Smith Chair Squat

How to do the Smith Chair Squat

1. 1Set the Smith machine bar to hip height. Stand facing away from the machine and step your feet forward about 18–24 inches, placing them shoulder-width apart with toes pointed slightly outward.
2. 2Duck under the bar and rest it across your upper traps, gripping it wider than shoulder-width with your thumbs wrapped fully around the bar for control.
3. 3Unrack the bar by rotating it off the hooks, then brace your core and maintain an upright torso as you lean your back lightly against the machine upright for support.
4. 4Bend your knees and descend by sitting your hips back and down until your thighs are parallel to the floor — or until your shins are vertical — mimicking a chair or wall-sit position.
5. 5Hold the bottom position with your knees tracking over your toes, your weight distributed evenly through your whole foot, and your core tight.
6. 6If performing reps, drive through your heels to stand back up to just short of lockout, then immediately descend into the next rep without pausing at the top.
7. 7After completing all reps or your timed hold, drive up to full standing, rotate the bar to re-rack it on the hooks, and step out from under the machine.

Form tips

• Keep your chest up and torso as vertical as possible throughout — letting your upper body pitch forward shifts stress away from the quads and onto your lower back.
• Push your knees outward in line with your toes to engage the adductor magnus and prevent the knees from caving inward.
• Press through your entire foot rather than rising onto your toes; this keeps the soleus engaged and maintains a stable base throughout the hold.
• Control your breathing — exhale as you rise during reps, or breathe in shallow cycles during an isometric hold to stay braced without losing intra-abdominal pressure.
• Start with bodyweight or a very light load to master the chair-depth position before adding plates.

Common mistakes

• Allowing the knees to cave inward (valgus collapse), which reduces adductor magnus engagement and places harmful stress on the knee joints.
• Letting the heels rise off the floor, which shifts the load away from the quads and soleus and makes the position unstable.
• Setting the feet too close to the machine, which forces an excessive forward lean and turns the movement into a hip-dominant squat rather than a quad-dominant chair squat.
• Locking out the knees fully between reps, which bleeds tension from the quadriceps and defeats the purpose of constant-tension rep style.
• Using too heavy a load before mastering the position, which causes the torso to collapse forward and reduces the isometric quad stimulus.

Frequently asked questions