No spotter or power cage

[progressiveman1]

I can't find a workout partner and no gym around me has a power cage. Will you be my workout partner?

Actually I'm just curious, given a squat rack and bench press station, how can I still hit failure without getting stuck in the bottom position?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I currently have memberships available for a reasonable monthly fee. But if you have to squat heavy alone with stands, you'll have to learn to dump the bar behind you safely. This means that you will have to practice it before you have to do it the first time, and you'll have to fix up the platform area so that you do not destroy anything that does not belong to you. Best to squat under these circumstances with bumper plates.

[progressiveman1]

I take it you wouldn't recommend the smith machine? Earlier I figured that I shouldn't even mention it, but I'm mentioning it now.

[Mark Rippetoe]

You shouldn't have mentioned it.

[Richie_Awesome]

You shouldn't have mentioned it.

I've read a lot about stabilizers and I didn't see anything that was a must in free weight squatting vs. smith machine squatting? What else is there?(I ask in a non sarcastic manner)

[Mark Rippetoe]

You don't actually see the difference between having the load stabilized for you in two of the three axes in which it can move?