Smith Machine Problem

[blueray4]

I have a Smith home gym, and I'm having a problem with the weight tower. Olympic weights are put on either side of the tower on two rungs. It slides up and down on two poles, with rolling balls inside, and is pulled up by a cable.

When the weights are pulled up, it works fine, but when they go down , it is very , very shaky. It doesn't go down in one motion, it jerks.

The weight is evenly distributed and shouldn't be the problem.

The weight resistance is still there, but its disrupted. Would keeping it like this affect my routine, or should I get this fixed?

 

[Creepusmaximus]

Throw it out, I never use smith machines, unnatural movement if you ask me.

I would have that fixed, it shouldn't be shaky and that can't be helping you.

 

[carlsuen]

you're asking the wrong question here.. NO body uses the smith here.. cept for calf training..

 

[perp69]

Smith is good for pullups and that is about it. To solve the problem go to the squat rack and forget what that Smith looks like.

Perp

 

[bignate73]

i'd bet your counter balances are sticking somewhere. if it has a pulley type counterbalance check the wheel. or....just light it on fire. get a bar and a cage and viola...instant good.

 

[TheOak84]

maybe fix the barrings?

for the money u paid for the smith, u could have bought a cage for a fraction of the price. and youd be super strong-o right now

 

[blueray4]

it was on sale at Dick's ,I had to

 

[Cynical Simian]

it was on sale at Dick's ,I had to

I saw an ad in the paper for an awesome sale at Victoria's Secret, but that didn't mean I "had" to buy something for which I'd have no use.

The reason the responses you've received have bordered on flaming is that a Smith Machine is a very poor (and expensive) choice. There's a Smith Machine Debate Thread around here somewhere that one of the Plats might be willing to search for and post for you if you're not convinced. In all seriousness, look into selling the Smith; you'd probably get enough for it to buy a basic power rack and free weights setup with plenty of money to spare.

 

[blueray4]

I saw an ad in the paper for an awesome sale at Victoria's Secret, but that didn't mean I "had" to buy something for which I'd have no use.

The reason the responses you've received have bordered on flaming is that a Smith Machine is a very poor (and expensive) choice. There's a Smith Machine Debate Thread around here somewhere that one of the Plats might be willing to search for and post for you if you're not convinced. In all seriousness, look into selling the Smith; you'd probably get enough for it to buy a basic power rack and free weights setup with plenty of money to spare.

i don't see why they are much different than any other cage. plus it's made of sturdy steel, no flimsy parts on it at all, should last a while. i love it

btw, i fixed my problem with a little oil

 

[anotherbutters]

btw, i fixed my problem with a little oil

Turning a smith machine into a squat rack with a little oil is mighty impressive

 

[BBR100]

Problem is the Smith machine. Can use it to hang shirts on though!

 

[Cynical Simian]

Turning a smith machine into a squat rack with a little oil is mighty impressive

Beautiful.

[rant]That's the sort of post I'd have given K for in the past, but I don't agree with the logic of the new karma system (especially for non-plats). If you make a clever post and I laugh at it something has been added to the board and we're both better off, right? Not according to the K rules, whereby if I hit you the total K between us would actually decrease by the amount of the hit (or if I'm Plat would remain the same).[/rant]

 

[anotherbutters]

[hijack]Yeah, I've noticed the k hits drop to a trickle. But, I still find it difficult to spread k around so many people before being able to give to someone again for a good/funny post. There should be a time limit - if you haven't given k to a person for like 2 weeks, you should be able to.[/hijack]

 

[fallingeggs]

There's a Smith Machine Debate Thread around here somewhere that one of the Plats might be willing to search for and post for you if you're not convinced. In all seriousness, look into selling the Smith; you'd probably get enough for it to buy a basic power rack and free weights setup with plenty of money to spare.

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=295542&highlight=smith
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186692&highlight=smith
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=388825&highlight=smith
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=434136&highlight=smith
http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=479052&highlight=smith

there you go

 

[ErikZ]

Smith machines are evil... They are rapidly taking over the world turning us into dependant, half-functional (half being an overstatement) human beings with no core development whatsoever. This is all being done so that in the future, athletic aliens can invade the planet and easily whipe-off the human weaklings!

 

[carlsuen]

I saw an ad in the paper for an awesome sale at Victoria's Secret, but that didn't mean I "had" to buy something for which I'd have no use.

well, u could've bought it so u could save it for a "rainy" day.. hehe..

 

[blut wump]

blueray4, I used a Smith for more than a year thinking it was a good and fine. Finally, I switched to a larger gym since the previous one was running out of weights for me. I tried to squat and found that I could hardly manage less than a third of the weight that I had been using on the Smith. It didn't take many months to get back to respectable weight but I was in constant fear for the neglected muscles that I simply hadn't been working while on the Smith.

You might think the rest of this thread has just been Smith-bashing but it's in your own best interest to get the facility to work with completely free weights before you become Smith-bound, scared to leave it lest you be crushed by the weight you think you are comfortable handling.

 

[kazuya]

Smith machines will make you think you're strong when really they neglect what needs to be strengthened the most:core. pure evil if you ask me

 

[c3bodybuilding]

I'm too damn tall for smith calf raises, so for me it's useless. I did use it for a little while after I tore my intercoastal. Seemed to be good at working my chest/shoulders/tri's without bothering my injury much. But for the price it might cost to fix it, I would toss it and get a free weight bench and rack.

As other's put, the smith is bs. It gives you a false feeling of strength. When I was healed and did go back to free weight bench, I was so shaky. All the little stabilizer muscles that we don't even think about get ignored on a smith.

 

[silver_shadow]

mr smith is a bastard

 

[The Shadow]

I think its fantastic for refining leg mass...but thats just me...my legs grow by LOOKING at a squat rack