smith machine squats

[arnoldblack]

ok well first off, i know smith machine squats are bad on the knees and a regular bb squat is much better. however, i dislocated my shoulder about 3 weeks ago, and i dont feel comfortable yet to do bb squats as i want my shoulder to heal abit more before putting it behind the bar.

So today when doing legs I tried smith machine squats, but only by putting my good arm behind the bar, and letting the other rest down by my side, and it worked fine.

So given these circumstances i wondered if it would be worth doing 3 heavy sets of these until i can do barbell squats again.
thanks

 

[jhotsauce7]

Try doing high rep 1.5 squats instead ... 3 sets of 20. ... This will grow the legs and help with strength and hypertrophy

1.5 squats: down past parallel then squat half way up then down to parallel then all the way up ... That is 1 rep

 

[BrotherIron]

Try using a safety squat bar instead and really let your shoulder heal while you actually squat.

 

[tightglutes]

ok well first off, i know smith machine squats are bad on the knees and a regular bb squat is much better. however, i dislocated my shoulder about 3 weeks ago, and i dont feel comfortable yet to do bb squats as i want my shoulder to heal abit more before putting it behind the bar.

So today when doing legs I tried smith machine squats, but only by putting my good arm behind the bar, and letting the other rest down by my side, and it worked fine.

So given these circumstances i wondered if it would be worth doing 3 heavy sets of these until i can do barbell squats again.
thanks

I am going to try this. One arm squat. I have a bad shoulder to. Thanks

 

[IronSoul]

I just started doing them today because of lower back issues and I'm loving them. I don't feel any difference in my knees in comparison to barbell. But with my back issues, the smith is allowing me to keep from sacrificing form and with going ass to ground. Maybe it'll help me get my squat back we will see

 

[jhotsauce7]

I did the aforementioned technique as the only method of squatting for week 10 to week. 4 training for a bbing comp and it really brought my legs up good and wasn't even using heavy weights .. Only a month later post show and I was already ripping new PRs once I got back to offseason weight

 

[IronSoul]

Hell yeah jhot, glad to hear that brother. After today, I'm definitely switching to it. I wanna get my squat higher but more focused on hypertrophy and working on some symmetry issues. So this is a new staple to my routine as of today. Used to hate on it so much, but I believe it's gonna help me in many ways.

 

[GiantSlayer]

Not a big fan of the one arm squat idea. Sounds like it may create an imbalance. Also can't be too safe. A subtle shift in posture like that may put you out of alignment more than you think. Use a safety bar instead, if your lucky enough to find one.

 

[PillarofBalance]

If you don't have a safety squat bar then use wrist straps to make one.

 

[Rai080]

I use a smith machine to squat occasionally. It does not bother my knees much

 

[Determined]

I prefer the smith over barbell. I'm able to feel the muscle work much better.

 

[Lizard King]

I believe the below says it all: