The smith machine squat loads the gluteus maximus 1.6× more than the bodyweight squat.
MyoHeat simulates the whole rep with muscle attachments and strengths from published research models, and shares the load between muscles the way the body is thought to: the least total effort that still moves the weight. The bars are each muscle's peak load in the rep, as a % of its maximal force.
Smith Machine Squat · 40 kg
Quadriceps83%
Gluteus maximus36%
Adductors26%
Erector spinae20%
Deltoid18%
Hamstrings18%
See it move
Bodyweight Squat · bodyweight
Quadriceps54%
Gluteus maximus22%
Adductors15%
Erector spinae13%
Hamstrings12%
Deltoid12%
See it move
How sure is this?
Both exercises pass the model's literature checks: their prime movers in published EMG studies are among the muscles it loads most. The comparison is at each exercise's default load; change the weight in the app and the numbers move. It is an educational estimate, not training or medical advice. Sources, and where the model is wrong.
More gluteus maximus comparisons
- Smith Machine Squat vs 45° Back Extension: Smith Machine Squat, 1.8× (36% vs 20%)
- Bodyweight Squat vs 45° Back Extension: about equal (22% vs 20%)
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