Smith benchpresses = crap?

[ruggermu]

Your right you can't go to what you consider failure, cause you won't be able to get it off. But it has always been my understanding and practice is going to failure is last set you can do with proper form. I was able to do that even alone(Especially if you bench has the oh shit pegs half way up.). Good luck with the switch and don't get discouraged at the loss of weight, still better

 

[Santa_Claus]

Your right you can't go to what you consider failure, cause you won't be able to get it off. But it has always been my understanding and practice is going to failure is last set you can do with proper form. I was able to do that even alone(Especially if you bench has the oh shit pegs half way up.). Good luck with the switch and don't get discouraged at the loss of weight, still better

Thanks alot man, I wont.

 

[camshaft]

this is my chest routine:
flat barbell
incline smith
incle dumbbell
flys

i definately think the smith has its place, if you wants to go balls heavy with no spotter, for instance. i dont agree with the whole "using safety blocks in the power rack is just as good thing". still makes you nervous when you lift the heavy ass weight off the rest, which cock blocks my focus like a mofo. of course i might just be a pussy.

 

[toxicsambo]

Like everything else, everyone is different. I use the Smith bench because I work out alone. I've done straight bar and it's the same. The biggest difference I've had was using DB presses because of the stretch below the chest line which put more stress on the pecs. I see guys using the straight bar and not even performing the exercise correctly. Locking out, bouncing it off thier chest, all sorts of funny shit. Your execution of the exercise is what matters. So if you know how the "use" the Smith, you'll get the same benefits.

As far as dips. They are possibly the best chest development exercise there is. Just look at the types of exercises that are guaranteed to make you into a monster. Chest dips,tri dips, wide chins, close grip chins, underhand chins. They use your body weight and require you to have balance and control. Dips will give you pecs that will make girls horny.

 

[Santa_Claus]

Dips will give you pecs that will make girls horny.

and that's EXACTLY what im looking for...

 

[blut wump]

There seems to be an acceptance that the Smith machine is safer when you're working out alone which I can't necessarily agree with. If you fail on a normal bench you can at least tip one side of the bar down and wriggle out from underneath it. If you fail on a Smith and don't manage to rack it off before it's pressing down on you then there's nowhere to go except try to work your torso out from beneath the weight.

The alternative is to flip the supports into position but that often means that the bar hits them before it hits your chest and you end up doing partial reps to avoid hitting them. Obviously, it helps to know how much weight you can rest on your chest without crushing yourself.

I've had times when I've been lying in the gym on the Smith with 80 or 90Kg resting on my chest while I waited either for someone to notice on the internal cameras or for me to get my strength back. I've even had one time when I was doing close grip and my triceps just gave out and the weight came crashing down and I didn't get the chance to rack it off. I once walked into the weight room to see someone in the process of trying to work himself out from beneath 130Kg on the Smith. Maybe there's just something in the local water which affects our judgement.

The Smith has its risks like anything else in the gym. I wouldn't recommend anyone to use it if they have access to a free bench, especially if they have one with the cop-out hooks near the bottom. If there's no free bench available then the Smith is a decent alternative. There are even some variants which can't really be done on a free bench like explosively thrusting the bar upwards and releasing it at the top.

 

[Jim Ouini]

There seems to be an acceptance that the Smith machine is safer when you're working out alone which I can't necessarily agree with. If you fail on a normal bench you can at least tip one side of the bar down and wriggle out from underneath it. If you fail on a Smith and don't manage to rack it off before it's pressing down on you then there's nowhere to go except try to work your torso out from beneath the weight.

The alternative is to flip the supports into position but that often means that the bar hits them before it hits your chest and you end up doing partial reps to avoid hitting them. Obviously, it helps to know how much weight you can rest on your chest without crushing yourself.

I've had times when I've been lying in the gym on the Smith with 80 or 90Kg resting on my chest while I waited either for someone to notice on the internal cameras or for me to get my strength back. I've even had one time when I was doing close grip and my triceps just gave out and the weight came crashing down and I didn't get the chance to rack it off. I once walked into the weight room to see someone in the process of trying to work himself out from beneath 130Kg on the Smith. Maybe there's just something in the local water which affects our judgement.

The Smith has its risks like anything else in the gym. I wouldn't recommend anyone to use it if they have access to a free bench, especially if they have one with the cop-out hooks near the bottom. If there's no free bench available then the Smith is a decent alternative. There are even some variants which can't really be done on a free bench like explosively thrusting the bar upwards and releasing it at the top.

As someone with bad wrists, I can say that smith machine benching is one of the few exercises that's actually scared me. I remember trying to push out a rep towards the end of my set and barely had enough strength, leverage, whatever to rotate the bar to set the hooks back.

 

[bignate73]

smith machine=expensive towel rack

 

[flyin j]

PS: I absolutely LOVE dips because I have freakishly long arms and dips allow me to hit the chest hard without getting my arms tired before my chest.

Yeah iam the same way im 6'3 with very long arms and I recently started doing dips about 2 months ago and I love the pump and the different look im starting to get.




"Life is ours we live it our way"

METALLICA
'Nothing else matters'

 

[cwick0]

smith machine=expensive towel rack

AMEN!

and waste of money and space