What Are Smith Machines And Should I Add One To A Home Gym?
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If you’ve ever worked out in a gym, chances are you’ve seen a Smith machine, even if you haven’t used one yourself.
They are essentially a multi-functional power rack, with built-in weights, a guided bar and pull cables, all of which allow you to do a full-body strength workout with one piece of equipment.
As Smith machines are quite a bulky piece of equipment, you may think they are unsuitable for a home gym. However, if you’ve got enough room for this piece of home gym equipment it could be worth adding it into the mix, depending on your training goals.
How do Smith machines work?
Smith machines are made up of a rack with built-in weights, safety hooks and a guided track for your barbell. There are also optional cable attachments and pull-up bars, while you may want to add an adjustable workout bench to give you access to the full range of exercises.
In a Smith machine, the barbell moves along a guided track, which removes the wobbles you may experience when working with a free barbell. This helps you keep your form and ensures you stay in control of the movement.
The safety hooks are a key component of a Smith machine, which allow you to rack your bar whenever you need to, without requiring a spotter.
The cable component of the Smith machine is attached to the built-in weights, allowing you to adjust how much weight you’re working with and giving you access to a broader range of exercises.
What are Smith machines good for?
In terms of your training, Smith machines can hit all of your major muscle groups, which makes them a popular choice for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
They are also considered a good piece of equipment for those new to lifting, because they provide both a guide and additional stability for a range of weightlifting movements. This can help you develop your form safely.
Here’s an overview of how you can use the multi-functional power rack of a Smith machine to give you a full body workout:
Chest and triceps
You can use a Smith machine to perform bench presses and tricep pulldowns. When you perform a bench press, you are primarily engaging your pectoral muscles, your front deltoids and your triceps.
Obviously, a tricep pulldown targets your triceps, which as the largest muscle in your arm is important for activities ranging from carrying shopping bags to helping you push yourself up and out of your chair.
Back
There are a range of exercises you can do on a Smith machine to work your back muscles. These include various types of rows, pull-ups and lat pulldowns. Strengthening and stabilising your back muscles is important for your posture.
Legs and glutes
The guided bar on a Smith machine enables you to safely perform squats, lunges and deadlifts, all of which will work your leg muscles in different ways. You can also perform calf raises and hip raises on a Smith machine, highlighting its versatility.
Arms and shoulders
Your triceps aren’t the only arm muscles you can work out on a Smith machine. You can perform various types of press on a Smith machine, each of which can hit a different muscle group. Cable curls are also a good way to strengthen your biceps.
Whenever you’re working your arm muscles and using your range of movement, your shoulder muscles will be getting involved too. Because the shoulder joint is so mobile, control of weighted movements is essential to avoid injury.
Core
Your core muscles will get involved regardless of the exercise you’re performing, because these muscles are essential for stabilising your body while you’re under load. However, if you want to specifically target your core muscles, the Smith machine has options for you.
Specifically, you can use the free weight and cable movements to develop greater stability and control, and in the process condition your whole body.
Are Smith machines suitable for home gyms?
As we mentioned, a Smith machine can look like a piece of gym equipment that is more at home in a commercial fitness setting, but there are good reasons to have a Smith machine in your home gym:
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Safety
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Stability
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Customisation
1. Safety
One of the challenges with working out at home is that you often won’t have someone to spot you if you’re pushing yourself with heavier weights.
The guided track and adjustable hooks for your bar ensure that you remain stable throughout the movement, while providing you with a quick and easy way to rack your bar mid-exercise if you need to.
2. Stability
If you are setting up a home gym to start working out for the first time, a Smith machine is also a great choice because it gives you additional stability that can help you master your form with a lower risk of injury.
3.Customisation
You can also fully customise the setup of your Smith machine to suit your body and your training style. If you’re the only person who uses your home gym regularly, that can save you setup time when you head into this space for your workout.
Why are some Smith machines angled?
When you’re shopping for Smith machines, you might notice that some models are vertical while others have a slight angle.
An angled Smith machine will have its steel rails tilted back by between five and seven degrees. The reason for this is to help you access an increased range of motion when performing exercises like lunges and squats.
The slight angle more closely mimics the natural movement pattern within our bodies when we perform these kinds of exercises.
That said, this is a small change to the way the machine is designed and for many people vertical Smith machines work just as well as their slightly angled counterparts.
If you’re not sure which would suit you better, visit some local gyms, see what kind of Smith machines they have available and try them out. This can help you make a more informed decision based on your training needs before investing in this piece of gym equipment.