free weight military vs. smith machine military

[Lee]

ok ive been doing smith machine military for a while and really like it, and the only reason i dont do free weight is cuz its really easy to mess yerself up on freeweight military. i was just wondering if there really is a difference in the two.

 

[pwr_machine]

ok ive been doing smith machine military for a while and really like it, and the only reason i dont do free weight is cuz its really easy to mess yerself up on freeweight military. i was just wondering if there really is a difference in the two.

Using free weights requires stabilization which is a very important aspect of all your lifts.

 

[from zero]

Grab a spotter homeslice. Free weight militaries are an amazing exercise. Your delts will explode.

 

[jerkbox]

smith machine provides such an unnatural fixed plane of movement....

i'd use a hammer strength machine or something before a smith....

of course, free weights are the way to go.

 

[guldukat]

I would prefer a BB military or Hammer machine, too.

However, I've seen a very large no. of freaky big, strong guys use the Smith machines for presses, including Dorian Yates and Trevor Smith. They didn't seem too worried about not working their stabilizers as hard.

Conclusion: I can't see that a BB would be orders of magnitude better than a good Smith press, provided the same kind of effort is put into both.

And it does have the added benefit of focusing exclusively on your contraction...balance and stabilization can be a definite plus in performance, but it's not going to make *that* big a difference to a bodybuilder, whose first, second and third orders of business is contraction, contraction, contraction.

 

[b fold the truth]

I tore my rotator cuffs...doing smith machine military...

Have never touched that machine since.

B True

 

[MT375]

However, I've seen a very large no. of freaky big, strong guys use the Smith machines for presses, including Dorian Yates and Trevor Smith.

No doubt on that, I cant wait for Trevor's video to come out...675 lb starting weight on shoulder presses....yikes...

Personally I like to do both, figure that way Im working the stabilizers but also getting the most I can out of the shoulder presses when I hop on the smith

 

[louden_swain]

Walk away from the smith and never return. . . .its unnatural and will hurt you in the long run.

 

[crew9]

Would you ever pick Smith machine bench press over barbell bench press?

 

[MT375]

Would you ever pick Smith machine bench press over barbell bench press?

Never ever ever