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Hi All,

My gym has no squat rack and the only thing I can use is the smith machine. Looking around on the internet there are countless negative opinions on using a smith as it restricts the natural movement making it far more linear than free squatting. What are your thoughts (apart from change gym!)

Another question is the leg press. I am using a machine slowly and smoothly but am unclear as to, like a deadlift, if I should release the tension at the end of the press (hope that makes sense) I am happily pushing away 180kg and controlling the weight stack but today and I released the weight taking the tension off my legs for a second, it was an absolute sod to get moving again! So am I cheating myself by not taking the weights back to resting momentarily before the next rep?

Cheers.

Actually I wouldn't mind an answer to that leg press question too - Pretty much no free weights in my gym which is lame

If you are supposed to let the plates go back to resting between each that's going to be a nightmare haha!

Trimix45 wrote:Hi All,

My gym has no squat rack and the only thing I can use is the smith machine. Looking around on the internet there are countless negative opinions on using a smith as it restricts the natural movement making it far more linear than free squatting. What are your thoughts (apart from change gym!)

Another question is the leg press. I am using a machine slowly and smoothly but am unclear as to, like a deadlift, if I should release the tension at the end of the press (hope that makes sense) I am happily pushing away 180kg and controlling the weight stack but today and I released the weight taking the tension off my legs for a second, it was an absolute sod to get moving again! So am I cheating myself by not taking the weights back to resting momentarily before the next rep?

Cheers.

My opinion on the Smith Machine Squats is to go ahead and use the machine. You can't lift the barbell off the ground and do squats because the bar would be too light to squat with or too heavy and dangerous to lift to your shoulders. An alternative is to do Hack Squats. Put your heels on a block and do squats with the barbell picked up from the ground behind your legs.

Thanks Guys

dsharp, which would you do, hack or smith? Never had a go at hacks so thanks for the suggestion.

eleischner, I know what you mean! I couldn't believe how hard it was to get the damn stack moving again which leads me to ask the question. Forgive my ignorance but under the assumption that more stress means more growth then maybe it's not a bad idea. Just want to know if there is any issue with injures etc as my knees feels like its taking the majority of the strain initially when lifting the stack from rest but are perfect when its moving.

Cheers again

Mark

It all depends what you won't out of the exercise.

Hack Squats is more of a quad isolation which takes out the back and hamstrings. Smith Squats will target quads, hams, and lower back.
If you only relied on Hack squats you will have to add a few more ham exercise to your routine of do a ham dominated day.

Why not pre exhust your legs first with leg presses, then follow up with smith squats, and finish them of with some ligh hack squats then 3 ham exercise should be enough

Leg Press
Leg Press
Smith Squat
Smith Squat
Hack Squat
Leg Curl
SLDL
SLDL