Smith Machine Squat

Muscles worked by the Smith Machine Squat

Primary

GlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeGlute MediusGluteus MediusHamstringsHamstring Muscles

Also called: glute, glutes, gluteus maximus, buttocks, butt, quad.

Equipment

Smith Machine

Also called: smith bar, guided barbell, fixed barbell, smith press.

How to do the Smith Machine Squat

1. Set the Smith machine bar at shoulder height and step under it.
2. Position the bar across your upper traps and unrack it.
3. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, slightly forward of the bar.
4. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
5. Drive through your heels to return to standing.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Keep your knees tracking in line with your toes.
• Brace your core and keep your chest up throughout the movement.
• Set the safety stops just below your lowest squat depth.

At a glance

Smith Machine Squat in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Banded Squat
• Barbell Back Squat
• Bodyweight Squat
• Box Squat
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Dumbbell Front Squat
• Dumbbell Pistol Squat
• Dumbbell Split Squat

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "smith-machine-squat",
  "name_en": "Smith Machine Squat",
  "name_de": "Smith-Maschine Kniebeuge",
  "name_es": "Sentadilla en Máquina Smith",
  "description_en": "A squat performed on the Smith machine, using the fixed bar path for added stability while training quads and glutes.",
  "description_de": "Eine einsteigerfreundliche Kniebeuge an der Smith Machine mit geführter Hantelstange für Quadrizeps und Gesäßmuskulatur.",
  "description_es": "Una sentadilla guiada en máquina Smith con la barra sobre los trapecios, que trabaja cuádriceps y glúteos con trayectoria fija.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "equipment": "smith_machine",
  "body_part": "upper_legs",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_medius",
    "hamstrings"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "variation_group": "squat",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Set the Smith machine bar at shoulder height and step under it.",
    "Position the bar across your upper traps and unrack it.",
    "Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, slightly forward of the bar.",
    "Descend until your thighs are parallel to the floor.",
    "Drive through your heels to return to standing.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stelle die Stange der Smith-Maschine auf Schulterhöhe und trete darunter.",
    "Lege die Stange auf den oberen Trapezmuskeln ab und entracke sie.",
    "Stehe mit schulterbreit gestellten Füßen, leicht vor der Stange.",
    "Gehe herunter, bis die Oberschenkel parallel zum Boden sind.",
    "Drücke durch die Fersen, um wieder aufzustehen.",
    "Wiederhole für die gewünschte Anzahl an Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ajusta la barra de la máquina Smith a la altura de los hombros y colócate debajo de ella.",
    "Apoya la barra sobre tus trapecios superiores y desrackéala.",
    "Párate con los pies al ancho de los hombros, ligeramente por delante de la barra.",
    "Desciende hasta que los muslos queden paralelos al suelo.",
    "Empuja a través de los talones para volver a la posición de pie.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep your knees tracking in line with your toes.",
    "Brace your core and keep your chest up throughout the movement.",
    "Set the safety stops just below your lowest squat depth."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Spanne den Rumpf fest an, bevor du die Stange aushebst.",
    "Halte die Fersen während der gesamten Bewegung am Boden.",
    "Lass die Knie nicht nach innen kippen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Coloca los pies ligeramente por delante de la barra.",
    "Baja hasta que los muslos queden paralelos al suelo.",
    "Empuja con los talones para volver a subir."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/smith-machine-squat-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/smith-machine-squat-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "smith-machine-squat");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.