The Smith machine once was considered a trend-setter in safe and effective weightlifting equipment. However, science has caught up with the machine to reveal that not everything that once was believed about it is true. Perhaps the Smith machine is not the perfect strength-building equipment, but you can reap benefits from it if you focus on its strong points and avoid its pitfalls.
History
The Smith machine has been a fixture in the gym since bodybuilder Rudy Smith developed a weight rack with a rail-sliding barbell more than 50 years ago. Smith actually built upon a design developed by fitness guru Jack LaLanne, making a heavy-duty, gym-worthy piece of equipment that required no spotter. Smith installed his new Smith machine in Vic Tanny's famous gym in Los Angeles, and by the end of the 1950s, the Smith machine was being manufactured for commercial sales.
Design
The Smith machine looks much like a standard weight rack or cage, but it is fixed with a barbell that slides up and down two rails. The rails generally are made with multiple hook points along the frame so the barbell can be racked with a twist of the wrists. Newer models allow for some front and back movement to provide a more natural lifting motion. Today's Smith machines often are made with linear bearings to guide the barbell, and the bearing perform more smoothly and last longer than the bushings used in the past. Smith machines also can be built with lat pull-down towers and weight posts.
Function
The main function of the Smith machine is to prevent the lifter from needing a spotter if the weight should overcome him. Originally, the Smith machine often was used for traditional lifts that require an up-and-down motion, such as the bench press or the squat. However, there has been debate regarding the safety and effectiveness of these exercises when done on the Smith machine because of the static lifting pattern it enforces. Still, the Smith machine is a fine choice for exercises with a short upward range of motion, such as shrugs or calf raises, or body-weight exercises, such as inverted rows, push-ups or fixed-bar triceps extensions.
Warning
Some critics argue that the Smith machine promotes bad form and puts the lifter in more danger, especially when doing major lifts, such as the squat or bench press. The unnatural movement of the Smith machine can put stress on joints while allowing supporting muscles--which generally help balance the weight during free-weight exercises--to go unworked. Furthermore, just because the bar is fixed to a rail doesn't mean it can't trap you, technically. If a free-weight lifter cannot move the bar off his chest for a bench press, he still might have the strength to tip the bar to one side to free himself. This is not the case with the Smith machine.
Considerations
If a weightlifter wants to lift heavy weights safely, he might consider using a power rack more often than a Smith machine. The power rack facilitates the natural lifting of free weights while protecting the lifter with protective pins that stop the barbell from falling past him. Although major lifts are not recommended to be done on the Smith machine on a routine basis, it probably is safe to use it occasionally, for lifts such as the bench press, simply to test your strength without needing to balance the weight.
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