Smith machine vs. power rack.

[Slimmeh]

Which do you prefer?
I prefer power racks, because I like the balancing aspect making it more difficult, and you have more freedom. and mobility. And people say they like the smith machine because you can have bumpers so you don't get pinned under the bar, but if your form is perfect you can do the same with a power rack.

[ThomasH]

Power rack, allow many more exercises to be done in them. Smith machiens are safer, but don't work your stabilizers.

[Slimmeh]

Exactly. And honestly, you shouldn't need the safety bumpers.

[FERRUM_MAXIMUS]

Anyone that thinks the either/or approach will ever be settled is just kidding themselves.You need AT LEAST 2 of the following: power rack/barbell,smith machine,cable machine,leverage machine,bench/dumbbells.Optimally you should eventually have all of them,or use a commercial gym to supplement what you don't have.

[Slimmeh]

Why eventually have all of them? All of them aren't needed at all. I can easilly get a full workout with my lat pulldown machine, barbell, adjustable dumbels, and bench with leg attachments. That being said, I'm still going to continue to expand it. :P

Either way, that's not the point of the thread. I'm just asking which you prefer.

[FERRUM_MAXIMUS]

Why eventually have all of them? All of them aren't needed at all. I can easilly get a full workout with my lat pulldown machine, barbell, adjustable dumbels, and bench with leg attachments. That being said, I'm still going to continue to expand it. :P

Either way, that's not the point of the thread. I'm just asking which you prefer.

You don't have anyway to push the primary target muscles to their limit with what you have,you need some kind of machine for that.

[Slimmeh]

What do you mean?

[FERRUM_MAXIMUS]

What do you mean?

You're only as strong as the weakest link in the chain.With a machine(smith,cable,leverage) you don't have to worry about stabilizing the weight,so you can actually lift more,therefore you can push the primary muscles harder.That's why you'll see people supersetting bench presses(for example)with a smith machine,with more weight.

[Slimmeh]

Ya but you can still push yourself just as hard with freeweights, and stabalizing the weights use more muscles dont they?

[Slimmeh]

Either way, I prefer freeweights. 100x cheaper, still can push myself hard, still get great results, and along with some cheap equipment like I have, I can get a full workout.

[FERRUM_MAXIMUS]

Ya but you can still push yourself just as hard with freeweights, and stabalizing the weights use more muscles dont they?

You exert the same amount of force lifting the same weight whether it's free weight or machine,but it's spread out over more individual muscles with freeweights.So with a machine,you can put more weight on the primary muscles,because you don't have to worry about the secondaries going into failure before the primaries,which would keep you from overloading the primaries.

[FERRUM_MAXIMUS]

Either way, I prefer freeweights. 100x cheaper, still can push myself hard, still get great results, and along with some cheap equipment like I have, I can get a full workout.

Even freeweights vary,dumbbells are harder to stabilize than a barbell,so you can lift more with the barbell,because you don't have to stabilize each hand individually.Alternating between Dumbbells and a smith machine averages out about the same as a barbell.Now with a leverage or cable machine,you can make a non-linear resistance curve,which will require more force in a different part of the range of motion.Powerlifters apply this technique to presses and squats by using bands and chains to alter the resistance curve,to strengthen their weak point in their range of motion.Like I said before,you're only as strong as your weakest link.In a press,for example,if you're fine off of the bottom and through the middle but you can't make lockout then you need to increase your strength in that part of the range of motion to be able to complete the lift at that weight.That's why it's good to alternate,different resistance profiles help to develop a wide strength curve,it keeps you from plateaus.

[Slimmeh]

Well unless you want to give me 10 grand to buy all the machines to do what my 250 dollars worth of equipment can do, then I'll stick to this, which works fine for me. I'm not a serious body builder or anything, just gotta be a good quarterback.

ANYWAYS, back the the topic subject.

[FERRUM_MAXIMUS]

Well unless you want to give me 10 grand to buy all the machines to do what my 250 dollars worth of equipment can do, then I'll stick to this, which works fine for me. I'm not a serious body builder or anything, just gotta be a good quarterback.

