Smith Squat

How to do the Smith Squat

1. 1Set the bar height on the Smith machine to approximately shoulder height, then step under the bar so it rests across your upper traps or rear delts.
2. 2Position your feet slightly in front of the bar — roughly hip- to shoulder-width apart — with your toes turned out 15–30°.
3. 3Grip the bar at a comfortable width with both hands, brace your core, and unhook the bar by rotating the hooks clear of the safety catches.
4. 4Take a breath, brace your core and glutes, then sit back and down by hinging at the hips and bending the knees simultaneously.
5. 5Descend until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, keeping your chest tall and your knees tracking in line with your toes.
6. 6Drive through your full foot — pressing equally through the heel and mid-foot — to extend your hips and knees and return to the starting position.
7. 7Exhale at the top as you reach full hip and knee extension, keeping your core braced throughout.
8. 8After completing your reps, rotate the bar back onto the safety catches to re-rack safely.

Form tips

• Set your feet slightly in front of the bar's path rather than directly under it — this accommodates the fixed vertical track and allows a more upright torso with less forward knee travel.
• Keep your chest tall and your torso as upright as possible throughout the movement; a forward collapse shifts load away from the gluteus maximus and quadriceps and stresses the lower back.
• Push your knees actively outward in line with your toes to engage the adductor magnus and maintain a stable, aligned knee position through the full range of motion.
• Use the Smith machine's adjustable safety catches as a genuine bail-out point — set them just below your lowest squat depth so you can safely terminate the set if needed.

Common mistakes

• Placing feet directly under the bar: unlike a free squat, the Smith machine's fixed path requires feet slightly forward; standing too far back forces excessive forward lean and increases stress on the knees and lower back.
• Allowing the knees to cave inward at the bottom, which removes tension from the adductor magnus and places harmful valgus stress on the knee joint.
• Cutting the range of motion short by stopping well above parallel, which limits gluteus maximus recruitment and reduces the overall training stimulus.
• Bouncing out of the bottom using momentum rather than muscular control, which removes tension from the quadriceps and gluteus maximus at the point of greatest loading.
• Relying on the bar to maintain balance instead of actively bracing the core, which reduces spinal stability and builds poor habits that do not transfer to free-bar squatting.

Frequently asked questions