The Smith Machine is a versatile tool for developing stronger and more muscular legs. Here are the best lower body exercises you can do on a Smith Machine plus a sample routine for your next leg day workout.
The Smith machine is one of my favorite pieces of equipment in the gym!
It’s a lot more versatile than most people give it credit for, and it allows you to lift significantly heavier weights with far less risk to your joints and muscles.
I’ve found that incorporating at least a few Smith machine exercises into my daily training routine has led to some big increases in strength and power across the board.
Now, I’ll share with you my favorite (and the best) Smith machine leg exercises you can do to focus on your lower body, working your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves like a BOSS.
Trust me, it’ll be as much of a game-changer for you as it was for me!
Why the Smith Machine is a Beast for Training Legs
Before I share the best Smith machine leg exercises I’ve been working into my routines, I want to take a minute to talk about the benefits of the Smith machine.
Essentially, what makes it a great piece of equipment and why the Smith machine deserves its place in your training sessions.
Stabilizing
The “danger” of free weights is always that you could lose control. When it comes to squats and lunges, that “loss of control” likely means you’ll tip/fall backward, so our bodies compensate to maintain our balance throughout.
This leads to engagement of muscles other than our leg muscles—in this case, the abs, lower back, obliques, and even the upper body to an extent.
With the Smith machine, though, the machine is doing all the work of stabilizing you. The barbell is secured to a rail that can only slide in ONE direction (up/down), so there’s no way you could tip over or stumble while lifting.
This added stability makes it easier for newbies to develop their squatting and lunging skills, even if they’ve never lifted weights.
Lift Heavier
Remember how I said that other muscles have to engage to maintain stability? The power diverted to these secondary stabilizer muscles means there’s less power to send to your legs.
It’s not a huge difference, but it’s noticeable enough that when the stabilizer muscles are removed from the equation, you can lift anywhere from 5-20% more.
Or you may find that you don’t hit fatigue as quickly because only your legs are doing the lifting, and there are no other muscles drawing on your power.
Focus on Form
With free weights, you have to worry a lot about your balance when squatting or lunging.
But with the balance part removed from the equation, you’re free to focus on what really matters: your form.
You can pay close attention to every joint engaged in the movement—the way your neck bends against the bar weight of the Smith machine resting on your shoulders, how your upper and lower back are prone to rounding, the stiffness in your hips, the mobility of your knees, even the way your ankles flex and contract.
By paying more attention to these joints—and, of course, all the muscles that are doing the heavy lifting—you can master the proper form more easily and correct any inconsistencies that could compromise your musculoskeletal system down the line when you add heavier weights.
More Focus on Primary Muscles
Because there is far less need for stability with the Smith machine, your lower body exercises will focus chiefly on the prime movers: your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. As a result, you’ll see greater growth in these muscles, both in terms of size and strength.
Wow! All pretty great reasons to work with the Smith machine and proof that it’s possibly the best leg machine in the gym (or at least Top Three!)
Best Smith Machine Exercises for Leg Day
Exercise #1: Squats
Squats are the best—and my personal favorite—Leg Day exercise. So of course Smith machine squats deserve top billing on the list of best Smith machine leg exercises!
With the Smith machine, you can shift the weight to a front squat (resting across the front of your shoulders) or back squat (resting across the back of your shoulders) as desired, whichever variation suits your workout best.
Both types of squats will be amazing for building power in your quads, with just enough engagement of your hamstrings and glutes to ensure your lower body grows in strength and size evenly.
To perform this exercise:
- Set the Smith machine to a setting just below the height of your shoulders. Load with your desired weight.
- Step underneath the bar, bend slightly, and get beneath the weight (either across the front or back of your shoulders). Stand with your feet spread shoulder width apart, toes pointed forward.
- Straighten your legs to lift the weight off the cradle. Twist the bar to disengage the safety. Now you’re ready to squat!
- Hinge backward at the hips and keep your back straight as you lower under control toward the ground. Descend until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Keep your knees pointed forward as much as possible—don’t let them flare outward.
- Exhale as you press upward, using your quads to propel you up to a standing position.
- Thrust your hips forward at the top to engage your glutes, and hold for a 1-count.
- Inhale as you descend once more.
- Repeat as desired.
Exercise #2: Static Lunges
Static lunges are an excellent variation on the classic lunge. Instead of stepping forward and backward, you remain in the same lunging position, but simply raise and lower in that position.
This focus on your glutes, hamstrings, and quads, and the fact that it eliminates forward/backward movement means you can easily do it using the Smith machine to add weight.
To perform this exercise:
- Set the Smith machine to a setting just below the height of your shoulders. Load with your desired weight.
- Step underneath the bar, bend slightly, and get beneath the weight (across the back of your shoulders).
- Step your right foot forward and your left foot backward to a lunging position.
- Lower slowly into the lunge, stopping when your front thigh is parallel to the floor (90-degree angle).
- Press back up until your right leg is nearly straight, but stop before you straighten fully.
- Lower back down once more into the lunge.
- Repeat as desired with the right foot forward, then switch feet to complete the set.
Exercise #3: Hack Squat
The hack squat exercise is an interesting variation of the standard squat.
Instead of simply squatting straight up and down, you lean back into more of a sitting position for the squats.
While there are dedicated hack squat machines in the gym, you can “hack” (ha!) the Smith Machine to perform this exercise.
The benefits of hack squats include reducing the strain on your knees and engaging the muscles that help to support this critical joint. It’s also more glute-focused than standard squats, but will still build monster quads.
