Smith machine

Bah, what a waste of time. I can not think of a single valid reason for using this piece of equipment for anything. Sure if you don't have a spotter or it's the only rack available I can see not having a choice but c'mon folks. Smith should be the rack of last resort It's waaaay too limited on working the stabilizer muscles which are sooooo important.

True I've been using it for Military Press because setting up the power cage was a pain in the ass but I finally decided to stop using it. And let me tell you, I HIGHLY recommend ditching the Smith. Whew, I knew (at least in the back of my mind) that using the Smith made Mil Presses easier but I didn't realize HOW much easier until today. My shoulders are BEAT and it feels GOOD!!!!

At this point I'm only going to use the Smith for upright rows and that's only because of my wrists. If I can get them working correctly, I'm done with it.

Just my $.02

Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.

man I've been using for the past 2 weeks for bench press cauz no spotter :(
You're saying I won't put on as much mass as if I do normal bench?

You probably won't get the same gains, if only because the Smith operates in a single plane while using a free bar requires you to have to stabilize in all three planes. Also, you won't be strengthening the assistor or stabilizer muscles by using a Smith versus using a free bar.

That was mainly my rant against a Smith but there are times when it could be used such as when a Power Rack is not available or you have no spotter. It is possible to use a power rack with no spotter just make sure that the safety pegs are positioned correctly.

Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.

If possible, avoid using a smith in favor of free weight exercises in most cases. Free weights beat machines EVERY TIME, unless you're nursing an injury, or absolutely can't find a spotter. The only exercise I can really see using a smith for and actually getting a workout close to what you would with free weights- Shrugs. The range of motion for these is pretty limited anyway, and even though I normally do them on shoulder days, I still feel it in my back since I have to deadlift the weight off the floor- My back already gets a hell of a workout all week long from squats and SLDLs on my leg day, deadlifts on my back day, and then all the times it's used as a stabilizer besides (Standing military press, etc.) If I had access to a smith machine, I would do my shrugs on it to give my back a bit of a rest and still feel confident that I was pushing my traps to their limits.

I agree. And at my stupid gym, they have 3 - THREE! Smith machine and one power rack. I even mentioned it to the owner who replied that whenever he looks out there during peak time, all three are being used. Well, sure, when there is only one power rack, or the people are idiots. One day I overhead one of the employees telling some young kids that were actually squatting in the power rack that he prefers to squat in the Smith machine. Idiots. Idiots.

Well, if I belonged to a gym that had three smiths and one power rack, and the power rack was being used- I might get impatient and use the smith too once in a while. Of course, that's part of the reason I don't go to a gym in the first place.
One other exercise smiths are actually really good for is calf raises- Forgot to add those to my first post.

i bought one because it had a high pulley and low pulley attachment plus i could do chins and dips on it too.

i like it for standing calf raises also. hopefully i can get a power rack before the end of the year and say goodbye to my saw horses

I like the Smith for a few exercises.

- Hanging leg raises. All of our chin-up bars aren't an actual bar, just the angled half bars.

- Close-grip chin-ups. I don't do these but my brother does. Same reason as above.

- Military presses! Time to get burned on this one. I realize the Smith will handle a lot of the balancing for me but I'm fine with that. I do additional exercises for my side and rear delts immediately after my presses and they're hard enough as it is right now. I want to try them with free weights but I can't get my spotter/brother to go for it.

What's wrong with the saw horses? I remember you mentioned using them, and you've definitely gotten great results from them- although I have been wondering, how do you get the weight into position? Do you start out at the low point of your squats, or what?

SMITH MACHINE!! BOOOOOOOOOOO

The Smith Machine is the DEVIL!!!

Clive Clutton HH. BSc.
P.I.C.P. Strength and Conditioning Coach
Biosignature Practitioner
cclutton@gmail.com (important emails only)

ORIGINAL: mhartman
- Military presses! Time to get burned on this one. I realize the Smith will handle a lot of the balancing for me but I'm fine with that. I do additional exercises for my side and rear delts immediately after my presses and they're hard enough as it is right now. I want to try them with free weights but I can't get my spotter/brother to go for it.

