Smith Machine Squats?

Bigger Stronger Leaner
1

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been hanging around around T-Nation for quite a while now reading articles and forums.

I’ve been training legit for almost 2 years now (I’m 16), starting with Starting Strength workouts at school and now at home due to school. My goal is primarily to build mass and look like a bodybuilder.

Problem is, at my apartment gym there’s only dumbbells up to 50 lbs, a Smith Machine and an E-Z bar.

I currently don’t do any squats and have to stick with lunges and split squats

Would it acceptable to squat with the Smith Machine instead of not squatting at all?

I live in China, where gyms are rather scarce, so getting membership to a gym is difficult and persuading my parents is nearly impossible.

Thanks for the help!

Zim

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If its between a smith machine and nothing, then do the smith machine

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[quote]zimdude7 wrote:
I’ve been training legit for almost 2 years now (I’m 16), starting with Starting Strength workouts at school and now at home due to school. My goal is primarily to build mass and look like a bodybuilder.[/quote]
What did you weigh two years ago?

What’s your current strength level on the basic lifts - squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, and clean?

I’d rather you work on bodyweight squats, lunges, step-ups, and dumbbell variations of those. The Smith machine does have some uses, but for the most part, I try to avoid doing the big lifts on it when possible.

Not a problem at all. In your current situation, you should be able to progress just fine for a while with the kind of basic bodyweight plan I recommend to most younger dudes:

3 Days a Week
Squat 2x15 (No weight, keep feet flat on the floor)
Push-up 2x15
Lunge 2x15 (Alternate legs, 1 rep left/1 rep right)
Chin-up or Inverted row 2x15*
Plank 2x15-count
Burpee/squat thrust 2x15

As soon as you can do that whole workout and it seems “easy” from start to finish, we can figure out a dumbbell-based program. That shouldn’t be a problem at all, especially at your current bodyweight and likely strength level.

    • You should be able to set up the Smith machine for the chins/rows (if you can’t do any chins, do the rows as demonstrated in this vid, using the supinated or palms-up grip. You’ll be stronger that way).
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvnPT-Muoec
4

You might wanna try single leg squats and jumping depth squats.
If you don’t have a lot of weight, you can always stimulate your muscles through plyometrics.

And gyms are hard to find in China? I thought wieghtlifting was popular over there?

5

Although I don’t live in china. Last time I visited and got a membeship, they’re gym fee’s are pretty rediclious… (atleast the one I applied to). Yet on the bright side, its nice a quiet and only the truly dedicated people will be most willing to pay :D.

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@Chris: Thanks! I know that body weight exercises are great but I’ve actually been training with weights for quite a while now… My school (it’s an international school) has a gym but only teachers can get in and students have to have teacher supervision. They have 2 platforms there with power racks and I used to train there, but now because my teacher supervisor left I can only train at home.

Some stats:
Weight:2 years ago: around 58 kg, Now: 75 kg
45kg overhead press, 110kg squat for 5, 120kg deadlift for 5, 70kg Bench, can do about 8 body-weight pull-ups and dips with 10-20 kg added for reps. 70kg Clean and Jerk and 45kg Snatch (my coach and I worked on a bit of Oly stuff).

@Basily: Yeah there are gyms but they’re all like balls expensive. I’m trying to save up money so I can apply for a gym membership close to my house. Even then the gyms only have barbells and benches (and lots and lots of treadmills). Legit platforms with power racks are very hard to find.

@Alex: In China the population is split between elite athletes or nothing. Rarely are there any recreational athletes (ones like me), and everyone seems to choose studying instead of exercise (quite true stereotype). Weightlifting is popular in terms of professional athletes wanting to go into the Olympics, I guess. I’m far from that haha.

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@Chris: What kind of dumbbell workout would you recommend?

@Basily: Isn’t the air here like horrible? I live in Beijing, and there’s a saying that if you breathe one day of air here it’s like smoking 2 packs of cigarettes.

8

[quote]zimdude7 wrote:
Hi Everyone,

I’ve been hanging around around T-Nation for quite a while now reading articles and forums.

I’ve been training legit for almost 2 years now (I’m 16), starting with Starting Strength workouts at school and now at home due to school. My goal is primarily to build mass and look like a bodybuilder.

Problem is, at my apartment gym there’s only dumbbells up to 50 lbs, a Smith Machine and an E-Z bar.

I currently don’t do any squats and have to stick with lunges and split squats

Would it acceptable to squat with the Smith Machine instead of not squatting at all?

I live in China, where gyms are rather scarce, so getting membership to a gym is difficult and persuading my parents is nearly impossible.

Thanks for the help!

Zim[/quote]

Gyms are not scarce in China, not at all, not my a long shot, I live in China too and my job forces me to travel constantly, a month here, a month there. Im rarely at my home (xi’an) for more than a week or 2 at a time. I have been able to find gyms in every single city/town I have worked in from Yan’an, to Chongqing to Baoji to Dallian, Jinan and everywhere else.

In fact, I would go so far to say that gyms are even nicer in china than the USA because the whole workout thing hasn’t really caught on here, its not unusual to have a gym all to yourself in the middle of the day, its great.

Ask a Chinese friend to help you find a gym, I dont know what your nationality is but about 50% of the time, the gym owner wont even let me pay him for a one month membership, they are ususally really stoke to have foreigners in their gyms, its great for their business.

quit making excuses and get out there.

PS…Smith machine for squats…NO freaking way. I would focus on deadlifts if all I had to squat on was a smith machine.