Split Squat (Smith Machine)
Trains the quadriceps, with help from the glutes and hamstrings. You need a machine. One of our free programs uses it.
Free to use. The app works out every weight and times your rest.
Technique
How to do the Split Squat (Smith Machine)
- Set the Smith machine bar at shoulder height, step under it and rest it across your upper back.
- Unrack the bar and step one foot forward and the other back into a long split stance.
- Lower your back knee towards the floor by bending both knees, keeping your torso upright.
- Push through your front foot to rise back up. Finish the reps on one leg, then switch.
Form cues
Getting it right
- Set your feet so your front shin stays close to vertical at the bottom.
- Keep most of the weight on the front leg; the back leg is for balance.
- The bar runs on a fixed path, so find your stance before you start the set.
Muscles worked
What Split Squat (Smith Machine) trains
In the programs
How our programs run the Split Squat (Smith Machine)
These numbers are counted from the programs themselves, not averaged off the internet.
1of our 50 programs use it
3×8the shape they run most (1 session)
| Program | Session | Sets × Reps | Progression |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Dog PPL | Legs | 3×8 | Double: reach rep ceiling on all sets → +2.5 kg |
Where a program carries a progression rule, Durata moves the weight for you.
See it in action
Watch the Split Squat (Smith Machine) progress week by week
A full run of a program built around it, session by session, in the real app.
Substitutes
Swap Split Squat (Smith Machine) for
The app's swap picker ranks these the same way: same muscles, similar movement, similar equipment.
Let the app run the Split Squat (Smith Machine) for you
Durata picks the weight, times your rest and adds load when you earn it. That works on any of our 50 free programs, or on a session you put together yourself.