Smith Machine Do's and Don'ts. Pls help.

[Big G]

I bought a smith machine tonight. I love it. I can't wait to try it out, but I don't want to injur myself. Does anyone have any tips? Are there any things I shouldn't do? Anything I should watch out for with form, etc? Exercises to avoid?

 

[P-funk]

The best thing I have found the smith machine for is to hang clothes on it when I am done ironing.

 

[NordicNacho]

I hope your joking

 

[Witchblade]

Do's: supinated reverse rows, pushups, possibly pullups, find your receit and get your money back.

Don'ts: use the smith machine.

 

[AKIRA]

Ive asked before, so ill ask again. What use is there for that machine? For instance, on femalemuscle's myspace page, shes got a vid of Jay Cutler and he uses that damn machine.

 

[Witchblade]

Everyone's answered before, but I'll answer again. There is none really, besides using the bar for some exercises.

---
Edit at previous post: remove supinated.

 

[Triple Threat]

I bought a smith machine tonight. Does anyone have any tips?

Return it and get your money back. Instead, buy a power cage, adjustable bench, and olympic weight set. Pocket the rest of the money or maybe buy a few dumbbells.

 

[iMan323]

Return it and get your money back. Instead, buy a power cage, adjustable bench, and olympic weight set. Pocket the rest of the money or maybe buy a few dumbbells.

^^^Amen. You're obviously new to weight training. The Smith Machine forces your body to lift weight in a very rigid, strictly defined path. The problem is that your body doesn't work like that. You do not lift weights in perfectly geometrical lines. What that does is places undue and unnatural stress on your joints, forcing them to move in ways they aren't designed to move. You will get injured with this equipment, I can say this with absolute certainty. It's just a matter of when.

 

[fufu]

Smith machines do's and don't's?

Smith machine - DON'T

 

[camarosuper6]

Good lord.

Ok, while I am not saying that the Smith doesnt have it's down side, there is nothing WRONG with using the Smith properly for certain exercises. Many of us, myself included, dont have the luxery of a spotter and the Smith comes in handy on those workouts which I need to push myself, and the style of training I use, this is very important.

There are potential downside's to using the smith, and I would always recommend that people new in lifting use free weights whenever possible, but those further advanced can really reap the benefits of a Smith Machine.

Here are some of the exercises I regularly use it for.

Incline Smith- rest paused
Military Seated Press
C-G Bench
Underhand Bench

Dont buy the injury hype about the Smith. You are much more likely to get injured by not using a spotter under heavy weight.

 

[vortrit]

Good lord.

Ok, while I am not saying that the Smith doesnt have it's down side, there is nothing WRONG with using the Smith properly for certain exercises. Many of us, myself included, dont have the luxery of a spotter and the Smith comes in handy on those workouts which I need to push myself, and the style of training I use, this is very important.

There are potential downside's to using the smith, and I would always recommend that people new in lifting use free weights whenever possible, but those further advanced can really reap the benefits of a Smith Machine.

Here are some of the exercises I regularly use it for.

Incline Smith- rest paused
Military Seated Press
C-G Bench
Underhand Bench

Dont buy the injury hype about the Smith. You are much more likely to get injured by not using a spotter under heavy weight.

Most benches that are made these days have safety spotters on them. Even the one at my gym has one.

 

[danny81]

I baught one . im trying to sell it know. i baught it so i didnt need a spotter.

 

[vortrit]

I baught one . im trying to sell it know. i baught it so i didnt need a spotter.

I don't know why everyone always says that about a spotter. Just about every bench made these days has them and are usually much cheaper than a smith.

 

[camarosuper6]

You dont need to sell it. Just buy more accessories to compliment it, like a power rack.

 

[Witchblade]

Bench pressing on the smith machine, ugh. Calf raises are one thing, but bench pressing in a fixed line is really horrible.

If you want to do crazy HIT stuff without anyone nearby and without any safety pins, you still shouldn't use the smith. You should use another form of training. No need for rest-pause techniques.

I've said it in the other thread and I'll repeat it here since it's practically the same thread: machines are bad because of their fixed range of motion. The smith machine is even more limited with its single vertical line of motion. Injuries are just one of the many complaints you can make against the smith machine. I'd say not using stabilization muscles in an exercise is just as bad.

And even if you'd still want to do that kind of HIT stuff, why buy a smith machine. Buy safety pins, use cables, ask a friend to come spot or build your own safety mechanism.

 

[Witchblade]

Charles Poliquin hates the smith machine as well.

Q: I use the Smith machine extensively in my training, but I've been hearing that it's not the greatest piece of equipment ever invented. What's your take?

A: To be frank, I don't think much of the Smith machine. In fact, when I design a weight room for a client, I never ever buy a Smith machine. In fact, if a dork asks me a question about chest training during one of my workouts, I quickly prescribe him ten sets of 20 on the Smith machine as my way of getting revenge. One of the reasons that the Smith machine has so much publicity in the magazines is because it makes a great visual picture but, as far as functional transfer, it scores a big zero. It was probably invented by a physical therapist who wanted more business for himself.

