Is Smith Machine bad for Bench Press?

[unity]

this guy has it all done right. said exactly what i would have said if i wasnt so lazy. reps for being able to look at it from a completely neutral point of view and being intelligent.

i think he has it wrong. i say this because he responds to rhetorical questions, and comments on other members posts in a way that infers that they said something that they never actually said. essentially, correcting people that did not say anything that needed to be corrected.

[ctg23]

I don't use the smith very often, but the one time I tried it for bench press, it was one of the best chest workouts I have ever had.

can i ask why, if you found it so good for your chest workout, have you only used it once?



personally i cant use the smith for bench anyway, plays havoc with my wrists as i cant find the right position for me to be in. and lifting and twisting the bar round really bashes my wrists up.

ive been using dbs as my gym doesnt have a bb bench either. but ive been maxing out the dbs available so am thinking about moving a bench inbetween a cable machine and benching with 2 cables. hopefully it works out like how im thinking lol

anyone used a cable machine for benching??

[unity]

can i ask why, if you found it so good for your chest workout, have you only used it once?



personally i cant use the smith for bench anyway, plays havoc with my wrists as i cant find the right position for me to be in. and lifting and twisting the bar round really bashes my wrists up.

ive been using dbs as my gym doesnt have a bb bench either. but ive been maxing out the dbs available so am thinking about moving a bench inbetween a cable machine and benching with 2 cables. hopefully it works out like how im thinking lol

anyone used a cable machine for benching??

i would rather work on improving my bb bench numbers, also i love db press and dips.

[SquatTilYouDrop]

i would rather work on improving my bb bench numbers, also i love db press and dips.

Also, throw some decent weight on your back and crank out pushups.

Boom....


Chest, shoulder, tris, stability, even abs all in one.




My take on this ridiculous but hilarious thrad.

[Tyciol]

The thing I find hilarious, is the crowd who preaches about not using machines so you can focus on your stabilizers, would be the first to crap on the idea of a bosu ball. Why would bosu balls be bad? they require more stabilizers to be used due to the unstable base.

Yeah exactly. Swiss too, and vibrating plates. Or for that matter, why would you even clip on your barbell plates? If you keep them loose they can shake around and destabilize us.

Nice, that was my conclusion from page 1.

Yeah I know, but we have to repeat it until they learn =)

[Spartan1121]

You can use both. Also the Smith is essentially a chest press, nothing wrong with that and it may actually be a easier/safer way for him to overload the muscle instead of using D.B.s...plus he'll be able to move more weight.

actually, wen i started lifting a couple years ago, i used to use a smith press for all my benching cuz i thought it be safer and easier. Boy was I WRONG. One day i was at a gold's gym with my friend we went to bench at a normal bench rack. I threw up 225 and thought i could only do 4, i managed to pull off 12 on a normal rack so a smith press is actually harder....

[ledbain21]

Also, throw some decent weight on your back and crank out pushups.

Boom....


Chest, shoulder, tris, stability, even abs all in one.




My take on this ridiculous but hilarious thrad.

this. My Smith machine at my school gym puts too much pressure on front delts. So at times instead of DB, i just pack some 45 plates on my back and bust out some pushups.

[xRequiem]

Does your gym not have a squat rack? That's what I use for bench.

[Samlaza29]

What are these "stabilizers" that some posters seem to be so concerned with, and exactly where on the body are they located?

Shoulders

Core


Glutes

And back

[chippy7]

Smith Bench really hurt my shoulders and elbows. I recommend that you do dumbbell for couple weeks then try smith machine. you should realize how unnatural the smith feels.

[Tensolator]

What are these "stabilizers" that some posters seem to be so concerned with, and exactly where on the body are they located?

Stabilizers, like the mythical Sasquatch, are out there, somewhere. There are a few fuzzy photos, and hysterical witnesses.

[darinaldi]

Shoulders

Core

Glutes

And back

Thank you for responding to Ironwill's question from 2011. I'm sure he has been waiting with bated breath for the past three and a half years for someone to give him this answer.

[taxgeek]

This thread was a great read. Sticky?

[melDorado]

Since I got a proper gym life is so good. You need barbells in your life serious whatever it takes...

[ironwill2008]

Thank you for responding to Ironwill's question from 2011. I'm sure he has been waiting with bated breath for the past three and a half years for someone to give him this answer.

I think his SarcasoMeter needs some fresh batteries.

This thread was a great read. Sticky?

Not a chance.



Or maybe my SarcasoMeter needs new batteries.

[acrobat2000]

I am becoming a fan of the 2d smith machine. Let's me add another 20 lbs on my bench and squat and makes me sore. Then I go back to the regular squats and bench the next time, but it seems great for advancing weights quickly

[VladimirPutin1]

No its not bad but overtime might cause mobility problems. Why? because it doesnt have the natural range of motion for the arm and might cause injuries overtime and might injue the shoulder during heavy lifts. I would go for regular bench

[BioSmith91]

I wouldn't say its "bad" for the bench press, in the same way I wouldn't say pink dumbbells are "bad." It just has absolutely zero carry over and your time is better spent doing exercises that have carry over.

[scottpetsuch]

oh, i see none of you answered my question about stabilizer muscles. probably because those of you that run around here talking about them all the time actually have no idea wtf you are talking about.

Obviously you know nothing about weight lifting if your acting this way. To answer your question the stabilizing muscles are your delts (shoulders) and triceps any time you do a compound movement like bench press or squat you're using stabilizing muscles which are actually just secondary muscles. And also for the smith machine if you want tinnitus you're more than welcome to use it it's back because you're locked into a position that does not allow you to properly move the weight.