FitNessieHow to do it
- Set the bar low on the Smith machine, near the floor or just below your knees, and stand with your feet hip to shoulder width and the bar over mid-foot.
- Hinge your hips back, bend your knees only as much as needed, and take an overhand grip just outside your shins.
- Brace your core, keep your back straight and your arms straight, with your shoulders slightly ahead of the bar.
- Push the floor away and drive your hips forward to stand, with the bar moving straight up the guides.
- Squeeze your glutes to finish tall, then lower under control by hinging your hips back again.
Key cues
- Hips back into the hinge
- Bar over mid-foot
- Back straight, arms straight
- Push the floor away
- Squeeze your glutes at the top
Common mistakes
- Squatting the weight with too much knee bend
- Standing too wide or too far from the bar
- Gripping too wide or too narrow
- Rounding your back off the floor
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Glutes, hamstrings and lower back
- Secondary
- Adductors, traps, forearms, quads, lats and abs
Equipment
Smith machine and weight plates.
