Thread: Holy Crap! Another Reason to leave the Friggin Smith Machine Alone!

lol, my gym's smith's have stops that you can remove. It would seem logical to have permanent stops at about 18'' then have removable ones as well.

No worries for me cause I have no use for that POS.

I'm guilty for once using the smith machine but I've gotten away from it... now that I'm slightly more educated on my training I really can't believe some of the stuff I'm seeing people do with that thing...

And I still like the Smith.

i use the smith machine for traps and calve raises,it is pretty much useless other then for those 2 things 2 me

Not true! It's good for fatman pullups!

I've used it to help get my bench up and I say it helped alot . I think it's a great machine

Huh? I thought it was just an adjustable towel rack?

God, I'm embarrassed.

Originally Posted by pitdog67

I've used it to help get my bench up and I say it helped alot . I think it's a great machine

hell yea man everyone has to get that all mighty bench personal best. How much do you bench? How much do you squat? How much do you dead?

Originally Posted by danzik17

Huh? I thought it was just an adjustable towel rack?

God, I'm embarrassed.

i was trying to figure out what they were talking about...

thank you for clearing it up

Originally Posted by Merkaba

hell yea man everyone has to get that all mighty bench personal best. How much do you bench? How much do you squat? How much do you dead?

bench- 185- 6 reps

squat- 225- 6 reps
dead- 315-6 reps


i never push past this rep range... my form is compromised, and when your small like me, there is not room for injuries hindering my growth...

everything i do is strict form and clean reps...

as stated by Arnold himself...

i train to work muscles, not to lift weights

Originally Posted by Merkaba

hell yea man everyone has to get that all mighty bench personal best. How much do you bench? How much do you squat? How much do you dead?

It helped me bench over 400 . Free weight I do 315 on the bench for 6 reps , Squat 450 for 8 . Deadlift 300 for 6.

Originally Posted by pitdog67

It helped me bench over 400 . Free weight I do 315 on the bench for 6 reps , Squat 450 for 8 . Deadlift 300 for 6.

work on your dead lift...

you should be dead lifting at least the same number as your squat, and certainly more than you bench.

and not on the smith machine...

I dont like the Smith, but that kind of event couldve happened with free weights with identical results.

Originally Posted by camarosuper6

And I still like the Smith.

It has its place in my programs also. I work out at home alone and I will use it sometimes when I do seated presses and hack squats. I've also used it for barbell rowing. but if you think about it these movements still allow my body to move about under the bar to stay in the right plane of motion. I don't use it for supported movements like the benchpress.

Originally Posted by Ben dur

work on your dead lift...

you should be dead lifting at least the same number as your squat, and certainly more than you bench.

and not on the smith machine...

Yea I agree and have started to do that .

Originally Posted by pitdog67

Yea I agree and have started to do that .

your numbers are certainly much higher than mine though...

Ummm seriously, how can anyone read my post and not say: "duh."

Originally Posted by AKIRA

Ummm seriously, how can anyone read my post and not say: "duh."

it's true... my gym actually doesn't have a squat rack (i know brutal) so i have to use the smith machine to set up an olympic bar with some weights so i can squat... it works pretty well actually and i just don't use pins so if i ever got into a situation where i couldn't put the weight up i'd just tip the bar and let the weights fall off...

Originally Posted by AKIRA

Ummm seriously, how can anyone read my post and not say: "duh."

I always read your posts and say "duh!"

Also, I only use the Smith now for horizontal rows because by some miracle when I go to the gym I am generally around very smart people. That means all those Smiths are empty 90% of the time and the power cages and squat racks are very busy. But I guess that's one of the few things the Smith is really good for since I like using a bar that hooks in and secures against something to pull myself up to. Every once in a while I hang stuff off of it like it's a coat rack.

I really like doing everything with free weights and racks (preferably with adjustable pins) and unbalanced platforms and raisers and kettlebells - all the fun stuff!!

I have liked angled smiths for:

Incline benching
Overhead pressing
Upright rows (don't really do them now due to pain)
Shrugs (don't really do them now with a bar)

I have tried for squats and flat benching and didn't like either because of ROM restriction. Friend of mine uses one for rows (seriously) and I didn't dig it, he is a big guy but shorter and somehow it works for him.

I think the smith machine has its place in a workout, just like many other pieces of equipment. Get stronger on the smith and you'll be getting bigger. When you stop progressing with it, change it to use something else.

there's a guy at my gym who stands on top of a bench and deadlifts using the smith machine he doesn't keep his back straight at all either... i'm tempted to say something to him but meh it's not really my style to dictate other peoples training habits

To all you poo-pooing the Smith Machine, you'll change your tune if you ever get to be my age. I MUCH prefer free weight squats to any other leg exercise, but there are some days when the old back just doesn't want to cooperate. On those days I can still get a good squat workout using the Smith. Then, the next leg day, my back is usually back to normal and I can go back to using the bar. In other words, I'd rather do squats on the Smith than no squats at all.

Originally Posted by ALBOB

To all you poo-pooing the Smith Machine, you'll change your tune if you ever get to be my age. I MUCH prefer free weight squats to any other leg exercise, but there are some days when the old back just doesn't want to cooperate. On those days I can still get a good squat workout using the Smith. Then, the next leg day, my back is usually back to normal and I can go back to using the bar. In other words, I'd rather do squats on the Smith than no squats at all.

ALBOB, I am about to be your age.

I won't squat with Smith because I'm too old - my knees can't take it.

I'll stick with my free squats, thanks. Leave the knee-wrecker to the kids.

In my gym there is a machine that is kind of like a smith machine that I used sometimes, but I would like to know if you think it is still terrible.

The machine is set up like a smith but the bar moves vertically and horizontally. So it basically has a free range of motion except that the bar cannot tilt to one side or the other. I am assuming that means that you are using less stabilizing muscles. However if you are doing squats would it make much of a difference? I have never had a balance issue when doing squats so I would think that is doesn't matter too much if the bar can tilt on one side or not. I could be totally wrong about this, but hey, thats why I am asking you all!

It surely sounds less-bad! At least you can move it in such a way as to avoid knee-shear.

Interesting!

Originally Posted by Built

It surely sounds less-bad! At least you can move it in such a way as to avoid knee-shear.

Interesting!

that video shows the type of machine that it is, even though this guy does bad squats haha

Originally Posted by ALBOB

To all you poo-pooing the Smith Machine, you'll change your tune if you ever get to be my age. I MUCH prefer free weight squats to any other leg exercise, but there are some days when the old back just doesn't want to cooperate. On those days I can still get a good squat workout using the Smith. Then, the next leg day, my back is usually back to normal and I can go back to using the bar. In other words, I'd rather do squats on the Smith than no squats at all.

Id rather do goblet or no weight squats than use the smith but hey whatever floats your boat. If it works for you...