Smith Machine/ Squat Rack

Recently I've been reading a lot on the forums about how bad these are....

My gym only has this and no free barbells. I cannot get to another gym as I live in the *kitten* end of nowhere and the next nearest gym is far enough away that I wouldn't bother going (and I have no idea if it has free barbells - its a big, shiny gym, like Planet Fitness or whatever). I live in a two-bed semi and if I bought a barbell, Id have nowhere to use it, aside from the sheds (when there were no animals/feed bins/debris etc in there).

I have just started incorporating bench pressing/squats into my routine and wondered if it was better to continue with the rack or to try and find similar excercises with dumbells....

Thoughts?

Cheers.

Replies

Hendrix7

All pressing and rowing movements you can replicate with dumbells, so do that.

Does this gym have a free bench, if so I would make your primary squatting movement rear foot elevated dumbell split squats. Probably the most underrated and underused movement out there, never seen anyone in any other gym I have been to doing these and they are brutal, great exercise.

see video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCBnAk6YOC8

If you can elevate your front foot on a yoga step or something thats ever better as you can get more range of movement.

Couple of things you could use the smith for
Standing calves raise
Hack squatting

Some people have told me they love bent over rowing in the smith as you don't have to stabilise the bar and can concentrate on exploding the weight upwards...........haven't tried it myself.

SteveJWatson

Yeah, they have plenty dumbells and free benches + a cable machine. What is a hack squat, by the way?

Cheers for the help.

SideSteel

^ I agree with Hendrix, I'd find alternative movements using DB's.

I don't think the smith is entirely useless but the fixed bar path really sucks =(

For bench I'd just recommend DB pressing or incline DB pressing. I was in a similar situation my first 16 months of training roughly, and I just used incline DB as my main pressing movement along with some supplementary stuff and it worked just fine.

Hendrix7

What is a hack squat, by the way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXwgLUlUAWU

Sarauk2sf

Yeah, they have plenty dumbells and free benches + a cable machine. What is a hack squat, by the way?

Cheers for the help.

A hack squat is where you squat with the bar behind your legs.

Ooop - Hendrix beat me to it!

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

All pressing and rowing movements you can replicate with dumbells, so do that.

Does this gym have a free bench, if so I would make your primary squatting movement rear foot elevated dumbell split squats. Probably the most underrated and underused movement out there, never seen anyone in any other gym I have been to doing these and they are brutal, great exercise.

see video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCBnAk6YOC8

If you can elevate your front foot on a yoga step or something thats ever better as you can get more range of movement.

Couple of things you could use the smith for
Standing calves raise
Hack squatting

Some people have told me they love bent over rowing in the smith as you don't have to stabilise the bar and can concentrate on exploding the weight upwards...........haven't tried it myself.

I do Bulgarian split squats in my gym. I see a lot of guys do them. No women, though. Sumo squats with a dumb bell between the legs is also good.

Crankstr

All pressing and rowing movements you can replicate with dumbells, so do that.

Does this gym have a free bench, if so I would make your primary squatting movement rear foot elevated dumbell split squats. Probably the most underrated and underused movement out there, never seen anyone in any other gym I have been to doing these and they are brutal, great exercise.

see video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCBnAk6YOC8

If you can elevate your front foot on a yoga step or something thats ever better as you can get more range of movement.

Couple of things you could use the smith for
Standing calves raise
Hack squatting

Some people have told me they love bent over rowing in the smith as you don't have to stabilise the bar and can concentrate on exploding the weight upwards...........haven't tried it myself.

these kick my *kitten*.

SideSteel

All pressing and rowing movements you can replicate with dumbells, so do that.

Does this gym have a free bench, if so I would make your primary squatting movement rear foot elevated dumbell split squats. Probably the most underrated and underused movement out there, never seen anyone in any other gym I have been to doing these and they are brutal, great exercise.

see video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCBnAk6YOC8

If you can elevate your front foot on a yoga step or something thats ever better as you can get more range of movement.

Couple of things you could use the smith for
Standing calves raise
Hack squatting

Some people have told me they love bent over rowing in the smith as you don't have to stabilise the bar and can concentrate on exploding the weight upwards...........haven't tried it myself.

I've never actually done bulgarian split squats but I was reading about these a few days ago and it was suggested to me due to knee problems (I cannot currently barbell squat so I'm looking for knee-friendly replacements). These "look" like they would still hurt the knee but I should probably give them a shot and see.

SteveJWatson

I'm gonna try those hack squats, but If I fall on my harris and make a tit of myself, I'm blaming you lot. :bigsmile:

ArroganceInStep

RFE Split Squat's are the ****ing devil, but they work wonders. I have bad ankles from years of rugby and need to do these so I can keep squatting safely.

spade117

What is a hack squat, by the way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXwgLUlUAWU

Getting added to my routine.

joejccva71

I would do Smith Machine Squats and Walking DB Lunges if you don't have a regular Squat rack. There is no exercise that matches or comes anywhere even remotely close to a Free Bar Full Squat but you can only use what you have.

Walking DB Lunges require more balance and quad involvement than Standing DB Split Squats so I would do those.

When you do standing split squats you are using your leg to push yourself back up to starting position. When you do walking lunges you're using your leg to also pull yourself forward a step which is better.

Sarauk2sf

I would do Smith Machine Squats and Walking DB Lunges if you don't have a regular Squat rack. There is no exercise that matches or comes anywhere even remotely close to a Free Bar Full Squat but you can only use what you have.

Walking DB Lunges require more balance and quad involvement than Standing DB Split Squats so I would do those.

