Smith Machine Squats - Good, Bad, or Dangerous?

The smith machine has been around for a while and has become wildly popular in the weight lifting community. If you aren't familiar with what a smith machine is, it essentially counter weighs the barbell and places it on a track, allowing you to lift weight in a completely vertical motion. Not only that, but will also be able to work without a spot, as the smith machine has a lower limit to where the barbell can go. While this is incredibly useful for certain exercises, it can be detrimental in others. And even with the smith machine, it's important to have a spotter in case you get hurt or have a momentary lapse of judgment.

When visiting a gym, you'll probably see a lot of people using the smith machines; however, you won't find many experienced lifters there. That's because while smith machines have their obvious benefits, they also have significant drawbacks, especially when working at higher weights. The exercise that becomes most problematic when using a smith machine is the fabled squat, the queen of lifts. This is due to a number of factors that decrease stability and the quality of the workout. While you might see experienced lifters using the smith machine to shrug or something like that, very few will squat on it.

The main reason why the smith machine is avoided when squatting is because it increases the chance of knee injury. This happens due to reduced stress on the hamstrings and back during the exercise. You see, the hamstrings help stabilize the knee when in a flexed position. When the hamstring is removed, it changes the distribution of the force on the knee. Essentially, the femur will move backward while the tibia attempts to move forward. This is contrary to what happens in the squat, in which case most of the force on the skeleton is pushed into the tibia at a right angle, effectively pushing the load into the ground so that the weight can be lifted properly. This simply doesn't happen when doing the smith machine.

So you're probably wondering if it's at all possible to do a smith machine squat without injuring yourself. Well, remember that it only increases the risk of injury, especially when working with heavier weights. If your squat form is terrible, then you might actually be better off using the smith machine, as the odds of you hurting your knee with the smith machine are lower than the odds of you hurting your back or knees with terrible squat form. You can also help prevent the risk of injury by not leaning against the barbell when using the smith machine. This will help your hamstrings take some of the stress, which will help distribute the force more evenly.