Smith machines – love them or hate them, they’re here to stay!
Smith machines would have to be the most divisive piece of gym equipment – you either love them or hate them! In essence, this weight machine is similar to a power rack or squat rack because it has uprights and you are lifting weights on a bar. The machine mirrors the movement when doing similar exercises with free weights.
The big difference is that the lifting bar is fixed, and it runs up and down on the guide rails. The Smith machine offers protection and provides a safe alternative to trainers who don’t have a spotter.
Is it more dangerous than lifting free weights?
The Smith machine haters will tell you that the fixed plane of movement not only limits your muscle growth but also leads to injury. They claim that you’re not actually lifting a weight in the traditional sense – you’re simply moving it along a guided plane of movement. In fact, one of the injury claims come from the fact that you are moving the bar along a fixed and unnatural plane.
The most common argument stems from the fact that when you’re lifting weights in a cage or a rack, some effort is required in stabilising the barbell.
It is argued that when you are using a Smith machine, you are not stimulating as many muscle fibres as you would in free weights because there’s no need for you to stabilise the weight. There are studies that document this, but I have been in the game long enough to realise that for every study that supports one theory, there will be others that say it is not true.
Make up your mind about the benefits…
I often wonder why these theories are applied only to Smith machines and not to other types of fixed plane machines, such as a leg press. In all my years of selling fitness equipment, I have never heard of someone saying their injuries were caused by a Smith machine. Their injuries nearly always stem from using too much weight and/or incorrect form, often with barbells or dumbbells – the very equipment so-called experts say are the safest.
Many reputable trainers who swear by the Smith machine are often seen in the gyms of elite sporting organisations, which speak volumes about the performance of these machines. It’s true I wasn’t a fan of Smith machines while I was training in commercial gyms many years ago, but I had little experience with them back then. After seeing others train on these machines, and experiencing them firsthand over the last 10 years, I think they’re brilliant. They allow you to isolate your muscle groups better and perform exercises or variations that you can’t perform with a barbell.
Feel safe and gain confidence using a quality Smith machine from Sam’s Fitness
If you cannot make up your mind about the effectiveness of a Smith machine, I have great news for you. All the Smith machines we have for sale offer you the option of free weight training with a barbell so you can get the best of both worlds!
The Smith machines we sell have a secondary safety mechanism, which acts as a stopper of the lifting bar. I strongly recommend that you utilise this mechanism. If you tear a muscle or suffer from another serious injury, you may not be in a position or condition to actually lock the lifting bar out. This secondary mechanism will add that extra level of safety.
The ATX MPX 620 Smith Machine comes standard with barbell supports. This means you can lock your lifting bar out of the way up top, and set up your barbell just like you were training on a squat rack. Even better, this these gym have lat tower options available that can be bolted to the back of the machine so you can perform your cable pulldown and seated row exercises.
For a bodybuilder or strength trainer looking to build muscle, this is heaven! This will allow you to work your various muscle groups with multiple exercises in the barbell, Smith machine, and cable formats.
The Ironmaster IM2000 has optional j-hooks and spotter arms that can be purchased separately. While this may seem like an additional expense, this is completely offset by the machine coming standard with a high and low pulley. It also has weight plate storage on the back – not bad for a machine with only a 130cm x 130cm footprint. With the various options available on both the IM2000 and the Super Bench, this is not just a Smith machine but rather a complete home gym system.
I always encourage anyone considering of purchasing gym equipment to do their research. A Smith machine is one piece of gym equipment that involves a lot of pseudo-sciences. I always acknowledge that free weight training is superior – but for the average punter who struggles to find the time to hit the gym, slips up on their diet, has a couple of beers on the weekend, and doesn’t get enough sleep, do you really think training on a power cage vs a Smith machine is going to make a world of difference?
My advice is to always choose a machine that you like training on as this will increase the likelihood of you using it often and achieving the results you want. In the case of a Smith machine, weight trainers who love variety will find an ATX® or Ironmaster IM2000 Smith machine perfect as these gives them nearly double the exercises in both Smith and barbell forms. All this variety will have you tearing down the gym door to rip into your training! That is the secret to getting results in the gym.
Now regarding the so-called Smith machine injuries, what I do with every exercise is to only use a weight that I can handle with proper form. I also vary my grips, foot positions and position under the lifting bar not to avoid injuries, but to utilise different muscles.
