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squats on smith machine
my friend has been doing smith machine squats, except he places his feet a step or two forward and almost leans back onto the bar. he says he feels it works better for him. i'd like to know how this alteration affects the movement and the muscles worked.
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I'd think it would work the uper, back part of the legs quite a bit more, putting more
focus on the lower part of your ass. I don't think there is anything wrong with the
exercise, but I'd bet proper squats would work and build the legs better.
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Before the thread burns into flames,by which i mean that most people view Smith squatting as a sacrilege,i suggest,like with any squat that you try it out and see how different stances and feet positioning feel for you(esp. since you can't do what you're asking about with the free bar).Including the front Smith squat!
Even though i didn't answer your question directly,i feel that one should spent a lot of time doing BB squats before seeking Smith help for whatever reason.
But if it works for you,do it by all means.
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[QUOTE=NJlifter88;526854883]my friend has been doing smith machine squats, except he places his feet a step or two forward and almost leans back onto the bar. he says he feels it works better for him. i'd like to know how this alteration affects the movement and the muscles worked.[/QUOTE]
i do squats on smith machine, but i do not put feet forward that much(just slightly yes, feet directly under bar on a smith causes my back to strain)I do go atg on them and I feel it.
the difference with regular barbell squat for me when i do them is that with regular squats I do feel more leg stimulation on hammies and butt....on smith more on my quads....but this is just my own experience and sensations...
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That type of squatting is very similar to a hack squat machine. Works the quads, not a very functional exercise.
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If you plant your feet directly under the bar on the Smith Machine it feels uncomfortable and puts strain on the lower back. That's from my own personal experience though.
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It doesn't work the same muscles as a regular Barbell Squat does if that's what you're asking.
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[QUOTE=NJlifter88;526854883]my friend has been doing smith machine squats, except he places his feet a step or two forward and almost leans back onto the bar. he says he feels it works better for him. i'd like to know how this alteration affects the movement and the muscles worked.[/QUOTE]
i see females do this all the time in the gym. i would think it puts more stress on the glutes and quads (over regular squats). i havent done them but it almost seems like a box squat since your feet are so far in front of the bar.
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well i did as one poster suggested and tried them for myself. my ass definitely goes a lot closer to the floor, i guess thats just the virtue of the foot placement. and yes, it hit my glutes more. i kind of like them, to be honest. i will probably alternate between these and barbell squats from now on, just because i want to have a big butt :D
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I feel it's more like a hack squat targeting the quads most. And a lot like a "sissy squat" performed by Tom Platz.
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I'm no expert but I can tell you from personal experience
that I would stay away from them. The smith machine is
all I did before until it led to a sciatic nerve injury wich was
the most pain I have ever felt in my life. I have just recently
starting squatting again on a regular squat rack and so far
so good. I will NEVER use a smith machine again.
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[QUOTE=NJlifter88;526899013]well i did as one poster suggested and tried them for myself. my ass definitely goes a lot closer to the floor, i guess thats just the virtue of the foot placement. and yes, it hit my glutes more. i kind of like them, to be honest. i will probably alternate between these and barbell squats from now on, just because i want to have a big butt :D[/QUOTE]
If you have back issues yes, this can do!!
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[QUOTE=NJlifter88;526854883]my friend has been doing smith machine squats, except he places his feet a step or two forward and almost leans back onto the bar. he says he feels it works better for him. i'd like to know how this alteration affects the movement and the muscles worked.[/QUOTE]
this is a good idea because it makes it less dangerous for your lower back, it hits the glutes pretty good.
[QUOTE=snwbordr008;526874153]If you plant your feet directly under the bar on the Smith Machine it feels uncomfortable and puts strain on the lower back. That's from my own personal experience though.[/QUOTE]
yup.
[QUOTE=tha_deuce;526877053]i see females do this all the time in the gym. i would think it puts more stress on the glutes and quads (over regular squats). i havent done them but it almost seems like a box squat since your feet are so far in front of the bar.[/QUOTE]
glutes yes, quads actually become secondary and adductors are almost elimated.
[QUOTE=NJlifter88;526899013]well i did as one poster suggested and tried them for myself. my ass definitely goes a lot closer to the floor, i guess thats just the virtue of the foot placement. and yes, it hit my glutes more. i kind of like them, to be honest. i will probably alternate between these and barbell squats from now on, just because i want to have a big butt :D[/QUOTE]
good. me too. why not?
[QUOTE=bigbadblaine;526962823]I'm no expert but I can tell you from personal experience
that I would stay away from them. The smith machine is
all I did before until it led to a sciatic nerve injury wich was
the most pain I have ever felt in my life. I have just recently
starting squatting again on a regular squat rack and so far
so good. I will NEVER use a smith machine again.[/QUOTE]
why? because you did them wrong? sorry to hear that.
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[QUOTE=Jack_Lupino;527035883]glutes yes, quads actually become secondary and adductors are almost elimated. [/QUOTE]
makes sense. thats why i see females doin em. to get that "junk in tha trunk" :D
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[QUOTE=NJlifter88;526899013]well i did as one poster suggested and tried them for myself. my ass definitely goes a lot closer to the floor, i guess thats just the virtue of the foot placement. and yes, it hit my glutes more. i kind of like them, to be honest. i will probably alternate between these and barbell squats from now on, just because i want to have a big butt :D[/QUOTE]
So when you do full squats you don't feel it in your glutes? My ass gets about 6 inches from the ground on full squats. If you can do regular bb squats to below parallel, then just lighten the weight and do full squats.
I do a set of 5x10x50% of max full squats after my squats to below parallel and I definitely feel it in my glutes and hams. If you are not worried about absolute numbers and are just doing hypertrohpy work, then you should just do full squats anyway.
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[QUOTE=MotherSuperior;527048153]So when you do full squats you don't feel it in your glutes? My ass gets about 6 inches from the ground on full squats. If you can do regular bb squats to below parallel, then just lighten the weight and do full squats.
I do a set of 5x10x50% of max full squats after my squats to below parallel and I definitely feel it in my glutes and hams. If you are not worried about absolute numbers and are just doing hypertrohpy work, then you should just do full squats anyway.[/QUOTE]
yeah i hear you man... i have to work my hip and leg flexibility i guess, cuz i don't really feel comfortable going ass to grass, even without weight on me. it strains my knees and makes me feel off balance. i see some guys keeping their feet in a very narrow stance and just dropping all the way to the floor and i wish i could do that. i do what i can, though. i keep the weights reasonable and focus on making a mind-muscle connection all the way through the comfortable range of my rep. feels good man. i just thought this type of squat felt pretty nice and i had a good leg workout. i don't see anything wrong with them as part of my leg routine.
and deuce, many of the ladies i know enjoy a squat ass just like we guys do. glutes are definitely a body part i don't want to neglect. i seem to feel regular back squats more in my quads. between them and extensions, i usually feel after a leg workout that my anterior chain is getting worked harder than my posterior. no more.
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[QUOTE=NJlifter88;527055803]yeah i hear you man... i have to work my hip and leg flexibility i guess, cuz i don't really feel comfortable going ass to grass, even without weight on me. it strains my knees and makes me feel off balance. i see some guys keeping their feet in a very narrow stance and just dropping all the way to the floor and i wish i could do that. i do what i can, though. i keep the weights reasonable and focus on making a mind-muscle connection all the way through the comfortable range of my rep. feels good man. i just thought this type of squat felt pretty nice and i had a good leg workout. i don't see anything wrong with them as part of my leg routine.[/QUOTE]
Well if you want to fix the problem, then I would say keep doing the lift. I am really bad. I don't and have really never done any stretching before lifting, but I have gained that flexibility from squatting consistently. I really think you should stick with bb squats and see what you can do in the 40-50% range. See if you can reach that level of flexibility.
