As you can see in this picture there is nothing natural about a smith machine squat.
Is the smith machine bad for you.
Please let me elaborate before you stop reading.
You will never go into a gym that does not have at least one smith machine.
The smith machine was created by a man named rudy smith back in the 1950s.
But if you are in a situation where you could need a spotter and don t have one then use the smith machine.
What exercises are bad on the smith machine.
The safety teeth on the smith machine and ease of locking the barbell could literally save your life in some scenarios.
Taking a free weight barbell and turning it into a crappy machine designed originally for uppe.
Yeah it s just that simple.
Keep a close eye on your form.
But beware that the smith machine can add unwanted stresses to your joints if you aren t careful.
If you have back issues or joint problems the smith machine may be able to help you perform certain moves safely.
The barbarian and megatec smith machines come with a built in half racks that allows you to switch from free weight bench press into 45 degree incline smith machine press or a decline chest press.
Using the smith machine will make you more prone to injury since you are not working and strengthening your muscles responsible for stabilization.
The smith machine has been one of the biggest mistakes in strength training equipment in my opinion.
The smith machine is about the most misunderstood piece of gym equipment.
It is a teacher of poor form for any exercise.
Oddly enough it is still one of the most popular machines.
The smith machine will build muscle imbalances which will make you more likely to get injured when you re doing any sort of physical activity.
The smith machine has been one of the most criticized pieces of equipment in the gym for the past 7 or 8 decades.
Pretty much everything else should not be done on the smith machine other than exercises that use just the bar of the smith machine as apparatus where the bar never moves like a chin up for example.
If you were lucky enough to own barbarian smith cable rack or barbarian monster you can jump to cable crossover straight away and do some chest flys.
If you re interested in learning more about these machines you should check out my smith machine.