So you really don't like getting additional work on your triceps, biceps and forearms too? While working your delts? Plus stengthening your Teres Minor, Subscapularis, Infraspinatus and Supraspinatus? (Those are your rotator cuff muscles) Not to mention your lats and strengthening your trunk plus just about every muscle that's connected to your shoulder? Granted you can work your 'shoulders' with a Smith but one of the main goals (at least to me) is to maximize the results from your efforts and that means working in 3 dimensions and not just one. But hey if you like using the Smith and it works for you, terrrific. But me, I'm done with it

Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.

I'm with pwolf66 on this one!

Clive Clutton HH. BSc.
P.I.C.P. Strength and Conditioning Coach
Biosignature Practitioner
cclutton@gmail.com (important emails only)

I'm with pwolf too-
Even though you do other exercises after using the smith for military presses, keep in mind that this doesn't really make up for the loss of a great free weight military press- You should be doing additional exercises anyway. As cool as military presses are, they definitely don't make up an entire shoulder workout all by themselves. Personally, on shoulder days, lately I've been doing military presses, side lateral raises and overhead dumbell presses. I have seen tremendous improvements in my shoulder size and performance after doing this routine for a while. If your spotter won't go for spotting you on a military press, then it's time for a new spotter.

My shoulders are done on leg day. It's squats, deadlifts, calf raises, military presses, side lateral raises, rear lateral raises. So the other parts of the shoulder aren't a concern. The day before is my chest/bicep day, so biceps aren't a concern.

But hey, those fancy latin muscles sound good. I'll try them with free weights next week and joke with my wife that I've turned latino (I have a terrible sense of humor).

Sooo... I do them with 150 lbs on the Smith, any guesses as to what I should try free weight? 100? 110?

That's a good question- But I think that varies from person to person, the difference in strength when it comes to machines and free weights. I guess it all depends on how ready those stabilizers are to handle military presses without the smith. If I were you, I'd shoot for a hundred pounds to be on the safe side, even though you could probably handle more than that.

CPL has an excellent point. Getting the feel of the movement is important. I would back it down to just the bar and 25s until you are comfortable.

Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.

i sank some 2x6's into 2 five gallon buckets and filled them with cement then cut a V groove into the top of the boards. that way i can place the bar on it and be able to get under it.

aint pretty but gets the job done.

How much weight are you putting on those things? Doesn't sound too sturdy, but I guess they must be strong enough for you to have used them all this time.

Actually I may just do dumbbell shoulder presses instead of military presses, I used to do those a few years ago when I lifted. I got up to 75 lbs dumbbells at the time, I'll probably try 55 or 60 lbs next week. Thanks guys.

You're saying I won't put on as much mass as if I do normal bench?

Not even.

I could bench 315 lbs on a Smith easy.

Free weights? I had to use Critical Bench to get to that weight. It was way harder.

There's no stabilizer muscles involved in a Smith type press. It's great to start off with in the no-spotter situations. And it's fine if you have an injury (lower back) and do squats to take the pressure off.

Marc C. David - NGA CPT
Author of NoBull Bodybuilding
www.nobullbodybuilding.com

the most i ever had on there was the most i ever squatted: 220lbs

thats why i want to get a power rack, it'll be more sturdy and safer.

I ONLY use the smith for mil press to the front cause for some reason I cant do them well when I use free weights

Bench-305(5 partial reps)
Squat-450(4 reps)
deadlift-435(2-3 partials)
front squats- 225(6-8)
leg press-835(8reps)
at 19!
priceless
No Light f***in weights, if you complain just shut the f*** up and go home!!!! Fall 05 pledge class-SiGeP

Do them free weights but lower the weight. I guarantee you, you'll get the hang if it.

Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.