When you do standing split squats you are using your leg to push yourself back up to starting position. When you do walking lunges you're using your leg to also pull yourself forward a step which is better.

Although, if you have knee problems, forward lunges are harder on the knees than standing split squats or ones that you lunge backwards for.

joejccva71

I would do Smith Machine Squats and Walking DB Lunges if you don't have a regular Squat rack. There is no exercise that matches or comes anywhere even remotely close to a Free Bar Full Squat but you can only use what you have.

Walking DB Lunges require more balance and quad involvement than Standing DB Split Squats so I would do those.

When you do standing split squats you are using your leg to push yourself back up to starting position. When you do walking lunges you're using your leg to also pull yourself forward a step which is better.

Although, if you have knee problems, forward lunges are harder on the knees than standing split squats or ones that you lunge backwards for.

Sorry did he say he had knee problems? I probably didn't read his post fully.

Sarauk2sf

I would do Smith Machine Squats and Walking DB Lunges if you don't have a regular Squat rack. There is no exercise that matches or comes anywhere even remotely close to a Free Bar Full Squat but you can only use what you have.

Walking DB Lunges require more balance and quad involvement than Standing DB Split Squats so I would do those.

When you do standing split squats you are using your leg to push yourself back up to starting position. When you do walking lunges you're using your leg to also pull yourself forward a step which is better.

Although, if you have knee problems, forward lunges are harder on the knees than standing split squats or ones that you lunge backwards for.

Sorry did he say he had knee problems? I probably didn't read his post fully.

No, sorry - just throwing it out there as SideSteel mentioned his.

joejccva71

I would do Smith Machine Squats and Walking DB Lunges if you don't have a regular Squat rack. There is no exercise that matches or comes anywhere even remotely close to a Free Bar Full Squat but you can only use what you have.

Walking DB Lunges require more balance and quad involvement than Standing DB Split Squats so I would do those.

When you do standing split squats you are using your leg to push yourself back up to starting position. When you do walking lunges you're using your leg to also pull yourself forward a step which is better.

Although, if you have knee problems, forward lunges are harder on the knees than standing split squats or ones that you lunge backwards for.

Sorry did he say he had knee problems? I probably didn't read his post fully.

No, sorry - just throwing it out there as SideSteel mentioned his.

It's ok. I mean if someone has that bad of knee problems, then almost any pressing movement with your legs is going to put pressure on the knees whether it's squats, leg press, hack squatting, db lunges or db split squats.

lacurandera1

Hack squats are awkward. But amazing once you figure out how to not knock yourself over with the bar. I've found they engage my core more dynamically than a regular squat. That said, that's not why I do them. I do them bc I can't get what I squat on my own back.

At the gym (which I don't pay for...beggars can't be choosy) they don't have a squat rack, just a Smith. I use it when I'm there and feel that while it isn't ideal, if you've got a firm grasp on form, it isn't going to be the death of you to squat with a Smith.

SteveJWatson

Thanks guys!

So; My leg day now looks like this:

Warm up (4 mins on rower - I cant seem to think of another way to warm up my whole body)
Split squats (I'm still a bit wobbly on these, but I'm getting there!) 5 x 6-8 reps (to failure)
Smith hack squats 5 x 6-8 reps (to failure....well, not so I fall over but you know what I mean)
Dumbell lunges 4 x 8-10 reps
leg curl machine (hams) 4 x 8-10 reps
Kettlebell goblet squats 3-4 (depending on how shagged I am) x 10 reps

Finally got round to it as a day on its own yesterday. My *kitten* kills.

I like the hack squats now I got used to them - feels like I can push more confidently and engage my glutes more than when I was trying to 'proper' squat on the Smith - I always wondered why my 6 rep weight on the leg press machine was 100-110kg (depending on how strong I was feeling) and I couldn't squat more than 40kg - I think it is because squats on the smith just didn't feel right and made my knees ache afterwards (none of the above excercises hurt my knees). Am up to 55kg on the hack squats already.

elizabethis

Want to save this, as I don't have a squat rack at my gym either. Thanks for asking the question, and then to everyone else for the responses.

Sarauk2sf

Thanks guys!

So; My leg day now looks like this:

Warm up (4 mins on rower - I cant seem to think of another way to warm up my whole body)
Split squats (I'm still a bit wobbly on these, but I'm getting there!) 5 x 6-8 reps (to failure)
Smith hack squats 5 x 6-8 reps (to failure....well, not so I fall over but you know what I mean)
Dumbell lunges 4 x 8-10 reps
leg curl machine (hams) 4 x 8-10 reps
Kettlebell goblet squats 3-4 (depending on how shagged I am) x 10 reps

Finally got round to it as a day on its own yesterday. My *kitten* kills.

I like the hack squats now I got used to them - feels like I can push more confidently and engage my glutes more than when I was trying to 'proper' squat on the Smith - I always wondered why my 6 rep weight on the leg press machine was 100-110kg (depending on how strong I was feeling) and I couldn't squat more than 40kg - I think it is because squats on the smith just didn't feel right and made my knees ache afterwards (none of the above excercises hurt my knees). Am up to 55kg on the hack squats already.

Thanks for the update. And lol at shagged - I have't heard that term for years living in the States now.

I have started using a leg press that more approximates a hack squat for one of my assists and am liking it so far.

JeffseekingV

My gym doesn't have a free squat rack although I could load a free bar there. This rack does NOT limit yourself to a specific angle. It IS a machine but it allows free movement up/down and forward/backward. It only limits twisting on your axis.

If you have this machine, it's every bit as good as a free squat IMHO

Here's me squating 275lbs for a single for examination of form. Yes, I bounce and lean over a touch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej7jZ4dJsuU