What you might perceive as positives with the device are in fact strong negatives. The perceived positives are only short-lived because, in a Smith machine, the weight is stabilized for you. However, the shoulder really operates in three planes. But if you do exercises in a Smith machine, none of the shoulder stabilizers need to be recruited maximally. For example, the rotator cuff muscles don't have to fire as much because the bar's pathway is fixed. That creates a problem when the trainee returns to free-weight training. When that happens, the trainee is exposed to the three-dimensional environment called real life. Since the Smith machine has allowed him to develop strength only in one dimension, it predisposes him or her to injury in the undeveloped planes of movement.

Exercise prescription specialist Paul Chek of San Diego has identified what he calls pattern overload syndrome. In his seminar and videos, he stresses that the Smith machine bench press is one of the most common sources of shoulder injuries:

"People get a pattern overload from using the Smith machine. The more fixed the object, the more likely you are to develop a pattern overload. This is due to the fact that training in a fixed pathway repetitively loads the same muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints in the same pattern, encouraging micro-trauma that eventually leads to injury. If Johnny Lunchpail always uses a Smith machine for his bench presses, he ends up working the same fibers of the prime movers in the bench press all of the time: triceps brachii, pectoralis major, long-head of the biceps, anterior deltoids, and serratus anterior. But he can't change the pathway ??? the bar will always be in the same position."

Because of the mechanics of the human shoulder joint, the body will alter the natural bar pathway during a free-weight bench press to accommodate efficient movement at the shoulder. A fixed bar pathway doesn't allow alteration of this pathway for efficient movement of the joint, thereby predisposing the shoulder to harmful overload via lack of accommodation.

All in all, the Smith machine is a training piece for dorks.

 

[camarosuper6]

I could really care less what Charles Pol thinks. Seriously.


There is nothing with using Smiths as part of a complete routine.

I stand by that.

 

[camarosuper6]

lmao @ stablization crap. If you are lifting heavy ass weights, your "stablizers" will get plenty of work, regardless of equipment.

 

[NordicNacho]

so your saying you would buy one? bowflex is better then a smith machine

 

[AKIRA]

Charles Poliquin hates the smith machine as well.

Good article.

 

[camarosuper6]

I would most certainly invest in a Smith machine... albeit after a powerrack and lots of heavy weights.

 

[iMan323]

Somehow I'm more inclined to trust Paul Chek than camaro.

 

[camarosuper6]

Oh God.

Here is the bottom line. Free weights should always be the first choice in any strength based program. However, machines and the Smith Machine can be effectively utilized by those who have a good amount of experience training.

What really gets me is that most of the people spitting on the smith machine, are the same ones saying that doing heavy plyo's is completely safe.

 

[buening]

The only thing i use that machine for is standing calf raises on a 4" platform. Having your heals off the platform gives a good stretch and ROM on calf exercises. My calves have exploded by doing this recently. I tried this same thing in a power rack and i had to lean forward enough to keep balance that it really took away from my calf raises.

 

[gr81]

I understand what your saying Camaro, clearly its not your staple machine but its alright as part of this balanced breakfast, yes? seriously tho, just b/c Jay Cutler does them, or Charles Poliquin doesnt', does this mean thats what we should base our decision on? of course not. You shouldn't squat on the smith, I think thats pretty clear b/c of injury sake. other than that there are few things that can be universally good or bad. I hop on the smith at times to warmup up my shoulders with some pressing. Why is the smith any worse than Hammer strength or any other machine? He has stated that obviously free weights always come first so whats the problem?

 

[Witchblade]

I'm not going to revive this discussion again, but seriously gr81, warming up on the smith is even worse than using it in general. Warming up is all about proper mobility and proper motor patterns.

 

[MeatZatk]

I use the smith for incline press and I think it works great. That's all I use it for though.

 

[gr81]

First off I have been saying for YEARS on this very board that the smith machine is not only dangerous to squat on, but that the rest of its worth is inch deep. I am just playin devils advocate to all the comments about how bad it is. The fact remains that its just another piece of equipment. Camaro was not saying its better than free weights or even other machines, so lets keep perspective is my only point.

 

[camarosuper6]

Gr81... good to see you. VERY long time no see bro.

Everyone has certain staples in their own schemes.

For me, I will stick with using the smith on occasion, and grow plenty from it, injury free.

 

[Duncans Donuts]

I'm not going to revive this discussion again, but seriously gr81, warming up on the smith is even worse than using it in general. Warming up is all about proper mobility and proper motor patterns.

Some people, like me, would argue that proper warm up is for increasing blood flow (increasing oxygen from myoglobin), snovial fluid in the tendon sheaths, and to just be able to focus and wake up.

There are specific warm ups and general warm-ups, of course.