going from smith squat to normal squat

[danielson]

before i do is there anything i should know? i only ask as im petrified of squats, i injured myself fairly badly once before.

should i expect more stress on the abs? how much weight should i expect to drop when i switch.

if its a dumb question dont reply! ill take the hint and wont bump it

thanx

 

[Exodus]

no its a very good question

first of all...... gravity is not a factor on smith mach.... no you will have to balance the weight..... also you will have to have your feet more under you

you will need a lighter weight also..... start with about 25 lbs less

go slow and be careful

good luck

 

[Phemomena]

start with the bar until you get comfortable with the motion and then add weight as needed... don't rush into things, its a different movement, and it feels a lot different (the first thing you will notice is trying to balance in 3 dimensions is a lot harder than just moving up and down...)

once you get the hang of it, you'll progress back up to just under your smith squat weight (probably within 25-50 lbs)... just take it easy until you are ready... don't be afraid to do a couple of really light sessions before adding any substantial weight...

being safe is much better than being sorry...

 

[kingsquat]

You're going to feel like you are falling backwards at first. Especially since you are coming off the smith. You will have a tendancy to lean forward and squat down over your feet.

You need to try and keep your shins as perpendicular to the floor as possible, the farther your knees go out past your feet, the more likely you will sustain an injury. (It's kinda hard to explain) I'd start with about half the weight you are used to, just until you get the hang of it. The trick is to stay as far back as you possibly can without falling over backwards, pushing hard from your heels. And for crying out loud, please be sure to go parallel!

Good Luck!

 

[bignate73]

its a whole new monster. youll like it when you can get down in a squat and feel strong at the bottom. chances are if you were doing smith mach. squats, you had your feet forward? this will be completely different now because you have to use your lower back and abs a great deal more to stabilize. your hips and calves will come into play more as well. hips being more for taking the brunt of the weight and calves to make sure you dont fall forward. hehe. good luck and go slowly. the gains you make on your stabilization alone will be enough to keep you motivated, then the big weights will come. put the ego in the closet and enjoy the new motion.

 

[Y_lifter]

On top of all the above good advice, have someone that knows how to safely squat, work with you the first few times off of the Smith.
Don't get cocky, It may take you a while to get up to the weight you were using on the smith machine.

 

[danielson]

well thankfully the rack has failure bars

but thanx for the advice. yes my feet were very far foward, so balance was my main worry.

im gonna go down there soon, and im gonna go soooo light at first, just the bar, then work up very slowly. i wont count this as like a proper leg day just a get used to the weights day. still, as frustrating as it will be to go down in weight, at least ill know my kness will thank me for it

besides no 'big lifters' there go paralel. more like an inch down an inch up ....still they are bigger than me so ill keep my mouth shut

thanx for ll the help u guys

 

[Tuna Guy]

Also dont let your knees wander. When you get tired there is a tendancy to lean forward and to bring the knees inwards to take the strain away from the fatigued quads. Do not do this as there is a very high probability of tearing(literally chopping off) part of your meniscus. Deep squating is the best form of squating but it does have the potential to be the most damaging if form is poor.

 

[Phemomena]

well thankfully the rack has failure bars

but thanx for the advice. yes my feet were very far foward, so balance was my main worry.

im gonna go down there soon, and im gonna go soooo light at first, just the bar, then work up very slowly. i wont count this as like a proper leg day just a get used to the weights day. still, as frustrating as it will be to go down in weight, at least ill know my kness will thank me for it

besides no 'big lifters' there go paralel. more like an inch down an inch up ....still they are bigger than me so ill keep my mouth shut

thanx for ll the help u guys

good stuff, don't worry about what other people are doing, do them to start your normal leg workout, call it a warmup if you want...

 

[Garza]

Coordination plays a big part in squatting.