Smith benchpresses = crap?

[Sub-Zero]

I don't know how much the chest can or can't be isolated, but it can be debated forever. I do incline bb presses, about a 30 degree incline, because they are what really work my chest the best. I then follow it up with flat db presses and decline bb presses. I don't do flyes due to two previous shoulder operations, but I do think that they help round out your chest routine if you can do them.

In the end it's all about what works for you. I can do a rotine that works for me, but it might not do anything for you, or vice versa. That's why I tell people to experiment with different routines / programs, and find what works best for them, and don't be afraid to take something from one routine and mix it with something from another routine. It's all about what works for you.

flys "round out the chest"?

i thought u cant make ur chest change shape...

if doing flys really helps with shape, then oooh shit ill be adding those iN!

 

[Santa_Claus]

I was able to do the switch from the smith machine to the benchpress with a 5 pound loss.

I don't know if this is normal but after I finished benchpressing, my pecs didn't feel as pumped as before when I used the smith machine. I also felt that my front deltoids did alot more work than when I used the smith machine.

Maybe it's just my body adjusting to the bench and maybe I still don't have the mental confidence to feel at ease with the bar. I didn't dare arch my back much and that probably hampered part of the experience.

Where should I align the bar? On the smith it was above my neck but on the benchpress the bar is held above my pecs.

What do you think?

 

[bignate73]

Where should I align the bar? On the smith it was above my neck....

this is why you should always learn FREEWEIGHT movements first, to avoid unnatural movements and ranges of motion...

 

[Ulcasterdropout]

use the smith for burnout sets only...
you get used to a smith, the barbell press will own you.

 

[blut wump]

I was able to do the switch from the smith machine to the benchpress with a 5 pound loss.

I don't know if this is normal but after I finished benchpressing, my pecs didn't feel as pumped as before when I used the smith machine. I also felt that my front deltoids did alot more work than when I used the smith machine.

Maybe it's just my body adjusting to the bench and maybe I still don't have the mental confidence to feel at ease with the bar. I didn't dare arch my back much and that probably hampered part of the experience.

Where should I align the bar? On the smith it was above my neck but on the benchpress the bar is held above my pecs.

What do you think?

I used to bench down to just below my nipples on the Smith and that allowed a decent arch. Nothing much changed on switching to a free bench except that it took a while to get the bar under control and I was a few pounds down in weight. Try doing some free-weight inclines or Military Press if you want to upset your delts.

 

[big4life]

flys "round out the chest"?

i thought u cant make ur chest change shape...

if doing flys really helps with shape, then oooh shit ill be adding those iN!

Oops, I meant help finish / complete your chest routine. Sorry.

 

[Shark01]

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.

This is such a damn ignorant statement that I have to weigh in on this. Normal bench pressing is NOT safer than Smith pressing. Tell that to the former Steeler player that recently died under a free weight bar or the other dozen that die every year in these mishaps. I have a Smith machine at home that has a gunrack with safety spotters on the front, so I do both. Free benching is more technique than anything else, akin to learning some of the odd lifts in strongman comps. Once past the beginning stage, Smith benching is as effective as free benching. The guy who said it bothers his wrists though is correct, there is some discomfort.

Just telling someone to free bench alone without safety stops and just not go to failure is foolish. There are several things that could cause you to drop the bar on yourself other than fatigue such as cramps, loss of balance, or a heart attack or stroke....which makes that tipping the bar to dump plates moot.....not to mention doing that turns the bar into a freakin missle when it recoils back to the other side.

Dumbbell presses are the best fallback for learning benching technique training alone.

 

[blut wump]

This is such a damn ignorant statement that I have to weigh in on this. Normal bench pressing is NOT safer than Smith pressing. Tell that to the former Steeler player that recently died under a free weight bar or the other dozen that die every year in these mishaps. I have a Smith machine at home that has a gunrack with safety spotters on the front, so I do both. Free benching is more technique than anything else, akin to learning some of the odd lifts in strongman comps. Once past the beginning stage, Smith benching is as effective as free benching. The guy who said it bothers his wrists though is correct, there is some discomfort.

Just telling someone to free bench alone without safety stops and just not go to failure is foolish. There are several things that could cause you to drop the bar on yourself other than fatigue such as cramps, loss of balance, or a heart attack or stroke....which makes that tipping the bar to dump plates moot.....not to mention doing that turns the bar into a freakin missle when it recoils back to the other side.

Dumbbell presses are the best fallback for learning benching technique training alone.

Do you think everyone puts the supports in place when they Smith bench? I've never seen anyone but myself use them and I only used them when I realised I could arch enough to get my chest above the support. If you use the support then chances are that you end up doing partials and not touching down. If you don't use the supports then the risk is as great as on a free bench especially if a muscle gives out or you have a stroke etc. I've had triceps suddenly fail and had the weight come crashing down. Nothing I could do but wait for help or recovery. I've also seen people decide not to rack it off because they felt they could struggle a bit longer and rack it off lower. Shame that they didn't have any control left by the time they passed the last hook point.

I've spent two years on just a Smith machine. I know it works and I said as much. When I got onto a free bench I couldn't press as much but the difference was less than I expected and the bar took a few weeks to get under control again. Free benching is not just technique: it's a matter of using all those stabilizing muscles which a Smith machine does zilch for. There is technique required to Smith bench, though, mostly getting the body in the correct position else you unrack and lower the bar and find that the mechanics are all wrong to push with. On a free bench the bar is all yours from the moment you unrack.

I've failed many times on a free bench and never had any missile recoil. Just use the collars to avoid dumping plates and wriggle out. If you feel like being safer then get into a squat/power rack. That's another device which is more useful than a Smith machine unless you're going to advocate Smith squats as being preferable to free squats.

Obviously, if someone is using so much weight that they feel that failure is either likely or likely to be dangerous then they need to take precautions.

DB press will not do much for your barbell technique but may help to work some of those muscles required for stability and can be a good assist exercise.

 

[Shark01]

Do you think everyone puts the supports in place when they Smith bench? I've never seen anyone but myself use them and I only used them when I realised I could arch enough to get my chest above the support. If you use the support then chances are that you end up doing partials and not touching down. If you don't use the supports then the risk is as great as on a free bench especially if a muscle gives out or you have a stroke etc.

I wasn't talking about using the stops on the Smith, I don't use those either. The hooks on my machine are 3" apart, so the most I ever have to move the bar is 1.5" either up or down. No matter how fatigued, I have been able to move the bar an inch and a half. If that doesn't work, I would just slide my body slightly so the bar gets closer to my neck which is some 5-6 inches lower than my chest and rack the bar lower.

Most people advocate leaving collars off the bar so they can dump weight. I guess you are saying to roll the bar towards your feet, but damn that sounds painfull.......no thanks.

 

[Santa_Claus]

Benchpress/incline benchpress don't work my chest as much as the smith machine. My front deltoids are burning when I just benched but my pecs feel soft.

With the smith machine my pecs feel hard.

Maybe it's because of the length of my arms but the smith definitely works my chest more than the benchpress. As for the stabilizers, I do dips and dumbell presses to work those.