Barbell squat Vs smith machine squats?

AsrarHussain
AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been doing barbell squats. I find my lower back takes more taxing than my quads. My mobility is not good so I go wide stance.

I was thinking of smith machine squats so my quads are more worked and also the issue of stabilising is gone.

I want big legs for me function is not really a concern.

Replies

  • newdawn1974
    newdawn1974 Posts: 18 Member
    Personnal experience, I found the smith machine easier on the lower back and good to train flexibility of ankles in various positions (easier to put weigth on heels and mobilise glutes), but I sense also less taxing on core. Again, personnal experience, but my barbell squats have improved since I started to use the smith machine on a regular basis from a form standpoint, and also psychologically squating feels less intimidating. Made me think of trainer wheels on the bike for my kids :-) but I would not be able to tell which ones are superior on which factor. I am doing smith machine during strength training in the gym, and barbell when I crossfit, this is how I could tell the difference.
    My opinion, if it works for you and you squat more safely , it is better than giving on squats altogether. Maybe try the barbell with less weight after a period of smith machine and judge by yourself?
    Good luck in your journey!
  • PowerliftingMom
    PowerliftingMom Posts: 430 Member
    I thought I had a mobility issue too when I first started squatting. However, it wasn't true. I didn't have a trainer that was experienced enough in proper form. He had me squatting above parallel and thought that was fine! It was actually the lack of an experienced trainer plus lack of confidence as to why I was having such difficulty squatting. As mentioned above, hire a trainer for a few sessions until you can get good form and the trainer can also spot you. Also, do some exercises to help with your core strength such as planks.
  • Desertcolt07
    Desertcolt07 Posts: 1,132 Member
    tried front squats? i find them less taxing on my lower back but i usually go lighter with more reps than i do with back squats
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    My husband is 6'3 (all legs)...and he had trouble with squat form. His lower back was taking the brunt of the weight. He hired a pl coach to help with his form. He was squatting too wide and needed a more narrow stance....which is pretty much the opposite of all the advice online to "go wide."

    Have a professional help with your form.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Agree, get a trainer an/or Google videos of the goblet squat to learn proper squat form.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Desertcolt07 wrote: »
    tried front squats? i find them less taxing on my lower back but i usually go lighter with more reps than i do with back squats

    Front squats and goblet squats are less taxing on the back because they force core bracing.

    I agree, I would hire a trainer to help with your form. I would also deload to just the bar for your own safety until you've got form down.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Go lighter, get a trainer, video yourself, try squats with different bar/weight position. I would do any and all of those before ever considering the smith machine. And you can always work on strengthening your lower back so that it doesn't bother you while squatting. That's probably what should come first or at least in parallel with the other suggestions.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Learning to properly squat will help-
    but- nothing wrong with leg press and leg extensions to help assist with growth. There is a reason bodybuilders do those.
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
    Agreed on trainer to sort out form.

    Smith machines force the bar to move in an absolutely straight line (although this may be a little slanted depending on the machine), which is not the route that the bar would take if you were free squatting. By their nature, Smith machines are therefore a bit unnatural. I was advised against using them on this basis - my trainer said it's much better to go lighter and free squat.

    Also, why would you *not* want to work your core and stabilizing muscles when you squat? Squats are a great compound move, and doing them on a machine kind of ruins that a bit...
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    Desertcolt07 wrote: »
    tried front squats? i find them less taxing on my lower back but i usually go lighter with more reps than i do with back squats

    I have bad shoulder mobility. I can't place the bar on my shoulder.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Learning to properly squat will help-
    but- nothing wrong with leg press and leg extensions to help assist with growth. There is a reason bodybuilders do those.


    Yeah, I was going to suggest leg press, if you want quads without utilizing core muscles (aka back et al).
    AsrarHussain wrote: »
    Desertcolt07 wrote: »
    tried front squats? i find them less taxing on my lower back but i usually go lighter with more reps than i do with back squats

    I have bad shoulder mobility. I can't place the bar on my shoulder.

    Wait, but your shoulder is good enough to do back squats? I'm unsure of how you can hold the bar for back squats with bad shoulder mobility, but can't either hold the bar in rack position or cross your arms for front squats.
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    newdawn1974 wrote: »
    Personnal experience, I found the smith machine easier on the lower back and good to train flexibility of ankles in various positions (easier to put weigth on heels and mobilise glutes), but I sense also less taxing on core. Again, personnal experience, but my barbell squats have improved since I started to use the smith machine on a regular basis from a form standpoint, and also psychologically squating feels less intimidating. Made me think of trainer wheels on the bike for my kids :-) but I would not be able to tell which ones are superior on which factor. I am doing smith machine during strength training in the gym, and barbell when I crossfit, this is how I could tell the difference.
    My opinion, if it works for you and you squat more safely , it is better than giving on squats altogether. Maybe try the barbell with less weight after a period of smith machine and judge by yourself?
    Good luck in your journey!

