Quads exercise

Smith Machine Squat

Bending and extending your legs for quads and glutes. The guided bar keeps a fixed path.

How to do the Smith Machine Squat

4 steps, in the order you do them.

Set the Smith bar at shoulder height, step under it and rest it on your traps.
Move your feet a few centimeters in front of the bar, shoulder-width apart.
Unrack the bar and lower with your torso upright until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Push up through your whole foot and rack the bar when you finish the set.

What goes wrong most often when you do the Smith Machine Squat, and how to fix it.

You place your feet right under the bar and your lower back takes the load.
Step your feet a few inches in front of the bar so you can lower with a more upright torso.
You unrack the bar with the safety stops very low or not set at all.
Set the stops just below your bottom depth, so you can rest the bar on them if you can't stand up.
You stay in a half squat because you load more weight than you can lower.
Adjust the weight until you can lower with your thighs parallel to the floor on every rep.