10 Best Smith Full Squat Alternatives for Glute Growth
If you can’t do the Smith Full Squat, choose free-weight and single-leg options that preserve glute-driven hip extension and controlled knee travel. Try barbell back squats, hip thrusts, Bulgarian split squats, or Romanian deadlifts. Cue a vertical shin on descent, push through the heels, and drive hips forward to maximize glute activation.
Original Exercise: Smith Full Squat
How to Perform Smith Full Squat
- Set up the smith machine with the barbell at shoulder height.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Step under the bar and position it across your upper back, resting on your traps.
- Grip the bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Unrack the bar and take a step back, maintaining a stable stance.
- Keeping your chest up and core engaged, initiate the squat by pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
- Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as your flexibility allows.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then drive through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Smith Full Squat Alternatives
1. Barbell Speed Squat
86.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Hold the barbell across your upper back, resting it on your traps or rear delts.
- Engage your core and keep your chest up as you lower your hips back and down, as if sitting into a chair.
- Lower until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as you can comfortably go.
- Drive through your heels to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
2. Barbell Full Squat (back Pov)
85.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Hold the barbell across your upper back, resting it on your traps or rear delts.
- Engage your core and keep your chest up as you begin to lower your body down.
- Bend at the knees and hips, pushing your hips back and down as if sitting into a chair.
- Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below.
3. Barbell Full Squat (side Pov)
85.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Hold the barbell across your upper back, resting it on your traps or rear delts.
- Engage your core and keep your chest up as you begin to lower your body down.
- Bend at the knees and hips, pushing your hips back and down as if sitting into a chair.
- Lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below.
4. Barbell Low Bar Squat
82.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the barbell resting on your upper back.
- Keeping your chest up and core engaged, slowly lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
- Continue lowering until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below.
- Pause for a moment, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
5. Band Squat
82.6% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with the band placed just above your knees.
- Keeping your chest up and core engaged, push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat position.
- Make sure your knees are tracking over your toes and your weight is in your heels.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Barbell High Bar Squat
81.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Place the barbell on your upper back, resting it on your traps.
- Engage your core and keep your chest up as you begin to squat down, pushing your hips back and bending your knees.
- Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as you can comfortably go.
- Drive through your heels to stand back up, extending your hips and knees.
7. Band Squat Row
81.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Attach the band to a sturdy anchor point at waist height.
- Stand facing the anchor point with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold the band handles with your palms facing each other and your arms extended in front of you.
- Bend your knees and lower into a squat position, keeping your back straight and chest lifted.
- From the squat position, pull the band handles towards your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
8. Barbell Narrow Stance Squat
80.8% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing slightly outward.
- Hold the barbell across your upper back, resting it on your traps or rear delts.
- Engage your core and keep your chest up as you slowly lower your body by bending your knees and pushing your hips back.
- Continue lowering until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below.
- Pause for a moment, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
9. Barbell Hack Squat
80.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out.
- Hold the barbell behind your legs, resting it on your upper thighs.
- Lower your body by bending at the knees and hips, keeping your back straight and your chest up.
- Continue lowering until your thighs are parallel to the ground, or as low as you can comfortably go.
- Pause for a moment, then push through your heels to return to the starting position.
10. Barbell Full Squat
80.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Hold the barbell across your upper back, resting it on your traps or rear delts.
- Engage your core and keep your chest up as you begin to lower your body down.
- Bend at the knees and hips, pushing your hips back and down as if sitting into a chair.
- Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground or slightly below.
Why You Might Need a Smith Full Squat Alternative
You may need substitutes because of equipment limits, knee or low-back pain, or to correct movement-pattern imbalances. The Smith machine forces a fixed bar path, often increasing knee travel and reducing hip hinge, which can underload the glutes; swapping to free-weight or hip-dominant lifts restores posterior chain engagement. Use alternatives when you need unilateral work to fix side-to-side strength gaps, or when you want greater core and stabilizer activation. Technique cues: maintain a neutral spine, hinge at the hips, and keep knees tracking over toes to protect joints while preserving glute loading.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute based on your goal, mobility, and equipment. For maximal glute hypertrophy pick hip-thrust variations that allow horizontal femur positioning; cue full hip extension and squeeze the glutes at the top. For strength and transferability choose a barbell back squat or trap-bar deadlift and prioritize vertical shin and braced core. If you have frontal plane instability or asymmetry, favor Bulgarian split squats or single-leg Romanian deadlifts and focus on driving through the working heel. Consider loadability, range of motion, and ability to progressively overload with safe technique when choosing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Smith Full Squat work?
The Smith Full Squat primarily targets the glutes and quadriceps, with secondary activation of the hamstrings, adductors, and core stabilizers. Cue a full hip hinge followed by knee extension to emphasize glute contraction and limit excessive forward knee travel.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Smith Full Squat?
A Bulgarian split squat is the best bodyweight alternative for glute emphasis; it isolates one leg and increases hip extension under load. Lean the torso slightly forward, drop the back knee straight down, and push through the front heel to maximize glute activation.
Can I build muscle without doing Smith Full Squat?
Yes. You can build glute and quad muscle with other compound and hip-dominant lifts like barbell back squats, hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, and unilateral work. Use progressive overload—add sets, reps, or slow eccentrics (2–3 second lowering)—and cue full hip extension to drive hypertrophy.
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