    I agree with this. What matters is what works for YOU. I like to change it up, and of course sometimes go lower in weight.

    Someone said get a trainer to help with form. Sometimes that is a good idea, but I've even had good trainers help me get an injury because of their theory about this or that, going lower in an exercise or whatever. The bottom line is each person is slightly different and sometimes years of physical issues. Only a few elite trainers would catch it, and so many "trainers" who go off book learning that might not apply.

    Anyway, I like to change it up, using all the various machines, racks, free weights, rep ranges, and different routines continuously to avoid over use injuries.

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    cs2thecox wrote: »
    Also, why would you *not* want to work your core and stabilizing muscles when you squat?

    Because the OP's goal is bigger legs, and wasting energy on non-target muscles reduces the amount of stimulation the legs get.

    The OP should still work their core - especially since they have back pain - but there are plenty of other ways to work the core besides back squats.

    OP - I'd go with a hack squat machine or leg press over the smith. Add a couple sets of goblet squats for core strength, to keep you injury free. :+1:
  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
    deputy_randolph wrote: »
    My husband is 6'3 (all legs)...and he had trouble with squat form. His lower back was taking the brunt of the weight. He hired a pl coach to help with his form. He was squatting too wide and needed a more narrow stance....which is pretty much the opposite of all the advice online to "go wide."

    Have a professional help with your form.

    6'7 same experience. plus the bar was too high. Lower bar, clsoer stance, magic.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    Wait, but your shoulder is good enough to do back squats? I'm unsure of how you can hold the bar for back squats with bad shoulder mobility, but can't either hold the bar in rack position or cross your arms for front squats.

    fwiw, i just had exactly the inverse of this experience this evening, although idk what my precise problem is other than that it's definitely impingement of some kind. front squats fine, back squats pinchy as hell. there are so many different ways to impinge a joint that has such a wide range of motion.

    AsrarHussain wrote: »
    I was thinking of smith machine squats so my quads are more worked and also the issue of stabilising is gone.

    fwiw, i had the same kind of idea in my first year, for different reasons. i was mostly thinking that a little time with the smith machine would 'show' my body what a straight bar path etc feels like, and then i'd take that knowledge out of the machine and use my stabilizing muscles more to make sure i maintained it. turns out that for whatever reason i just plain can't squat in a smith machine. i'm not even sure what goes wrong or why, but omg it sure does.

    there's also the fact that squats aren't really meant to be just a quad building exercise. if that's all you want them for though AND if your lower back is what's suffering now, i guess you could always try doing the infamous 1/4 squats that never reach parallel and so never really give your posterior chain a significant part of the work.
  • KiwiLifter
    KiwiLifter Posts: 115 Member
    More function will allow you to have bigger legs.
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    JoRocka wrote: »
    Learning to properly squat will help-
    but- nothing wrong with leg press and leg extensions to help assist with growth. There is a reason bodybuilders do those.


    Yeah, I was going to suggest leg press, if you want quads without utilizing core muscles (aka back et al).
    AsrarHussain wrote: »
    Desertcolt07 wrote: »
    tried front squats? i find them less taxing on my lower back but i usually go lighter with more reps than i do with back squats

    I have bad shoulder mobility. I can't place the bar on my shoulder.

    Wait, but your shoulder is good enough to do back squats? I'm unsure of how you can hold the bar for back squats with bad shoulder mobility, but can't either hold the bar in rack position or cross your arms for front squats.

    When doing back squat the bar is oh my traps and not on anterior deltoids. My right shoulder has a slight impingement.
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    cs2thecox wrote: »
    Also, why would you *not* want to work your core and stabilizing muscles when you squat?

    Because the OP's goal is bigger legs, and wasting energy on non-target muscles reduces the amount of stimulation the legs get.

    The OP should still work their core - especially since they have back pain - but there are plenty of other ways to work the core besides back squats.

    OP - I'd go with a hack squat machine or leg press over the smith. Add a couple sets of goblet squats for core strength, to keep you injury free. :+1:

    I would use a hack squat but the gym does not have one.
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