I can't do squats properly because I lack mobility in my ankle.
Saturday I visited a new gym that didn't have a smith machine so I tried to do my usual squats without, 5x5 with progressive overload. I couldn't do it, I did maximum 3 reps didn't feel like I was going parallel to the ground.
Is it smith machine cheating?
If it works for you then do it.
gives me lower back pain
I also feel pressure in my lower back, that's why I use a belt, but I felt the same pressure without smith machine all the same.
I also do this as a warmup, maybe it helps
>I also feel pressure in my lower back, that's why I use a belt
Fix your squat first before you start using a belt.
You're wrecking yourself in the long run by trying to equip yourself out of bad form.
I would uhhhhh improve ankle mobility, but if you can't then smith machine squats are fine too.
They are just different then barbell squats.
I do work on my ankle mobility, just not there yet, my goal is to be able to squat gopnik stile
There are people out there who can't gopnik squat?
Good luck with your suicide
You also have protection on smith machine, just that most people don't use it
dangerous and retarded
Just like most of SwoleShack population, sounds like match made in heaven.
If you're gonna be doing a squat movement with the Smith, replicate a hack squat with it, not a back squat.
Either the Hack Squat or front Squat and don't go over your comfort zone at all otherwise it will turn into a guillotine.
I use smith machine squats as an accessory movement for barbell squats to get more volume in. They're not a replacement, barbell squats are far superior, and quite frankly if my gym had an actual hack squat machine I'd use that instead, but in the absence of one the smith machine squat is a great alternative
To be able to do barbell squats I had to drop 20kg, from 105kg(on smith machine) to 85kg(barbell squat).
Also I didn't feel like I was breaking parallel, which was the biggest problem
So work on form with lower weight, sit in the hold for like 30s each rep, you'll gradually be able to sit deeper
> I can't do squats properly because I lack mobility in my ankle.
You're just a helpless low iq retard. You don't need especially good ankle mobility to squat, they literally get immobile grandmas squatting on SS. Just read the book, retard.
Its better than regular bb squat for me
I do it to emphasise quads tho, if you put your legs in front of yourself a bit, it is really similar to hack squat
smith machine is where you catch monkeypox, anon
I'm fairly certain smith machines exist only to injure zoomers and foids
SM is only good for calves, all gyms should unironically replace them for power racks.
Guillotine machine, just read the book Starting Strength and find out how to squat properly
You don't need that much mobility in your ankles to squat to parallel. Unless your ankles are properly arthritic, a weak back and inability to externally rotate the knees is the culprit.
If your mobility is well and truly limited the smith machine is just retarded. The smith machine doesn't make you magically more mobile, it just makes it easier to balance, and forces your way through a range of motion that your secondary movers are too weak to safely do.
I know some masters olympic lifters (over 65) who have genuinely compromised mobility. They split squat, which is infinitely less effeminate and weak than a smith machine.