Bro, what can I say? I do heavy ass A2G squats with a barbell. No knee wraps. No belt. No spotter. Just me and a squat rack.
I don't agree with everything that Poliquin says but I can tell you you need to stop worrying about peoples size and think about what they know about physiology that you don't. Poliquin may not be your cup of tea but he is certainly not a joke. He may be wrong about parallel squats but his is following a party line that is shared by many trainers. That doesn't make him wrong about everything.
Just because a machine allows you to lift more weight does not make it a good idea or superior. You said you've been doing parallels with knee wraps then you post a question about A2G's and now you're preaching the smith machine. The reason people gravitate toward a smith machine to do all levels of squats is because they can't handle a heavy bar on the back and don't have the necessary core strength and those "stabilizers" you so easily dismissed.
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Originally Posted by Sleeper
So, all I can say is if you think smith squats are stupid, then go ahead. I just love to see people try heavy A2G smioth squats with some decent weight. This movement is not for light wieghts by any means.
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There may be legitimate reasons for using a smith but for most it's a prop. I can put a whole lot more weight on a leg press than a squat bar. Do I think leg press is superior? Quite the opposite. I think it is inferior. A supplementay exercise. Anybody who is just starting out and is trying to go a low as possible on the squat can probably put more weight on the smith. So a beginner being able to use more weight on it makes it for the "heavy hitters"? Not a logical argument and quite the opposite is true, in fact.
The smith machine forces your body into a unnatural fixed plane of motion. That's screw up your knees, back, etc.