[DTD]

That leg press DEFINITELY needs some WD40 on the right hand slide, it seemed to have a bit of a catch about half way through the ROM...It seemed sticky, and that will ruinate the knees quickly...

There's no substitute for squats, of course, but biomechanically, the worst thing you can do to your knees is squat on that damn smith machine...The sheer force at the patella in a 200 lb. man squatting 200 measly pounds on the smith is over 900 lbs.!!...I need to cite that to be technical...hahaha...

But seriously, don't use the smith at all for squats...You are comprimising the shit out of the knee ligaments on that one...

I would say grease that leg press up and keep the foot stance comfortable, the higher you place your feet on the platform the more of an effect you will feel in the hamstrings, the lower you place them, the more it will hit the quads (but if they are too low, your knees will SCREAM): the narrower your feet are, once again, within reason, the more the quads are activated, and the wider you place your feet, the more hip/piriformis activation will occur...

Just don't be extreme with foot placement, put 'em where they feel the best...shoulder width at about the mid point of the platform seems to be the consensus...