Thinking of switching smith machine squats to bb squats-what should i do

I'm going to try and stop using the smith machine for squats after hearing for a while now that they are bad. I know that bb squats are harder to do, so how much weight should I drop?..(Ex--if I smith squat 100, how much should I bb squat?)
 
Start with the empty bar and sets of 15 reps, until you get the form and flexibility down, then add weight a little at a time, until you find a good working weight. You might even want to do just one set of squats for the first few weeks until you are comfortable with them and do some leg presses or something else for the rest of your quad workout.
 
Yeah, you're going to have to work on form first. That's one thing that the smith will do for you, keep the bar on that track with no help from you. Start very light, get your form down, and progress.
 
Do a warm-up set with just your bodyweight. Find the foot positioning that feels right. Start with just the bar. I don't think you need to do just one set, but keep the rep range around 15-20 so that you keep the weight low and can get your form down. Your legs will be sore afterwards, this is normal. Once you get over 95 lbs with confidence, drop the rep range and treat it like any other exercise.

Word to the wise: It's typically a good idea to do a warm-up with ~50% of your working weight. When you start adding weight, this means just warm-up with the bar.
 
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