(Primary muscles: same as other squats with extra emphasis on the lower and outer sections of the quadricep muscle complex)

Position shoulders beneath yokes. Place your feet close together on the foot platform with toes angled outward at approximately 45-degree angles. Straighten your legs to bear the weight of the machine. Rotate the stop bars on the side to release the carriage slide. Keeping your feet flat on the platform, slowly bend your legs as completely as possible. Without bouncing in the bottom position, reverse the movement and return to the starting position.

Note: For safety purposes, do not lock your knees in the starting position. Experiment with different widths of the foot platform and various toe angles to target different muscles of the quadriceps.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.