Bench Press with Smith Machine

[adlloyd]

I don't always have a spot so a lot of times I use the smith machine to bench. What do you think pressing 225 on a Smith machine would be equivalent to of a normal "free" bench? I want to build up to do 10 reps of 225 on a normal bench press but i'm using the smith machine to build up to that

[Ironlife]

It depends upon a few factors really, although general consensus says that you will be able to lift more on the smith bench press compared to normal free weight bench press, how much the difference is a unique trait to you and your strength/endurance capacities.

[BluntD]

It depends upon a few factors really, although general consensus says that you will be able to lift more on the smith bench press compared to normal free weight bench press, how much the difference is a unique trait to you and your strength/endurance capacities.

Good answer


OP, you should just ask someone for a spot if you need one, whether it be a staff member or someone else in the gym. If you tend to see the same guys on a regular basis, make friends with them and then you can always count on a spot. Another solution would be to bench in the power rack and set the pins just off your chest so that if you fail, you won't crush yourself (though I've never been a huge fan of this method simply because the pins prevent you from lowering the bar as far down).

Bottom line though is that if you want to get better on flat freeweight bench, you need to train it. Use the smith as supplemental sets after your freeweight sets if need be. You won't see a huge carryover from the smith if you're never using the freeweight bench.

[joeydzzle]

If your gym has one, use a power rack. When I bench, I move a flat bench into the power rack, adjust the bars, and do my thing.

I will never step foot into a smith machine, especially when bench pressing, when a power rack is a better option.