ANYWAYS, back the the topic subject.

There's already 100 of these rack/smith threads if you want to read countless redundant posts ad nauseam.
I take it you didn't bother to do a search.

[kaos336]

Either way, that's not the point of the thread. I'm just asking which you prefer.

Well then why did you list your reasoning for liking the Power Rack more in your original post? Then someone comes in here and tries to teach you something and you blow him off and tell him it's not the point of the thread. Listen more and talk less. You'll learn a lot more here that way. And as stated earlier, there are a million threads about the benefits/faults of both pieces of equipment. Use the search button.

[Skidmarx]

Well then why did you list your reasoning for liking the Power Rack more in your original post? Then someone comes in here and tries to teach you something and you blow him off and tell him it's not the point of the thread. Listen more and talk less. You'll learn a lot more here that way. And as stated earlier, there are a million threads about the benefits/faults of both pieces of equipment. Use the search button.

He wanted to slam the smith, that's why.

Skinny guys talking about stabilizers makes me laugh.

I have a smith, and while I don't use it as much as my rack, it comes in handy for exercises that are more difficult to do on a rack. Like calf raises, hack squats, close grip bent rows.

If you have the $$$ and the space....get both.

[Slimmeh]

I didn't blow him off. Honestly I just don't get what he's saying. Even if you can lift more weight on the machines, you're still pushing yourself just as hard and getting just as tired, plus it takes extra effort to stabalize, won't it be about the same?
My old gym had a bench press machine, one of the ones you using sitting up. I could bench the same I did on that. I can curl the same weight I use on the curl machine. I'll admit, I can bench more on the smith machine, but I asked a trainer which is better for benching, smith or freeweight, and he told me that since you use more muscles balancing, freeweight it better. Made sense to me.
Edit: I just searched now, and there are a few topics about it, but they are asking what to get, or asking about specific things.
I'm just asking which you prefer to use/which you would rather own. Ferrum cheated and said both. :P

[AaronCF]

I didn't blow him off. Honestly I just don't get what he's saying. Even if you can lift more weight on the machines, you're still pushing yourself just as hard and getting just as tired, plus it takes extra effort to stabalize, won't it be about the same?
My old gym had a bench press machine, one of the ones you using sitting up. I could bench the same I did on that. I can curl the same weight I use on the curl machine. I'll admit, I can bench more on the smith machine, but I asked a trainer which is better for benching, smith or freeweight, and he told me that since you use more muscles balancing, freeweight it better. Made sense to me.

Go back and re-read post #11.

[Slimmeh]

Alright, now I get it Ferrum.

[trojannation]

I like both, and have both. The power rack gets more use, but the smith has it's advantages.

[duke971]

There's already 100 of these rack/smith threads if you want to read countless redundant posts ad nauseam.
I take it you didn't bother to do a search.

Ya know, there really needs to be a sticky "FAQ/What Should I Get" thread for all the folks who come on here over and over and over wanting to know things like:
"Hey, I found a Weider model XJ3695-Q89 Super Pro Multi-Gym. Is this good?"
or
"Hey, what about the Bowflex? There's one on ebay for only $39,500.00."

Or, like FERRUM said, people could just do a search and get enough info to keep them busy for days.

[ctgblue]

Either way, I prefer freeweights. 100x cheaper, still can push myself hard, still get great results, and along with some cheap equipment like I have, I can get a full workout.

that's because you're 14, think you know everything, and listen to the "freeweights rule all" chant too much
one day, when you have tried it all, you'll realize that using all of those things will give MUCH BETTER development than just sticking to what you have now
that's why gym memberships are usually better than home gyms for newbies/young guys with little money

"Hey, what about the Bowflex? There's one on ebay for only $39,500.00."
Or, like FERRUM said, people could just do a search and get enough info to keep them busy for days.

Dude, you can score a bowflex for that, have you bought it yet, or is it still available?