Really, it’s a win-win all around!
Here’s how to do a hack squat on a Smith Machine like a boss:
To perform this exercise:
- Set the Smith machine to a setting just below the height of your shoulders. Load with your desired weight.
- Step underneath the bar, bend slightly, and get beneath the weight (across the back of your shoulders).
- Step both feet out in front of you, roughly 18-24 inches in front of the bar. Keep your toes pointed straight forward and plant your feet slightly less than shoulder width apart.
- Lean back against the bar and bend your knees so the bar slides down the rail. Your body should be in a “seated” position (similar to wall squats).
- Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Exhale and contract your leg muscles to propel you back upward to a near-standing position.
- Pause at the top for a 1-count.
- Repeat as desired.
Exercise #4: Sumo Squat
The sumo squat is another excellent variation on the standard squat. Because your feet are planted in a much wider stance (sumo stance), there is more engagement of the outer quads, glutes, and hamstrings.
It’s also effective at training to increase your hip mobility, strengthening the hip flexors and extensors through a fuller range of motion.
For those who spend a lot of time sitting down, it’s an excellent way to improve flexibility and prevent hip stiffness while also shredding your legs.
To perform this exercise:
- Set the Smith machine to a setting just below the height of your shoulders. Load with your desired weight.
- Step underneath the bar, bend slightly, and let the weight rest on the back of your shoulders. Straighten your legs to lift the weight from its cradle, and turn the handle to disengage the safety.
- Spread your legs as wide as you comfortably can, pointing your toes outward slightly to allow for a fuller range of motion in your hips.
- Inhale as you descend under control toward the floor.
- Lower until your thighs are roughly parallel to the ground. Typically, you’ll feel some resistance in your hips, which is normal as you’re just starting to train in this range of motion. Stop if you feel any pain/discomfort.
- Exhale as you push back up, using your hips, glutes, hamstrings, and quads to raise your body back to a standing position.
- Stop before fully extending your legs and locking out your knees.
- Pause for a 1-count at the top, then inhale as you descend.
- Repeat as desired.
Exercise #5: Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift, also known as the stiff-legged deadlift, hits those hamstrings and glutes to ensure your legs are properly and evenly trained.
If you only work your quads, it will lead to muscular imbalance that affects everything from the way you walk and stand to your hip and knee movement.
Paying extra attention to your hamstrings will strengthen the muscles that help to support your knees as well as your lower back.
To perform this exercise:
- Set the bar at the lowest setting possible, typically around your ankles. Load with your desired weight.
- Stand directly in front of the bar, with your ankles just touching the metal.
- Hinge forward at the hips, bend down, and grab the bar.
- Keep your legs stiff and straight (though don’t lock your knees) as you use the power of your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back to lift the weight as you stand upright.
- Pause at the top to thrust your hips forward and contract your glutes.
- Inhale as you lower under control toward the ground
- Stop just before the bar touches your ankles.
- Exhale as you lift.
- Repeat as desired.
See also: Can You Deadlift on a Smith Machine? (Yes, and Here’s How to Do it Properly)
Exercise #6: Glute Kickback
This is, hands down, the best Smith machine glute exercise you can do!
It’s a simple, beginner-friendly exercise that is made so much easier by the fact that the smith machine keeps the bar sliding along the same trajectory, so you can focus on really squeezing those glute muscles throughout the entire range of motion.
To perform this exercise:
- Set the Smith machine to roughly the level of your mid-thigh. Load with your desired weight.
- Get on your hands and knees in front of the Smith machine. Extend your right leg behind you and place the bottom of your foot against the underside of the bar.
- Squeeze your glutes to push the bar upward as high as you can. The focus should be all in your glutes—don’t use your lower back to help raise the weight.
- Lower the weight back down to its starting point, inhaling as you let the muscles relax.
- Exhale on the push upward.
- Repeat as desired.
Sample Smith Machine Leg Workout
Now that you’ve learned which are the best Smith machine leg exercises to do, it’s time to put them all into one leg-shredding workout!
- Squats: 3 sets of 8-12 reps, with 30 seconds of rest between sets
- Sumo Squats: 3 sets of 8-12 reps, with 30 seconds of rest between sets
- Hack Squats: 2 sets of 8-12 reps, with 30 seconds of rest between sets
- Static Lunges: 2 sets of 8-12 reps, with 30 seconds of rest between sets
- Romanian Deadlift: 4 sets of 8-12 reps, with 30 seconds of rest between sets
- Glute Kickback: 4 sets of 8-12 reps, with 30 seconds of rest between sets
In 20-25 minutes, you’ll have completed a full, high-intensity Leg Day workout.
As always, don’t forget to warm-up properly before training legs (here are some excellent pre-workout leg stretches for lower body training days).
The Bottom Line
The Smith machine can be your best friend when it comes to training your legs.
Because it removes the instability/imbalance component, you’ll be able to focus on lifting heavier and mastering your form in every exercise you do.
Whether you’re new to the gym or a seasoned lifter trying to improve the way you train, it’s highly recommended to spend at least a few weeks working with the Smith machine to master these exercises before you continue on/return to free weights.
More Smith Machine Guides and Articles
7 Best Smith Machines for Home Gyms. Skip the lineups at the gym (and the commute!) with a detailed look at the best Smith Machines for home gyms, including key features, a buyer’s guide, and more.
Squat Rack vs Smith Machine: Pros, Cons, and Best Time to Use Each. The squat rack and Smith machine look similar, but vary widely in function and results. Here’s a detailed look at the differences between a squat rack and a Smith machine.
