SMITH MACHINE DIRECTION?

[iron lifter]

i always wondered what is the correct setup for smith machines. i have seen so many types . most of the time they are setup wrong in the gyms. by wrong i mean if you use it like your suppose to your not facing the mirror anymore. some gyms get it right.

do you guys have a preference or feel it should unhook in a certain direction. for me i have always liked it where you unhook it and the levers drop back not push forward. the other way strains my elbows.

than there are the ones mostly newer type where the damn smith machine is slanted. i liked the old school up and down, hard to find in newer gyms.

 

[LATS]

The angled Smith machine is usually set up wrong in many gyms.. the bar should travel back towards the eyes.. not press away from you..remember the old adage ..
" towards the eyes for presses and flys"..

 

[rAJJIN]

The gym I am at you roll it back toward you
And are facing the mirror and pushing away.
Sounds like it is all types of wrong.

The same as you I prefer the set up where you roll it away from the body and without the angle.

 

[dsteelo455]

usually have to try both angles to see what works best or is least awkward..some movements are better one way than others, be careful tho, the 'wrong ' angle w heavy weights can sometimes unexpectedly and overly stress the joints in a bad way .

 

[Tendon Snapper]

And I thought I was the only guy who noticed this! Seriously, drives me nuts. I flipped one around at a former gym so that it was in the correct position, and doing so only contributed to me getting booted from that gym!

 

[cage99]

Just find a basic rack and as you perform your pressing movement drag the barbell against the legs of the rack. Some gyms might frown upon that since it can take the paint off the racks. Especially if the bar has an aggressive camber to it. But working out at home it doesn’t matter if I fuck up my racks powder coat! My rack has several shiny steel spots on it from doing this exact thing. Basically a poor man’s smith machine excercise!

Cage

 

[buck]

My gripe for gyms that have more then one smith. Why not get a combination of angled and straight up and down. I can deal with how ever the machine is set up as i don't need to watch myself to see it i am doing the movement right.

 

[Durro]

My shoulders hurt with Smith Machine presses even with chest movements and my hips hurt when I squat with it so I mostly do various shrug movements.

 

[iron lifter]

And I thought I was the only guy who noticed this! Seriously, drives me nuts. I flipped one around at a former gym so that it was in the correct position, and doing so only contributed to me getting booted from that gym!

right totally , i drives me nuts. i mean not only are they faced wrong the angle is wrong.

 

[danieltx]

I prefer an angled Smith machine, Flex Fitness being my favorite. I do all chest and shoulder pressing with the bar moving away from me - I get better ROM and feel that way. I don't care what way the Smith faces or unhooks.

 

[275bills]

I prefer an angled Smith machine, Flex Fitness being my favorite. I do all chest and shoulder pressing with the bar moving away from me - I get better ROM and feel that way. I don't care what way the Smith faces or unhooks.

I think i saw a video of hunter labrada incline smith press this way

 

[PYGMY]

I’ve always been too scared to ask this question.

 

[FK86]

I squat and press facing the way she is in the picture. Some of the best advice Dante gave was to press up and forward.

I would turn around and face the other way for rows. If the way I do it is wrong, it doesn't bother me at all because I position myself into a comfortable way that allows me to target the muscle accordingly. Use it however you want.

 

[pimpman]

Lol I think the addiction is us wanting to look in the mirror while doing the set

You can still use the machine correctly even if it's not facing the mirror

 

[Alzadosghost]

I squatted on an angle smith machine this morning. It rolls away from the mirror you face. I squatted facing the mirror driving it up away from the back of my head. It seemed more difficult that way so I squatted like that feet close together feet out in front of the bar to add difficulty not locking out and to full depth. Seemed to work good. That was the first time I used a smith to squat. There was no mirror in front of the squat rack so I tried the smith. Looking in the mirror for me is essential because of all my knee surgeries my kneecaps don’t track correctly and one of my knees wanders out if I can’t see it it’s very hard to correct.

 

[lookslikesausage]

I always wished more manufacturers made benches that tracked inside the Smiths or power racks. Thankfully, it's starting to catch on and a few are doing it (more so with power racks) but still not enough. Would make life so much easier and on a few levels such as this topic at hand. I've discussed this with a few equipment nerds like myself and they said it would drive the cost up but how much could it actually increase the cost? A few hundred? You buy a brand new Smith you're already 3-4k in the hole, what's another 3-4 hundred going to matter? Personally, I prefer the Jones Machine.