: Squats with the Smith Machine When I do squats on the smith machine, I start with my legs a few feet out in front of me and go down until I am in a sitting position. I've noticed that some people go down until they are almost

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It works on your hamstrings if you go deep (more than sitted position).

I actually never go deeper than sitted because sometimes it hurts my knees...

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I have two articles here about squat depth:

greatist.com/fitness/should-i-squat-deep http://journal.crossfit.com/2006/09/going-deep-by-mark-rippetoe-se.tpl

I would say the 'jury is back' on squat depth and the results show the deeper you go the better it is for you, given:

you have good squat form (practice a lot)
you don't go to heavy to fast

A good way to feel the difference is squat down 1/4 way - and feel the pressure in your knees. Squat butt-to-ground and the pressure is on your legs and butt.

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I would completely advise against going further than 90 degrees as this will put extreme strain on the knees and although you may not feel it at the time, over time you will slowly wear down the joints which will lead to issues in the future.

Evidence wise - well i think if you search on the internet you will find arguments for both sides - some saying it is a myth and others swearing by it wearing the joints down...

so really the best answer is your won opinion of how it feels for you. The gain for going further than 90degrees is little and if you wanted to push your hamstrings or other muscle groups there are plenty of alternative exercises available to achieve this.