Smith benching vs. free-weight benching

**Prince** · 06-04-2010, 11:35 AM

Smith benching vs. free-weight benching
by Matt Cahill

The Smith Machine

There is a lot of hate towards the Smith machine from some camps, with the old joke being that its best use is for something to hang your jacket on. My personal opinion is that it has its uses as part of a well-designed training program, but should not be a staple. While some would say that its bad because it fixes you into a certain plane of motion, I think this is one of its benefits as it allows you to focus almost entirely on the target muscle. The stabilization from ancillary muscles from free-weight exercises make them king, however. And this is something researchers from Cal State in Fullerton, CA wanted to investigate. They did this by looking at a smith bench press and a free-weight bench press where participants pressed 70% and 90% of their one rep max for two reps. The muscles they looked at were the pectoralis major (i.e. chest), and anterior (front) and medial (middle) deltoid muscle heads. Shame they didn’t look at the triceps also as they are also a prime mover for pressing exercises and I’m interested if there is any discrepancy between its involvement in the two exercises.

As expected, the heavier set for both exercises had greater muscle activation (heavier weights generally recruit more muscle fibers), but the main difference between the two exercises was the higher muscle activation found in the medial deltoid head when doing a free-weight bench press. This shows that free-weight movement requires more stabilization and so recruits more muscle fibers (a bit like using a heavier weight does) and is more likely to set up a greater anabolic response.

Not the kind of bench I had in mind...

So in conclusion, design your workout program around free-weight exercises, particularly exercises that move the body through space like chins, dips, squats, deadlifts and clean and jerks. But by all means include some Smith exercises in order to help focus on the target muscle or train around an existing injury (within reason). In the words of the researchers, free-weights are superior “because of [their] potential for greater upper-body muscular development.”

Source: Schick EE, Coburn JW, Brown LE, Judelson DA, Khamoui AV, Tran TT, Uribe BP. A comparison of muscle activation between a Smith machine and free weight bench press. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Mar;24(3):779-84.

**rockhardly** · 06-04-2010, 02:35 PM

Find one of these about squats, post them in a sticky, and rid the endless amounts of threads started because of peoples fear of grinding out a rep under a massive load of iron and trying to find ways around it and posting threads in hopes that we'll say, "Fuck YAH, the smith is awsome, it's the only way to go".

But they probably would not read it anyway.

**PushAndPull** · 06-04-2010, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by rockhardly

Find one of these about squats, post them in a sticky, and rid the endless amounts of threads started because of peoples fear of grinding out a rep under a massive load of iron and trying to find ways around it and posting threads in hopes that we'll say, "Fuck YAH, the smith is awsome, it's the only way to go".

But they probably would not read it anyway.

Exactly.

**MDR** · 06-06-2010, 04:58 PM

Unfortunate. Free-weights are always the best way to go. I used the Smith after my lower back injury for a bit, and it was useful, especially for overhead pressing. But the idea was always to get back to the real deal as soon as my body healed.

**soxmuscle** · 06-06-2010, 05:04 PM

The Smith machine sucks.

**DOMS** · 06-06-2010, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by Richard Gears

i guarantee some of you use it.

The last time a thread came up about squatting in the Smith machine (about a week ago), I decided to give it a shot the next time I went to the gym to see what it's like.

Un-freakin'-natural. It was the suck.

First off, the made me push my back into what I felt was an unnatural plane. Secondly, I didn't feel crap in any of my supporting muscles. It felt like a partial exercise.

Maybe for rehab, but that's about it.

**Zaphod** · 06-06-2010, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by Richard Gears

i guarantee some of you use it.

To hang my towel on when I'm using the squat rack next to it.

**Zaphod** · 06-06-2010, 07:15 PM

Sorry, I just don't like it. Any lift you do doesn't move in a straight line.

**Hoglander** · 06-06-2010, 09:31 PM

So you like the straight line of the SM. At least you are honest.

**rockhardly** · 06-07-2010, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by Hoglander

So you like the straight line of the SM. At least you are honest.

I think he's saying he doesn't like it because free-weight/natural body movements are not in a straight line where the smith is<=unnatural.

**Flathead** · 06-07-2010, 08:42 AM

It's like walking w/crutches.

**Zaphod** · 06-07-2010, 09:36 AM

Unnatural and just not for me. I can see it's use in perhaps a rehab sort of way, but that's it. If someone else likes it, that's cool. I just have no use for it.

**aja44** · 06-07-2010, 09:50 AM

My gym has a Linear Smith Machine, which has the reverse 7 degree pitch to it as opposed to the typical Smith machine that is 90 degrees. I find that the range of motion is more like I find on a free weight bench if setup right. At the bottom its closer to my chin/upper chest and when I push out its moving up and away from my chin. I totally agree that you dont get the small muscles needed for stability worked, and it should not be used all the time. But when the only people in the gym are smaller than my wife, its better to not get a spot and use the smith machine than to trust someone and die!!!! IMO

**DOMS** · 06-07-2010, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by aja44

But when the only people in the gym are smaller than my wife, its better to not get a spot and use the smith machine than to trust someone and die!!!! IMO

Why are you working out at Planet Fitness?

