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Smith Machine squats

PeterBobJohn

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Waste of time to do squats on the smith machine? How much better are free weight squats?
thanks in advance
 
Waste of time to do squats on the smith machine? How much better are free weight squats?
thanks in advance

Depends on who you ask.

If you do a program like DC, you can do both the squat and the smith squat. If doing a do-or-die 20 rep squat set, the smith machine'll let you focus less on balancing and more on pushing the weight.
 
let me be more specific, is it a waste of time?
How much more effective are barbell squats?
 
its all a matter of preference in my opinion. I use to do freeweight squats but then i got an injury and had a screw put in my hip so free weight squats were no more b/c of the hips action and balancing needed for them. But the last 2 yearsd ive been doin smith machine squats and have had great gains. I ccan put alot more focus on my quads and my other bodypartsa dont take over as much. So thats my opinion but to each his own!
 
let me be more specific, is it a waste of time?
How much more effective are barbell squats?

If you watch the "Training Overview" chapter on Skip's DVD, he touches on the squat nicely;
LONGEVITY: The long awaited DVD from bodybuilding and contest prep guru, Ken 'SKIP' Hill

Cedric McMillan shares his views in this video;
Bigger Tube - Cedrick McMillan Trains Legs: Road to the Nationals

Dorian didn't squat, he leg pressed.

Is the squat an easy or awkward lift for you? What are your goals, specifically? If you're an athlete, squat > smith squat, hands down.
 
For me...barbell squats are an awesome movement that destroys my entire posterior chain as well as my quads...smith squats allow me to really focus on my quads...I think they both have their place.
 
Don't dismiss front squat with a clean grip (arms crossed, BB'er style is just a pain in the ass). As a guy with thick, strong glutes and hips but painfully mediocre quads, front squats have been hitting the spot. My Deadlift has been soaring as well, thanks to the increased quad strength (with the deadlift, I'm weak off the floor).
 
my goal is to build mass
will the barbell squat be more effective even though i can smith around 100 lbs more?
 
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I recently discovered the coolest Simpsons porno parody by chance. It's completely live action and Marge is crazy sexxy, but i honestly almost crapped my pants as soon as i saw Flanders. Its just as if they ripped him straight out of the show and made him real...
 
I'm not sure what you are looking for. Both btech and myself answered the question already...regular squats for posterior chain, front squats, or smith squats to bring up the quads IF they are lagging.
 
A comparison of free weight squat to Smith machine squat using electromyography.

J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Dec;23(9):2588-91.

A comparison of free weight squat to Smith machine squat using electromyography.

College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Schwanbeck S, Chilibeck PD, Binsted G.

The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether free weight or Smith machine squats were optimal for activating the prime movers of the legs and the stabilizers of the legs and the trunk. Six healthy participants performed 1 set of 8 repetitions (using a weight they could lift 8 times, i.e., 8RM, or 8 repetition maximum) for each of the free weight squat and Smith machine squat in a randomized order with a minimum of 3 days between sessions, while electromyographic (EMG) activity of the tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, lumbar erector spinae, and rectus abdominus were simultaneously measured. Electromyographic activity was significantly higher by 34, 26, and 49 in the gastrocnemius, biceps femoris, and vastus medialis, respectively, during the free weight squat compared to the Smith machine squat (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between free weight and Smith machine squat for any of the other muscles; however, the EMG averaged over all muscles during the free weight squat was 43% higher when compared to the Smith machine squat (p < 0.05). The free weight squat may be more beneficial than the Smith machine squat for individuals who are looking to strengthen plantar flexors, knee flexors, and knee extensors.
 
Just train hard with either. Or both.

As long as you go hard, IMHO its like 99% of everything in the world.

"The similarities are many and the differences are few"

There are a lot of potential variables to that question. Go hard with either and you should be happy. Do both.

Are you waiting for someone to say one will be 17.85% better? For you specifically based on the zero information about yourself that you provided?
 
my goal is to build mass
will the barbell squat be more effective even though i can smith around 100 lbs more?

Well, we need to first learn a little more about yourself;

What are your stats? Age, bodyweight, bodyfat, experience . . . how much can you squat? Deadlift? As a lifter, do you know if you're more quad dominant or hip dominant? etc. etc. etc.
 
thanks but I am looking for a more substantive answer

You will recruit more fibers doing free weight squats because you will recruit more ancillary and stabilizing muscles. However if you can't do full range reps, have poor ankle or hip flexibility (just not built for squatting), smith machine may be better for YOU (keyword).
On trial: barbell squats vs. Smith machine squats: What's the difference between doing squats with a barbell and squats in a Smith machine? | Flex | Find Articles at BNET
This link quotes a study in a journal (albeit not a peer reviewed one).

I love when people say Ronnie squatted, Dorian didn't, Kai flat benches. Like if one was to emulate their workout routine they would have the same results.

Dorian did squat early on his career (or at least that what he claims in interviews) T NATION | Dorian Yates Speaks
and I bet most all pros did at one point in there lives.

Regardless you need to experiment and see what works for you.
 
I am extremely impressed with Cedric after hearing him speak. He makes a hell of a lot of sense. Thanks for posting this.

If you watch the "Training Overview" chapter on Skip's DVD, he touches on the squat nicely;
LONGEVITY: The long awaited DVD from bodybuilding and contest prep guru, Ken 'SKIP' Hill

Cedric McMillan shares his views in this video;
Bigger Tube - Cedrick McMillan Trains Legs: Road to the Nationals

Dorian didn't squat, he leg pressed.

Is the squat an easy or awkward lift for you? What are your goals, specifically? If you're an athlete, squat > smith squat, hands down.
 
I love when people say Ronnie squatted, Dorian didn't, Kai flat benches. Like if one was to emulate their workout routine they would have the same results.

Regardless you need to experiment and see what works for you.

Not that I think that you aimed that toward me, but my point of bringing up "Dorian didn't squat" was not to say "you shouldn't either", but to say, "this is an individual issue, not a universal one".:cool:
 
Not that I think that you aimed that toward me, but my point of bringing up "Dorian didn't squat" was not to say "you shouldn't either", but to say, "this is an individual issue, not a universal one".:cool:

No offense meant bro, just that statement in general of so and so squats (or doesn't or benches, or does basics etc)brought back memories of endless threads on other boards (MM comes to mind) of people posting they squat cuz Ronnie does, or did you see the way Mark (Dugdale) trains, he is doing ass to the grass squats just like me."

Anyways, if I offended ya, I do indeed apologize.
 

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