Smith Half Squat
Half squats are often used with heavier weights than normal, as your not working the muscles through their full range of movements. Avoid using Half Squats as a warm-up method for full squats, always warm up your muscles in the way that they are going to be used.
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Position the bar of the Smith Machine to rest across your shoulders / upper back, avoiding any contact with your neck throughout the movement, using either a towel or foam pad to protect your shoulders on the bar.
Always set the height of the bar before placing any weight on it, making sure that any locking devices is safely in place, also ensuring that the lower safety locks are set for the correct height, to enable the bar to travel through your full exercise movement.
Rotate the bar around, lifting the bar away from its locking nuts, keeping your legs straight, smoothly lower yourself down, keeping your back straight, however leaning slightly forward throughout the movement, with your knees going in the direction of your toes. Learn the correct movement of how to lock and unlock the bar, prior to placing any weight on the machine.
Aim to take yourself down to a position that brings your quadriceps (thigh muscles) to a 45 degree angle, focusing on extending your buttocks backwards. Once in this position, clench your buttocks, as you rise back up to the starting position to repeat again.
This is safer than regular / deep squats, it may not be as effective though since your only working part of your muscles, however its an excellent method of getting use to the Smith Machine, and trying different foot positions, prior to working the muscles in their full movement.
A variety of foot positions can be used to work the different muscles of the quadriceps, however beginners should aim to have their feet shoulder width apart, feet pointing slightly outwards.