**aja44** · 06-07-2010, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by DOMS

Why are you working out at Planet Fitness?

I'm sorry, does my gym not meet your Bally's standards???

**juggernaut** · 06-07-2010, 11:41 AM

Use dumbbells.

**DOMS** · 06-07-2010, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by aja44

I'm sorry, does my gym not meet your Bally's standards???

Screw that, I workout at the YMCA!

**juggernaut** · 06-07-2010, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by DOMS

Screw that, I workout at the YMCA!

so which village fruit are you?

**aja44** · 06-07-2010, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by juggernaut

so which village fruit are you?

He's the cowboy PULLIN ON MY CHAIN!!!!

I'm just fucken around. I workout at PowerHouse gym. I go around 3PM after I get off from work and its filled around then with HS kids who I dont trust to lift a bar off my chest let alone 385.

**DOMS** · 06-07-2010, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by juggernaut

so which village fruit are you?

aja44 is right.

Cowboy, motherfucker!

**DOMS** · 06-07-2010, 11:54 AM

Originally Posted by aja44

He's the cowboy PULLIN ON MY CHAIN!!!!

I'm just fucken around. I workout at PowerHouse gym. I go around 3PM after I get off from work and its filled around then with HS kids who I dont trust to lift a bar off my chest let alone 385.

That's actually the cool thing about where I work out. The high school kids aren't the usual sort. They don't hang around the bench 24/7. I usually find them in the power or squat racks doing squats, presses, power cleans, or deads.

It's pretty cool.

**aja44** · 06-07-2010, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by DOMS

That's actually the cool thing about where I work out. The high school kids aren't the usual sort. They don't hang around the bench 24/7. I usually find them in the power or squat racks doing squats, presses, power cleans, or deads.

It's pretty cool.

Its not where there hanging out thats the issue. Its the fact that their mostly pussies and have no clue WTF there doing and I'm scared to death to ask for a spot. But its fun to watch the 4 HS kids on the bench with 315 on the bar and the guy spotting is getting an awesome back workout after the other kid buries himself. He gets off the bench and high five's everyone that he did 2 reps. I got bagged last week laughing at them and shaking my head in dis-belief.

**rockhardly** · 06-07-2010, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by aja44

My gym has a Linear Smith Machine, which has the reverse 7 degree pitch to it as opposed to the typical Smith machine that is 90 degrees. I find that the range of motion is more like I find on a free weight bench if setup right. At the bottom its closer to my chin/upper chest and when I push out its moving up and away from my chin. I totally agree that you dont get the small muscles needed for stability worked, and it should not be used all the time. But when the only people in the gym are smaller than my wife, its better to not get a spot and use the smith machine than to trust someone and die!!!! IMO

UHHHHHH, when I bench the bar is closer to my nipples at the bottom of the eccentric, not my chin. I knew I should not have listened to that punk Dave Tate's advice.

**rockhardly** · 06-07-2010, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by aja44

Its not where there hanging out thats the issue. Its the fact that their mostly pussies and have no clue WTF there doing and I'm scared to death to ask for a spot. But its fun to watch the 4 HS kids on the bench with 315 on the bar and the guy spotting is getting an awesome back workout after the other kid buries himself. He gets off the bench and high five's everyone that he did 2 reps. I got bagged last week laughing at them and shaking my head in dis-belief.

You let 4 pussy HS kids tea bag you? Dude, that sucks!!!

**aja44** · 06-07-2010, 01:19 PM

Originally Posted by rockhardly

You let 4 pussy HS kids tea bag you? Dude, that sucks!!!

I knew I should have written that differently.

**unclem** · 06-07-2010, 01:21 PM

its not always quanity but quality......lee haney. in his opinion lol....

**DOMS** · 06-07-2010, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by aja44

Its not where there hanging out thats the issue. Its the fact that their mostly pussies and have no clue WTF there doing and I'm scared to death to ask for a spot. But its fun to watch the 4 HS kids on the bench with 315 on the bar and the guy spotting is getting an awesome back workout after the other kid buries himself. He gets off the bench and high five's everyone that he did 2 reps. I got bagged last week laughing at them and shaking my head in dis-belief.

I got you, but my point was that these kids know their stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen some pretty stupid stuff, but most of them are pretty good.

**Captn'stabbin** · 06-10-2010, 12:50 PM

the smith has it's uses.

**DaBeast25** · 06-10-2010, 03:05 PM

Didn't read one post here and don't need to.

Get the F**k off the Smith Machine unless your doing inverted bodyweight rows OR training someone that needs to do a modified push-up.

**AKIRA** · 06-10-2010, 04:50 PM

Old news but I like that they keep refreshing the studies.

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