The Smith machine is a piece of equipment used in weight training

Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...

. It consists of a barbell

Barbell

A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, weightlifting and powerlifting. Barbells range in length from to although bars above 7' in length are used primarily by powerlifters and aren't commonplace...

 that is fixed within steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 rails, allowing only vertical movement. New variations allow a small amount of forward and backward movement. A Smith machine often includes a weight rack in the base to help stabilise it. Some Smith machines have the barbell counterbalanced. The machine can be used for a wide variety of exercises such as a squat

Squat (exercise)

In strength training, the squat is a compound, full body exercise that trains primarily the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks, quads , hamstrings, as well as strengthening the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body...

 shown in the image to the right.

Origin

The Smith machine was invented by American Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne

Francois Henri "Jack" LaLanne was an American fitness, exercise, and nutritional expert and motivational speaker who is sometimes called "the godfather of fitness" and the "first fitness superhero." He described himself as being a "sugarholic" and a "junk food junkie" until he was 15...

, who rigged up a sliding apparatus in his gym in the 1950s. It was spotted by health club manager Rudy Smith, who commissioned Paul Martin to improve it. Smith then installed the improved model in a gym he was managing at the time, Vic Tanny

Vic Tanny

Victor "Vic" Tanny was a pioneer in the creation of the modern health club.In 1935 he opened his first club in his hometown of Rochester, New York. In 1939 he sold the club and opened a new one in Santa Monica, California...

's gym in Los Angeles. By the end of the 1950s, Rudy Smith was an executive in Tanny's chain of gyms, and the Smith machine was being manufactured and sold more widely.

Rudy Smith passed away on July 5th, 2010. At the time of his death he was Chairman of the Board for the Las Vegas Athletic Clubs.

Benefits

Behind each vertical post (runner) is a series of slots on which the barbell can be hooked. This means that unlike an ordinary barbell, the Smith machine need not be re-racked after a set of repetitions: it can be secured at any point. This makes it safer for those who weight train without a spotter, as one only needs to twist his/her wrist in order to lock the barbell in place in the event that the weight becomes too great. Most models also incorporate blocks, pegs, or other devices which can be adjusted to automatically stop the barbell at a predetermined minimum height. This further increases the safety factor.
Because it cannot fall forwards, backwards or sideways, a Smith machine is considered safer to use than an ordinary barbell. Since the weight does not need to be stabilized, this can allow unstable lifters to lift more weight. There is a risk of force loss by applying it improperly, however, which can reduce the amount of weight lifted.

Controversy

One of the main controversies between proponents and detractors of the Smith machine is whether it is inferior or superior to a free weight barbell. While there seem to be benefits of free weights over Smith machines, they may be overstated. Researchers at Drake University, Iowa tested the premise and found that lifters were able to lift greater amounts on free weights than they were on a Smith machine. As reported in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, bench press strength was about 16% higher for the free-weight bench press as compared to the Smith machine bench press. However, squat strength was about 4% greater for the Smith machine as compared to the free-weight squat. Men's Health

Men's Health (magazine)

Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...

reported that the straight motion on a Smith machine is an unnatural movement that stresses the knees and lower back, and that traditional squats produced 50% more muscle activity in quadriceps compared to squats done on a Smith machine.

External links

• ExRx.net: Smith Squat
• ExRx.net: Smith Bench Press
• http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KFY/is_9_23/ai_n15733232
• History of the Smith Machine