Smith machine front squat

Also called Smith front squat, front squat on Smith machine.

What is a Smith machine front squat?

A Smith machine front squat holds the guided bar across the fronts of your shoulders while you bend and straighten your hips and knees. Your elbows stay forward to support the front rack, and the bar travels along the machine's rails. It trains the quadriceps and glutes, with the adductors, lower back and calves also involved.

Two oblique anatomical views of a man doing a Smith machine front squat. On the left he stands with the guided bar across the fronts of his shoulders, fingers underneath and elbows pointing forward. On the right he squats with his feet flat, knees bent and the same front rack. The front thighs are highlighted red, with some inner-thigh and lower-leg shading. The machine frame, rails and weight plates are visible.

How do you perform a Smith machine front squat?

Set up

With the bar unloaded, set it just below shoulder level and set the stops just below your controlled squat depth. Test how the hooks release and catch before adding weight.
Move under the bar so it rests across the fronts of your shoulders. Bring your elbows forward and place your fingers under the bar just outside shoulder width.
Set your feet around shoulder width, a little ahead of the bar, then stand tall and turn the bar clear of its hooks.

Execution

Tighten your midsection and lower by bending your knees and hips together, keeping your elbows forward and the bar supported on your shoulders.
Keep your heels and forefeet planted, let your knees follow your toes, and stop before the bar slips forward or your torso folds.
Press into the floor to rise, bringing your chest and hips up together until your legs are straight and the bar is steady.
After the last rep, stand tall, rotate the bar onto both catches, and ease its weight onto them before ducking out.

Common mistakes

Carrying the bar in your hands
Let the shoulders take the weight. The hands guide the bar and operate the hooks; if the wrists are holding it up, reset the front rack with less weight before continuing.
Forcing someone else's foot position
Use light practice reps to find a stance that fits the rails. If your heels rise or you must lean into the bar to reach the bottom, adjust your feet or shorten the range instead of forcing that depth.
Trying to walk the bar out
The bar stays attached to the machine. Release the hooks in place; there is no free-bar walkout. Moving away from the rail path pulls you out of the position you need for the squat.
Trusting the hooks without checking them
Practice the release and rerack with an unloaded bar, including from the front-rack grip. Set the stops before loading, and feel both catches take the weight before leaving the machine.

Where it fits in a session

Use it as the squat movement in a lower-body session, while you can keep the front rack consistent.

Keep a separate training history from a free-bar front squat or a Smith back squat. Record which machine you used and repeat the same foot placement and depth when comparing sessions. End the set when the front rack starts to give way, rather than finishing extra reps with the bar supported by your hands.

Muscles worked

Front

Back

Primary

Secondary

Select a muscle name to locate it.

Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.

The quadriceps and glutes are the main lower-body focus. The adductors, lower back and calves are also involved; this list does not promise a measured split of the work between them.

Variations

Barbell front squatKeeps the front rack but uses a free bar, with a rack walkout and a bar path you control.
Smith machine squatUses the guided bar across the upper back instead of the fronts of the shoulders.
Cross-arm Smith front squat — Cross the forearms over the bar while the shoulders support it. Check that this grip still lets you release and engage the machine's hooks.
Paused Smith front squat — Pause briefly at a controlled bottom position before standing, with the same front rack and foot placement.

Related tools

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Smith machine front squat work?

It trains the quadriceps and gluteus maximus, with the adductors, lower back and calves also involved. The guide does not assign a percentage of the work to each muscle or claim that the rails isolate the quadriceps.

Where should the bar sit?

Across the fronts of your shoulders, close to the base of your neck. Lift your elbows to keep the shoulder shelf under the bar. It should not sit in the crooks of your elbows or across your upper back; those are different squat setups.

Where should my feet go?

Start around shoulder width with your feet a little ahead of the bar. Use light reps to adjust that position until your heels and forefeet stay down throughout the range. The rails determine the bar's path, so there is no single distance in front of the bar that fits everyone.

Do I have to use a clean grip?

The illustration shows a clean grip, with the fingers under the bar and the elbows forward. A cross-arm grip is another option. Whichever you choose, the shoulders carry the load and you must still be able to turn the bar onto and off the hooks. Practice that with the bar unloaded before using the grip for a set.

How deep should I squat?

Descend as far as you can while keeping the front rack secure, the feet planted and the movement controlled. Stop before those positions change. The illustrated bottom position is an example, and reaching it is not a requirement for every lifter.

Is it the same as a Smith machine back squat?

Both use the machine's guided bar, but the front squat rests it across the fronts of the shoulders. A Smith back squat carries it across the upper back. That changes the rack position and how you set yourself beneath the bar, so treat them as separate exercises.