Everything To Know About The Smith Machine – Myths Buster

We have all been in this situation when we go to the gym and only do some Crossfit or run on a treadmill and then we just come home. We tend to avoid some of the more complex machines or equipment in the gym.

One of these machines is the Smith machine. Almost everyone who goes to the gym has some kind of opinion about the Smith machine, it may be positive or negative.

Smith machine looks like a power rack and each side of the bar is attached to that machine which means in case you list the bar up the Smith machine will hold it for you.

The issues with the Smith machine

There are many people that go to the gym and criticize this machine and in some cases, the criticism is valid as well. They say that when a person is using the Smith machine there is no sense of balance in that, so some parts of the body that a normal barbell workout trains are left untreated and because of that it can cause injury when working out normally with a bar.

This is actually a correct statement but you must also understand that it is not recommended to use the Smith machine on its own, you can definitely alternate it to a normal barbell workout. 

Having a fixed bar means that a person working out on this machine will go in a similar straight line, there are positive to the statement too as you do not need a holder because when you are holding till failure the machine will automatically help you to achieve your target force.

The right way to use the Smith Machine

The best way to use the machine is when you know that using the machine will target only one body part or a muscle and there is no other equipment that is better suited for that goal than the Smith Machine.

The best exercises to do on a Smith machine are standing calf raises, heavy shrugs and skull crusher variation. You can do those types of exercises on the Smith machine which require to target specific muscle groups but do not require you to balance out the gravity.

If using a Smith machine, you do not have to worry about balance which can help to target specific muscles and give you the best results. So now it is clear that there are certain exercises that require isolation or specific bodyweight movements that can be done in a better way when done using the Smith machine.

Although, we do highly recommend you use a normal barbell for exercises like squatting or benching. We also recommend you to use this machine only in free weights. Smith machine can be used secondary and not primarily, but this does not mean that they are of no use at all.