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[QUOTE=MotherSuperior;527057583]Well if you want to fix the problem, then I would say keep doing the lift. I am really bad. I don't and have really never done any stretching before lifting, but I have gained that flexibility from squatting consistently. I really think you should stick with bb squats and see what you can do in the 40-50% range. See if you can reach that level of flexibility.[/QUOTE]word, i definitely appreciate that input. like i said, i plan to continue regular squats in my routine. but i will switch them each time with these smith squats. i may change my mind and move back to regular squats all the time, but im giving these a chance.
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[QUOTE=NJlifter88;527057983]word, i definitely appreciate that input. like i said, i plan to continue regular squats in my routine. but i will switch them each time with these smith squats. i may change my mind and move back to regular squats all the time, but im giving these a chance.[/QUOTE]
I will just say I think they are a waist of time, but good luck and keep squatting.
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[QUOTE=MotherSuperior;527059043]I will just say I think they are a waist of time, but good luck and keep squatting.[/QUOTE]
waist my time.
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[QUOTE=TheHitStick;526876363]It doesn't work the same muscles as a regular Barbell Squat does if that's what you're asking.[/QUOTE]
What other muscles are there doctor?
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[IMG]http://i25.tinypic.com/35mgqhh.jpg[/IMG]
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[QUOTE=flangmasterj;527079943]What other muscles are there doctor?[/QUOTE]
Stabilizers brah! Edit: nice win we had mate 49-22 was it?
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[QUOTE=Ironlife;527081593][IMG]http://i25.tinypic.com/35mgqhh.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
That picture makes me stiff. ;)
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damn id hate to think all my squatting effort is useless if using smith machine. i do it for safety, and simply adjust form to put all weight on legs, as it should be...i know what you mean about him putting feet forward. he needs to simulate a BB though with his positioning, not leveraging a bar against a smith machine and simply pushing up/against it.
although, even with legs forward a lil, they still get a good workout, just more quads then hams.
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[QUOTE=Ironlife;527081793]Stabilizers brah! Edit: nice win we had mate 49-22 was it?[/QUOTE]
thats why they shouldn't be a replacement for BB squats. however, after doing them i don't think they are a bad exercise. you just have to consider them a different exercise than regular squats.
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Placing your feet farther out while squatting in the smith machine changes the torques and thus the emphasis on the muscle hit during the squat. Shifts the emphasis towards your quads similar to a hack squat machine.
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First of all I do not understand the people who hate the smith machine. I guess its a macho thing or whatever but its really being ignorant. I have seen pretty much every pro do some type of exercises on it, seems like recently every new video I watch they use it.
Now with that being said I DO USE THE SMITH MACHINE FOR SQUATS but its when I workout alone and don't have a spotter. After getting the stance correct, I feel it works the muscles almost exactly compared to a regular squat. Also using around the same weight I reach failure almost at the same rep range as a regular squat.
I usually do full squats up to the mid to low 400lb range so I feel its an exercise I know well enough to share my 2 cents.
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[QUOTE=DatAzz;527232533]First of all I do not understand the people who hate the smith machine. I guess its a macho thing or whatever but its really being ignorant. I have seen pretty much every pro do some type of exercises on it, seems like recently every new video I watch they use it.[/QUOTE]
WRONG!!! It has nothing to do with being macho.
[url]http://lucastraining.blogspot.com/2007/12/smith-machine-shenannegans.html[/url]
[url]http://www.exrx.net/Questions/SmithSquat.html[/url]
[url]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/henkin6ttt.htm[/url]
[url]http://stronglifts.com/smith-machine-squats-power-rack-free-weights/[/url]
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[QUOTE=tonym9428;527236323]WRONG!!! It has nothing to do with being macho.
[url]http://lucastraining.blogspot.com/2007/12/smith-machine-shenannegans.html[/url]
[url]http://www.exrx.net/Questions/SmithSquat.html[/url]
[url]http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/henkin6ttt.htm[/url]
[url]http://stronglifts.com/smith-machine-squats-power-rack-free-weights/[/url][/QUOTE]
There are risks with any type of weight lifting and doing anything incorrect can cause an injury. I am just stating my opinion about the smith machine. I make sure my form is correct and don't try to do anything crazy and therefore have been OK using it. Still making gains and getting a good workout using it occasionally in my training.