Smith Chair Squat

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Set the Smith machine bar to shoulder height and rest it across your upper traps.
2. Walk your feet forward approximately 12 to 18 inches in front of the bar.
3. Position your feet shoulder-width apart with toes pointed slightly outward.
4. Disengage the safety hooks and stand tall, ensuring your back is pressed firmly against the bar.

How to do it

1. Inhale and lower your hips straight down as if sitting into a chair, keeping your torso perfectly vertical.
2. Continue the descent until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, ensuring your shins remain nearly vertical.
3. Exhale and drive through your heels to return to the starting position, pushing your back into the bar as you rise.
4. Maintain a controlled tempo, taking 3 seconds to descend and 1 second to explode upward.

Form checklist

• Keep your back in constant contact with the bar throughout the entire movement.
• Ensure your knees stay aligned with your toes and do not collapse inward.
• Maintain a proud chest and braced core to stabilize the spine.
• Avoid locking your knees out completely at the top to maintain tension on the quads.

Pro tips

• Focus on 'pushing the floor away' through your heels to maximize glute and quad recruitment.
• To increase calf involvement, focus on a hard plantarflexion drive during the final inches of the ascent.

Make it harder

• Incorporate a 2-3 second pause at the bottom of the movement to eliminate elastic energy.
• Perform 1.5 reps by descending fully, rising halfway, returning to the bottom, and then standing all the way up.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the smith chair squat work?

The smith chair squat primarily targets the calves, glutes, and quadriceps, and also works the hamstrings as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the smith chair squat?

The smith chair squat uses smith machine.

Is the smith chair squat good for beginners?

The smith chair squat is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

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