Smith Deep Squat

Deep squats will aid both glut and quadriceps strength, however always perform these once the muscles have been warmed, by performing partial or reduced weights squats. Avoid performing deep squats when your legs or gluts are tired, as this can result in poor technique, causing injury.

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Position the bar of the Smith Machine to rest across your shoulders / upper back, avoiding any contact with your neck throughout the movement, using either a towel or foam pad to protect your shoulders on the bar.

Always set the height of the bar before placing any weight on it, making sure that any locking devices is safely in place, also ensuring that the lower safety locks are set for the correct height, to enable the bar to travel through your full exercise movement.

Rotate the bar around, lifting the bar away from its locking nuts, keeping your legs straight, smoothly lower yourself down, keeping your back straight, however leaning slightly forward throughout the movement, with your knees going in the direction of your toes. Learn the correct movement of how to lock and unlock the bar, prior to placing any weight on the machine.

Aim to take yourself down to a position that brings your quadriceps (thigh muscles) horizontal to the floor. Once in this position, clench your gluts, as you rise back up to the starting position to repeat again.

By performing deep squats, you will find that your knees will travel over your toes, which is not always recommended, hence why you should warm all the leg muscles up prior to performing deep squats, in order to avoid injury, especially from the patella tendon.

This is safer than regular barbell squats. It may not be as effective though since your stabilizer muscles are not used quite as much, as with all machine exercises.

A variety of foot positions can be used to work the different muscles of the quadriceps, however beginners should aim to have their feet shoulder width apart, feet pointing slightly outwards.