Smith Machines - The Risks Every Gym Member Should Know
If you're new to weight lifting or have just joined a fitness club, you've probably seen a Smith machine, a piece of weight training equipment common in commercial gyms. This type of machine encloses a barbell in a frame and forces you to lift the barbell along a fixed vertical track during an exercise. There are some benefits to using the Smith machine, but there are also some dangers you should be aware of before incorporating this type of equipment into you regular workouts.
The most obvious benefit to using a Smith machine is that you can start or stop your lifting motion at virtually any point along the guide track in the machine. Usually a simple flick of your wrist is enough to lock the barbell safely back onto the rack. This means you don't run the risk of getting stuck during an exercise because you picked a challenging weight and ran out of power partway through the motion, and you don't have to worry about dropping the barbell suddenly and risking injury to yourself or others. This is great if you want to work out safely without a spotter.
However, because the Smith machine forces you to lift the barbell in a straight vertical motion, when you're using this machine you're training your muscles to rely on the horizontal stabilization of the machine during the motion, rather than developing your body's own stabilizer muscles. In addition, you may unintentionally exert unequal power with each arm when using the machine's barbell, because the guide rods in the machine hold the barbell in a horizontal position. This means that if you try to lift a regular free weight barbell after training on the machine, you may find yourself unable to maintain proper form, lifting off balance, or simply unable to lift the same weight you were lifting with the machine. The strength you develop using the Smith machine simply won't translate well to free weights exercises.
When you're deciding whether to use a Smith machine during your workouts, consider whether the safety features of the machine and the ability to work out without a spotter are more important to you than the potential risks of developing poor form. You may be better off working out with slightly less weight initially and investing the time to develop your stabilizer muscles and proper form rather than jumping onto the Smith machine and trying to lift as much weight as possible.
--Smith Machines - The Risks Every Gym Member Should Know...
for more article :
--Home Gym Equipment - The Smith Machine
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