The Smith Machine Home Gym - Technological Breakthrough Or a Crutch?
For starters lets give a brief description of the Smith Machine for those of us who may not have really ventured into that section of the weight room or for any relative newbie out there who is looking for some good equipment to get them started. Like the power rack the Smith Machine is an iron cage you enter from the front. The main exception is that the full length weight bar is permanently embedded into rails that act as guides for the bar. Another unique feature of this dynamic machine is that there are hooks attached to the bar and with a simple 15° twist of your wrists you can hook the bar onto one of 14 metal rungs that are embedded inside of the rails. That's right it is essentially a self spotting mechanism. In addition, the rails act as a guide for the bar; it only moves perpendicular to the ground and stabilizes the bar for you instead of the traditional power rack which requires you to use your stabilizer muscles and balance to maintain your proper form. Your range of potential exercises is relatively the same e.g. bench press, incline press, shoulder press, shrugs, dead lifts or squats. Are you with me so far? If so, you are now prepared to enter into the fray of controversy surrounding this machine.
There are pros and cons to the Smith Machine just like there are good points and bad points to just about everything; whether it be books, electronics or restaurants. Yes, the spectrum of opinions to choose from is a broad one, just like the spectrum of home gym consumers and their fitness objectives is far and wide. Some workout enthusiasts put a premium on form and safety; others put old school work ethic at the top of their list and contend that your technique should be built from the ground up on traditional equipment without the aid of anything with the occasional exception being made for the human spotter. Let's take a look at both sides of the debate.
Pros:
First off, home gym enthusiasts may not have a traditional human spotter that is standing by at the ready. Since your neighbors may not be able to hear your cry out for help (It will be more of a whimper because your wont have too much vocal power is a 275 lb squat goes awry and your butt becomes glued to your heels). Modern technology has introduced us to the Smith Machine to address just this sort of issue. With the wrist activated self spotting mechanism you have a safety mechanism that should cover your back if you decide to stack on the plates or max out the reps.
Another more controversial positive attribute is the guide system, which essentially locks the lifter into proper lifting form and you simply need to concentrate on the perpendicular movement of the machine and not worry about balance and stabilization.
Cons:
OK watch out because not everyone automatically jumps on board when technology makes something easier. But the old school mentality may have a good point here. If you have a good spotter handy or you are sticking with weight loads that you know you can easily handle, you may be OK with the traditional power rack in the home gym environment. In addition, more than just a few experienced weight lifters believe that the balance and stabilizer muscles are necessary for well rounded workout. However, the godfather of body building Arnold Schwarzenegger was an advocate of using the Smith Machine for doing squats. So if body building and not power lifting is your fitness objective then Arnold may have some words of wisdom for you!
To conclude: the home gym enthusiast cannot ignore safety issues. The wrist activated spot mechanism will provide a backstop for you if you are going it alone. The point that you are not benefiting because your stabilizer muscles will be neglected, is debatable. Evidently, the Terminator didn't need too many stabilizer muscles to win body building championships. Thus, when push comes to shove the Smith Machine is the right choice for any home gym weight lifting enthusiast.
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