Smith Machine Deadlift
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Machine
HOW TO PERFORM
- Set the bar on the Smith machine's lowest stops and stand close with the feet about hip width and the bar over mid-foot.
- Hinge down and take a grip just outside the knees, then drop the hips until the shins meet the bar.
- Rotate the hooks to free the bar, set the chest up, flatten the back and brace.
- Push the floor away and stand tall, locking the hips and knees out together.
- Lower the bar along its track under control and hook it back on after the last rep.
FORM TIPS
- The bar runs on a fixed vertical path, so set the feet where that path passes over mid-foot. Too far forward and the bar pulls you onto the toes.
- Lower to the same stop height on every rep so the range stays the same week to week.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Glutes
- Lower Back
- Hamstrings
Secondary
- Traps
- Forearms
- Quads
- Adductors
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.