Smith Single-Leg Split Squat

What it is

This compound leg exercise, performed with a Smith machine, targets your quadriceps directly. It also effectively engages your glutes, hamstrings, and calves. You will build significant unilateral leg strength and improve balance.

Technique tips

• Rest the bar across the back of your shoulders, not your neck.
• Set the bench 2-3 feet behind you for proper foot placement.
• Keep your front knee aligned over your toes to protect the joint.
• Lower until your front thigh is parallel or slightly below parallel.
• Inhale as you descend, then exhale as you push back up.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.