Smith Machine Front Squat

How to do it

1. Set the Smith bar at shoulder height and step under it so it rests across your front deltoids.
2. Place your hands on top of the bar or use a front rack grip with two or three fingers.
3. Set your feet slightly ahead of the bar, about shoulder width, with the toes turned out a little.
4. Rotate your wrists to unrack the bar and brace your trunk.
5. Bend the knees and push the hips back together until your thighs reach parallel.
6. Drive the elbows up and press through the whole foot to return to standing.

Common mistakes

• Letting the elbows drop, which rolls the bar forward off the shoulders.
• Placing the feet directly under the bar, which forces the torso to lean into the fixed path.
• Rising hips first, which turns an anterior-loaded squat into a stiff-legged shove.
• Letting the knees collapse inward instead of tracking over the second toe.