Eek! with the squat. The empty bar can be something like 45 lbs, so that's still a fair bit to balance high on your back. I had a class a few years ago, and found the empty bar plenty. If it is hurting your shoulders and you already have shoulder issues, it might be better to use dumbbells for a while, or do front squats.
Exrx shows dumbbell squats like this. That is actually what I use for dumbbell deadlifts; when I am doing squats, I try to put the weights up by my shoulders. However, grip strength is a limiting factor, and I'm not sure I'll be able to do that for much longer.
For seated rows, I have been doing one-arm rows instead, because I'm at home without the cable machine.
One thing I found for step-ups, which may or may not apply to you, was that using stairs wasn't good -- to get my leg high enough, I had to use two stairs, which meant I needed to push off with the bottom foot to get the horizontal movement. So if you are using stairs, the horizontal part of the movement might be why you are pushing off with the trailing leg. (I switched to a stable platform where I only have to go up, and am not using the trailing leg any more.)
My pushups started at counter-height, which is pretty close to where you are. The Smith machine better for progression, though (I have to change heights in pretty big jumps). Using pushup handles might help with the wrists, too, though I doubt they would combine well with the Smith. But once you get to the floor, that is something to look into.
I love the prone jackknives. But they are hard! I'd rather do them than the swiss ball crunches, which are boring.
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Exrx shows dumbbell squats like this. That is actually what I use for dumbbell deadlifts; when I am doing squats, I try to put the weights up by my shoulders. However, grip strength is a limiting factor, and I'm not sure I'll be able to do that for much longer.
For seated rows, I have been doing one-arm rows instead, because I'm at home without the cable machine.
One thing I found for step-ups, which may or may not apply to you, was that using stairs wasn't good -- to get my leg high enough, I had to use two stairs, which meant I needed to push off with the bottom foot to get the horizontal movement. So if you are using stairs, the horizontal part of the movement might be why you are pushing off with the trailing leg. (I switched to a stable platform where I only have to go up, and am not using the trailing leg any more.)
My pushups started at counter-height, which is pretty close to where you are. The Smith machine better for progression, though (I have to change heights in pretty big jumps). Using pushup handles might help with the wrists, too, though I doubt they would combine well with the Smith. But once you get to the floor, that is something to look into.
I love the prone jackknives. But they are hard! I'd rather do them than the swiss ball crunches, which are boring.