The Smith Weight Machine vs Free Weights

The Smith weight machine is a fixed-form training device found in fitness facilities. Its safety features and the number of exercise options that simulate free movements have popularized this machine, especially at 24/7 gyms.

An Olympic-type bar is guided by a vertical track. The bar has hooks at either end that lock it to the vertical track, so the lifter must rotate the bar to remove it from the track and replace it after each exercise.

The range of lifting movements is restricted by the track, so lifters must position themselves correctly under the bar, rather than control the bar in free lifting movements.

Those who are used to lifting free weights sometimes find the Smith machine difficult to adjust to, at least at first, because they must adjust their technique to the fixed path of the bar. Once accustomed to the machine, exercisers re-adjust to maintaining balance and control when they transition back to free weight exercises.

One study attempted to find out how these two modes compare for producing maximum muscle force using squat and bench press as test lifts. They predicted that exercises on the Smith machine would permit the greatest force production.

They found that the 32 male and female volunteers did significantly better on the squat with the Smith machine, but significantly better on the bench press with free weights. The researchers noted that gender, skill level, technique, and a number of other factors had to be accounted for, and that more research was needed. (1)

The key issue for athletes is transfer of training --how well the effects of weight training improve athletic performance for any given sport. The training effects include skill learning, as well as the changes that occur within the muscles to improve performance-related fitness. The more similar weight training exercises are to the requirements of sport activities, the greater the transfer between them. (2)

The Smith weight machine offers a safe alternative to free weights for gaining strength and allows similar multi-joint coordination of muscle actions to sport movements. Its features are more similar to free activities than many other machines and, therefore, offer more advantages to athletes than seated and isolation exercises. However, its main dissimilarity (and disadvantage) lies in tapping the body's mechanisms needed for balance and muscle control in sport movements.

To maximize the effects of training on the Smith weight machine for sport performance:

1. Supplement workouts with free sport fitness exercises (e.g., power clean, plyometrics, medicine ball exercises) that require balance and control.

2. When transitioning between free weights and the Smith machine, maximum weight loads for each mode will not likely be the same, so adjust training weight loads accordingly.

3. Test on predictors of sport performance (e.g., vertical jump, sprints, sport-specific tests) to determine the effectiveness of both training modes.

A number of manufacturers produce a variety of Smith machines. Go to Gyms and click on Rack Systems for examples.

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1. Cotterman, M.L., Darby, L.A., & Skelly, W.A. (2005). Comparison of muscle force production using the Smith machine and free weights for bench press and squat exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(1), 169-176.

2. Magill, R.A. (2001). Motor learning: Concepts and applications (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.