Quote from: tgibeth on July 27, 2018, 11:00:08 AM
Deborah, do you think the benefits of doing squats and bench presses would be about the same using a Smith machine for a little security as opposed to not using one?
Yes. I hope so since it's all I have right now. 🤣[emoji28][emoji23]
For the squats I don't see there being a whole lot of difference as long as you keep body alignment the same as if you had free weights. If you've done free weights before then you know the position. Sometimes though on the smith machine people put their feet out forward. That will hit the quads a lot more than the glutes and posterior chain.
I have done both and heavy is heavy either way. I've also read some experiences of very advanced lifters and their articles say the same thing.
For deadlift it may be a little easier since it starts out elevated by about six inches. Unless you're training for competition that probably doesn't make much difference. But there too heavy feels heavy.
For bench press too I think there's a lot of benefit and unless you're training for competition it probably makes little difference.
One thing to consider though is that a smith machine bar only weighs 15 pounds as opposed to a 45 pound Olympic bar. So that should be factored in when figuring out how much weight you're lifting. So two plates on each side is 195 lbs as opposed to 225 lbs.
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