Legs · Smith Machine
Smith Single Leg Split Squat
How to do the smith single leg split squat, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Smith Machine
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand inside the Smith machine with the bar across your upper back and one foot forward, the other back on the ball of the foot. Lower straight down by bending the front knee until your thigh is parallel, then drive through the front heel back up the track.
- 1Front-leg quad, glute, and hamstring loading as you lower and rise
- 2Front knee tracking over the toes with the chest tall
- 3Most of the work in the front leg, not the back foot
Common mistakes
- Letting the front knee cave inward
- Pushing off the back foot for momentum
- Rounding your back instead of sitting straight down
Muscles worked
The smith single leg split squat mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
Kovo programs the smith single leg split squat for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed June 2026.