16/04/2022
Angled? vertical? Counter-balanced or non counter-balanced bar weight smith machine?
Which smith machine should I choose???
You may notice our gym have several smith machines and all of them are having different design and travelling bar path. Many people wonder if one is better than the other. Or if there is a proper way to use the angled or vertical bar path. Today I want to explain the differences between these pieces and how to correctly orient yourself to effectively use each smith machine.
Pro and Cons of smith machine
Smith machine is the most used equipment in the gym and they play very important role among beginners and pros in the training. Due to the nature of fixed bar path of Smith machine, there is far less activation in the stabilizer muscles for the movement. This leads to the underdevelopment of these muscles. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use the smith machine, one should mix the training with free weights to avoid this adverse effect. The other issues is some inexperienced user may use the smith machine inappropriately and cause improper body positioning. That will create incorrect natural bar paths, creating a lousy technique.
Smith machine can be a great tools if you know how to use it correctly. Fixed bar path doesn’t require user to stabilise which mean user can isolates the prime movers, which can be helpful in strength and muscle gains. Some exercise is better done if you can isolate the primary mover. A very good example is standing calf raise. Compared to standing calf raise with a barbell, doing calf raise using smith machine or specific machine can greatly isolate primer muscle plus safety rails and the ability to re-rack at any point in the rep, it is much safer to lift higher loads or do sets until failure without the need of a spotter.
Angle or vertical bar path?
Vertical bar path has the advantage of no wrong way to face it inward or outward of the machine. The movement is exactly the same if you are facing inward or outward. Vertical smith machine is suited to be used to perform exercises with vertical direction like squat, lunges, standing calf raise.
Angled bar path mimic the natural bar path of pressing movements unlike vertical path. A good example is chest press. The starting position of bar is around mid-chest height but finishes directly above the shoulders. Using angled smith machine will allow you to do that while vertical bar path cannot. When using the angled smith machine the feet position is crucial and must face outward in order to perform a squat. Anyway it depends on what is comfortable for you and which muscles you want to emphasize. To be safe, try an exercise before adding any additional weight to ensure the bar path is comfortable.
Counter-balance or non counter-balanced bar weight?
You will notice some of our smith machine are lighter and some are heavier even with empty bar. The lighter bar weight are equipped with counter balance system and they are usually counter balanced to 15lbs starting weight. It’s useful for those beginner who require lighter starting weight. Where else those smith machine with actual bar weight are usually 45lbs similar to the actual Olympic bar and they are perfect for those seasoned users or those experienced training with Olympic free weight.
So which smith machine should I choose for my training?
Overall it’s depend on what do you want to do. Angled smith machine are more versatile because you can do exercises with straight or angled bar paths. However, the vertical path is only acceptable if you are doing vertical path motion exercise like squat or calf raises.
If you need any help when using smith machine, please consult our experienced fitness attendant in our gym.
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