Home >>
Shopping ProSource.net
All Brands >>
All supplement brands listed A-Z
All Categories >>
Products listed by product type.
Top Rated Products
Best in Class >>
Top products that hold the coveted "Best in Class" awards
Top 50 Supplements >>
ProSource.net's top selling products
Exclusive Deals and Sales
Deal of the Day >>
Every day a single top-brand supplement is featured at extreme savings.
Deal of the Month >>
Each month a single top-brand product is featured at extreme savings.
Super Sales >>
Coupon codes and sale items, up to an additional 60% off already low prices!
THE SMITH PARADIGM
Posted in:
Articles by ProSource,
Featured Content,
Muscle Mechanics,
Training Articles
By Eric Velazquez, NSCA-CPT
| Feb 15, 2012
A Contrary Opinion: The Smith Machine
as Your One Key Mass-Builder
Goals: Size, Strength
Bodypart: Legs
Almost by default, hardcore bodybuilders will tell you that there is no substitute for free weight training. Some will go on to tell you that all manner of machines in gyms should be summarily destroyed -- that they are only hindering your gains. But not all machines are created equal. While we may be willing to part with the almost universally-awkward machine shoulder press, we'd never part ways with the ubiquitous Smith machine. And that's not out of sentiment for a machine with a person's name -- this apparatus has tremendous value for lifters of all experience levels, regardless of goals. One big perk? You can squat more weight...about 5% more. Allow us to explain.
FIXED STRENGTH
Weight lifting traditionalists favor free weights for a reason. Using barbells and dumbbells forces your body to recruit muscles in the most natural way possible -- man vs. gravity and all that. The instability inherent in many moves, particularly when using dumbbells, forces your body to recruit more total muscle. Machines put your body in more stable positions and reduce the amount of stabilizing musculature that is needed to complete an exercise with good form. But sometimes, you can sacrifice some of those stabilizers to trigger greater overload on the target muscles.
One study from Drake University (Des Moines, Iowa) found that lifters were about 5% stronger on the Smith-machine squat than on the free-weight barbell squat. With the bar on a fixed path, lifters were able to reduce their reliance on smaller stabilizing muscles and could therefore generate more force into the exercise.
 |
 |
Follow us on
or
for a chance to win this
product! |
RELATED: Read here for 3 REASONS YOU'RE NOT STRONG
Coincidentally, the same study showed that lifters were weaker on the Smith-machine bench press. Though both exercises have the lifter in a fixed position on a bench, the free weight variety to which we are all accustomed requires the bar to travel in a slight arc. The Smith keeps the bar on a fixed path and may put benchers at a slight disadvantage because of the body's unfamiliarity with that particular range of motion.
SMITH FIRST
If you are finding it tough to add pounds to your barbell squat, you may want to begin your workout with the Smith squat every other week. Lifting 5% more on every set will be quickly put strength equity in the bank for the free-weight, barbell version of the squat which is essential for maximizing lower-body development. Try this Smith front-loaded workout next time you hit the gym for legs.
|
Exercise |
Sets/Reps |
Bodyweight Squat
|
2-3/15-20* |
Smith-Machine Squat
|
4-8/10** |
Leg Press
|
4/10-12 |
|
Leg Extension
|
3/12 |
-Superset With-
Leg Curl
For each exercise, select a weight that brings about failure at the rep range listed.
* Done as a warm-up, not to failure.
** On the last set, after initial failure, drop the weight by 20-30% and continue repping to failure once more.
|
|
Comments
If you would like to leave a comment, please login first
Disclaimer: The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
Report Site Errors Click Here for Important Safety Information
|