Quads exercise
Smith Machine Split SquatHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hamstrings
- Equipment
- Smith
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Smith Machine Split Squat?
- Rest the bar on your upper back and twist it off the hooks.
- Step into a long split stance, front foot well ahead of the bar.
- Lower straight down until your back knee nearly touches the floor.
- Push through your front foot to rise back up.
- Finish your reps, rehook the bar, then switch legs.
Cues
- Go straight down and up with the bar.
- Front knee follows your toes.
- Chest tall, back heel up.
Common mistakes
- Front foot too close to the bar, so the heel lifts.
- Leaning forward instead of dropping straight down.
- Letting the front knee fall inward.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
The Smith bar runs on fixed vertical rails. Set the hooks at upper-chest height, step under and rest the bar high on the upper traps, below the bony bump at the base of the neck. Grip the bar just wider than the shoulders, wrists straight. Stand up to lift the bar off the hooks and rotate it to free them. Then set a long split stance: right foot forward and flat, well ahead of the bar line; left foot back on its ball, heel up, behind the bar line. Feet hip-width apart side to side, toes straight ahead. Trunk upright and braced. Leg length (L) below means front of the hip bone (ASIS) to the inner ankle: about 0.86 m on the 1.75 m avatar.
The movement
The feet do not move for the set. Bend both knees and lower the hips straight down under the bar until the right thigh is level with the floor and the left knee hovers just above it, pointing down. The bar slides straight down the rails; with the trunk upright it stays over the hips the whole way. The right knee tracks over the 2nd–3rd toes and the right shin stays close to vertical. Push through the whole right foot to rise straight back up. Rotate the bar back onto the hooks after the last rep.
End position
Bottom: front knee about 90°, front shin near vertical, rear knee 2–5 cm off the floor. Because the bar can only move straight down and sits over the hips, the hips are on the bar line at every point, so the front ankle goes about 0.40 m ahead of it. Any forward trunk lean pushes the hips back off the line, so the accept range is tighter than the free split squat's. ExRx notes a front foot further forward works the glutes more and one closer under the bar works the quads more [1]; the target is the middle.
Tempo
2 s down, 0.3 s pause, 1.5 s up, 0.5 s at the top. The app tells users to finish the set, then switch legs.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stance length, front heel to rear heel | 0.9 × L ≈ 0.78 m | 0.7–1.0 × L (0.6–0.86 m) | [2] |
| Bar path | vertical, on the rails | 0 cm drift (machine) | |
| Front knee flexion at the bottom | 90° | 80–105° | [2][3] |
| Front knee flexion at the top | 5° | 0–10° | [1] |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Smith Machine Split Squat is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
Sources
- ExRx, Smith Split Squat
- Gao et al. 2022, Bioengineering, "Influence of different load conditions on lower extremity biomechanics during the lunge squat in novice men"
- van den Tillaar and Larsen 2020, Sports Med Int Open, "Kinematic and EMG comparison between variations of unilateral squats under different stabilities"
- Abelbeck 2002, J Strength Cond Res, "Biomechanical model and evaluation of a linear motion squat type exercise"
