine unilateral exercises performed on one leg and classical exercises. For example, Romanian pull on one leg with a barbell in hands in Smith and conditional squat with a kettlebell or barbell. There are many variations.