Smith Machines

Smith Machines allow athletes to lift barbells on steel rails in a vertical movement without a spotter. There are slots behind the vertical posts (runners) so that the barbell can be hooked on there if it becomes too heavy. The barbell can be secured at any point.

This safety feature is an important attribute of Smith machines. This is a good machine for unstable lifters or beginners.

Smith machine is one of the popular strength equipment. It is effective, very safe to use, and has many benefits like strength enhancement, muscle toning, and improving endurance. Smith machine was invented in the mid 1950 in the effort to reduce the injury rate of weight lifting making it safer and easier to train. It involves cables and wires that hold the barbell reducing the risks of accidents involving fallen weights.

The smith machine has metal rods and wires that hold the barbell which only moves up and down. It can’t be moved to the sides, or forward/backward which is recommended for individuals with limited range of motion. Also, since the machine can only be moved up and down, it’s limiting nature helps in achieving correct posture. All exercises depend greatly on the posture. Correct posture leads to correct body mechanism resulting to high performance. Great performance means great results. Great results often leads to achieving goals.


Upper body exercises you could do with a smith machine


You can do loads of upper body exercises on this machine. One of the exercises you perform is the seated military press that targets the huge chunk of shoulder muscles. Speaking of shoulders, you can also do standing/seated neck press, wide grip upright rows. Another body part you can tone is the chest area, exercises include bench press and incline/decline bench press. Deadlifts and rowing exercises are for the back and lastly, for the arms, you can do sets of bench presses and curls to get those bigger guns.


Lower body exercises you could do with a smith machine


This strength equipment not only provides a lot of movement variations for the upper body. You can also do as much for your legs. Target those hamstrings with roman deadlifts, good mornings, and straight leg deadlifts. For your quads, you can perform back/front squats, lunges, split/overhead squats. Lastly, Tone your calves with sets and reps of calf raises.


The difference between barbells and smith machine


Barbells are your very basic strength equipment. They are a staple in every gym be it at home or commercial fitness centers. incorporating barbells on your workout is a great way to tone your upper body and pump up your training. In terms of functionality, barbells are effective in building muscles plus improving your overall strength. However, strength machines may limit this since the machine itself is actually helping you carry the weight unlike barbells wherein you solely handle it. Perhaps the main reason a smith machine was created is to make weight training more safe and to eliminate the need for a spotter.


Check out other fitness products. We have a wide range of cardio equipment including treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machines, and cross trainers. We also have a page dedicated for all your cross training needs. Do you have any questions about our smith machines or other strength equipment? Simply submit your questions via our Q&A tab and we’ll send you a reply as soon as we can.