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The first thing is to start searching for a better gym. Why pay monthly fees for that? A gym that has a smith machine but no rack...SUCKS. I'm being totally serious.

If other gyms are too far away but you have room at home then save up and get your own equipment and you'll end up with a better gym than that...which will pay for itself quickly compared to gym fees.

There are plenty of things you can do with dumbells. And also, if you can clean it, you can do front squats with a barbell. Single leg stuff as mentioned above like split squats, lunges, step-ups, Pistols.

There are also goblet squats and you can use dumbells for front loaded squats in the clean position.

Overhead squats. The list goes on and on.

If your back is hurting use another row besides pendlays. Maybe one-arm dumbell rows, for instance.

You could try front squats and split-squats for your 5x5.

I have to agree with Kane that a leg press is probably somewhat a better choice than a smith. Since I think an open chain movement is probably better than a closed chain with a fixed motion. But normally closed-chain would be better. You don't need to settle for leg press, though.

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If you act sanctimonious I will just list out your logical fallacies until you get pissed off and spew blasphemous remarks.

It all depends on the machine, some are better than others.

Holding the bar like you described is a Hack Squat. You could do those, but I wouldn't use dumbbells. If you can clean the weight you could also do a front squat. Damnit, Eric said the same thing as me.

I wouldn't worry about straying from the rules of bill starrs 5x5.

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"Pain don't hurt" - Dalton

"NO, this is my squat rack. Go get your own!"

"Damn that's shit heavy" - Wolf


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We were posting at the exact same time.

Great minds think alike?

Indeed.

I also agree that you don't need to worry about straying a bit from the letter of the bill starr. Don't let a program hem you in because of equipment limitations and at the same time don't let equipment limitations limit you are force you to make unhealthy comprimises. You've got your body weight, barbell, and dumbells. Technically, you're good to go.

As far the bad back when squatting..as long as a smith machine is involved there is really no use in trying to diagnose it.

ok i see theres loads of diffrent things I can do, I like the look of hacks, goblets(but our dbs only go up to 50kgs), splits and fronts if I can clean it, I no its probably your own preference but which do you think I should do in my 5x5?

Personally, I would probably do...............split squats on Mondays and front squats on Fridays. That's just me though. I think almost everyone on the forum would likely give a different answer.

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did light front squats A2G so I didnt have to clean so much weigh today on my wednesday session was prity good, my biceps are really aching now though from cleaning the weights.
I squat all 3 sessions so you think fronts monday splits wednesday and adding weights to my fronts on friday?

I'd say you need to check out your form on cleans. A proper clean is not a pronated grip barbell curl.

dunno if you said that wrong or im just wrong, you mean I gotta clean it supernated grip?