Smith machines are weight training machines that enable a user to perform a variety of exercises. The purpose of the machine is to eliminate the need for a spotter, therefore making exercising on it safer. The main drawbacks of Smith machines are that range of motion is changed and, sometimes, the angles of the exercises are changed or thrown off. You should avoid certain exercises when you are on the Smith machine.
Smith Machine Squats
Squats are considered to be one of the best full body exercises you can do. However, performing squats on a Smith machine is bad on the knees, according to Critical Bench.com. Squats normally work the entire body but -- on a Smith machine -- the legs are isolated with little help from strong supporting muscles.
Smith Machine Bench Press
The bench press is probably the most common upper body exercise, because it works your chest, arms and shoulders. On a Smith machine, however, the exercise isolates the chest and triceps more which can lead to injury, according to Critical Bench.com. This especially is bad on the shoulders because the machine doesn't use shoulders as much, therefore promoting uneven training, leaving muscles out of balance.
Smith Machine Leg Extensions
Leg extensions are performed on a Smith machine to isolate the quadriceps muscles. Critical Bench.com advises you to avoid this exercise because of the stress it places on your knees. Leg extensions also don't build muscle as well as compound exercises, like squats and lunges.
Smith Machine Leg Curls
Leg curls are performed on a Smith machine to build strength in the hamstring muscles in the back of the leg. The hamstring is better built with movements like lunges and squats that have other muscles to support them. Hamstrings are smaller muscles and isolating them with large weights can lead to injury.
Incline Bench Press
The incline bench press is designed to tweak the regular bench press to build the upper chest muscles more. On a Smith machine, the proper angle is difficult to duplicate and, therefore, more stress is put on the shoulder, which can lead to injury.
Decline Bench Press
Some Smith machines enable you to move the machine into place for a decline bench press which is designed to work the lower chest muscles more. This can put a lot of stress on the shoulder, because the exercise isolates the chest.
Smith Machine Shoulder Shrugs
Shoulder shrugs are designed to build the back and shoulder muscles. They are popular on a Smith machine because you can perform them with more weight on the Smith. However, that is a dangerous option because the shoulder is filled with many small muscles; heavy weight can lead to injury.
Smith Machine Calf Raises
Calf raises on a Smith machine are used by bodybuilders to work with a large amount of weight. However, the calves, Achilles tendons and knees can get overloaded; it is dangerous to work them with heavy weight. In fact, in many cases, bodyweight is more than enough to build up your calves.
Smith Machine Shoulder Press
The shoulder press is a press exercise that can be done on the Smith machine to isolate the shoulder muscles. The movement can be very hard on the shoulders and can lead to shoulder injury. The small muscles of the shoulder are better trained with light weights and movements that don't put weights over the head.
Smith Machine Upright Row
The upright row is used to build the upper back, neck and shoulder muscles. The danger of performing this on a Smith machine is that you can overload it with too much weight. The shoulder and neck area muscles are smaller, and you have to use light weights to train them. With the Smith machine, however, you can use much more weight which creates increased chances for injury.
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