4. Utilizing the Smith machine for strength training

We can agree that the Smith machine has its uses. That being said, there are many that don’t take it seriously. And to them I say : have you tried it?

It offers access to literally dozens of different exercises. And even in a fully equipped gym, it will provide you with a platform that is just impossible to be reached by just doing free weights. Even worse, what about a gym that doesn’t have a deadlift floor, a squat rack, the heaviest dumbells go up to 80lbs, the benches are without safety bars.. And worst of all, no power cage? Ok, you can go to another gym.

But what if you live out of town and your budget and schedule don’t allow you to spend time and a ton on gas money every month to get to civilization and of course… a better equipped gym? You adjust. Here’s a list of exercises I’ve been doing in the Smith machine since early 2019 and they've kept me in shape and how I rotate them (Including some that I’ve been doing since I started lifting). 

Upper body.

1. Seated overhead press.

I always do paused reps. Since I compete in the log press once in a while, I like to go all the way down.

And pause for a few seconds or longer. I rotate it in 3 week waves. Heavy for paused singles, medium heavy for sets of 3 reps and repetition week where I’ll do a certain weight for sets of up to 8 reps, depending on how I feel.

2. Incline bench press.

I do it twice per month usually. One session will be heavy. The other will be right after a flat bench workout for repetitions. I’ve noticed that it carries over to the flat bench and the overheads as well. So I’ll switch to it around a month to 6 weeks before a log pressing contest as my primary exercise on chest day. My grip is usually close. 

This way I train my triceps and lockout regardless of the angle in which I’m in while it takes the stress off of my delts. If I start with the incline, I’ll do close grip flat bench for repetitions as an accessory exercise afterwards. I avoid testing myself in the secondary exercise, therefore I’ll stick to 3-4 sets of 5-8 reps. Depending on how heavy I went on the incline.

3. Pin press/concentric press hybrid.

I set the bar all the way down, then I lay under it. I’ll place a flat block of wood under my back to elevate my upper body a bit. So my elbows will be at about 90 degrees angle. And train the lockout. Another great exercise that carries over to the bench press. Just remember to set the bar at the bottom again before your next set. You want to start from the concentric part of the exercise. Great for working on your sticking points/lockout. I use close grip and alternate it with medium and wide, with my pinky on the ring.

4. French press.

I like it cause I can go heavier and not have too much stress on my elbows. I rotate it between an EZ bar and a regular bar on a flat bench, incline etc. But in the Smith machine I can definitely go heavier for reps that I can’t do as easily with the free weights. I usually do it on a flat bench, but it works just fine on an incline, also gives that extra stretch to the long head, filling up the spot between the tricep and the rear delt.

Lower body

1. Squat.

Turned out harder than I expected. I thought squatting in the Smith machine was easy. It isn’t. Trust me.

Took a while to find a stance that would replicate my sumo squat stance. Bar is very used, so no knurling on it. No magnesium allowed. It slips. I do low bar. Like, Malanichev low. I did a ton of sets and repetitions last year. I went deep, most of my working set reps were paused at the bottom. Problem was, due to multiple injuries and hernia years ago, my glutes and hips were sore every week. Pulling sumo doesn’t help either in that case. 

My back issues don’t allow me to train my erectors as much as I’d like either. Or as much as I should. Nonetheless, all the repetitions I did for a year plus helped a lot with my strength. Finally I switched to box squats again. So guess what’s next.

2. Box squat.

Not being able to train a full squat every week, this year I decided to do what I thought would be the dumbest thing ever. Smith machine box squats. Same principle as the regular squats, I do them all paused. I keep the air in my stomach and explode from the bottom. The bench I use as a box is luckily at parallel. I use 3 different stances. Much like when I was squatting with bands in the power cage. 

Switch stance every week. Narrow, medium and sumo. My glutes and hips are fine, my erectors are fine. The fixed bar doesn’t allow me to swing back and forth as I sit down, between the eccentric and concentric phase. And I can tell its working cause my quads and hamstrings get really sore. Also, I can do a lot less weight compared to my regular squat. For now… So I discovered a weak point. I missed the box squats. Truly one of the safest and most therapeutic exercises for lower body strength and injury rehabilitation.

3. Zercher squat.

Since there’s no power cage, I can’t do the bottom up/concentric squat anymore, so I set the bar down and squeeze underneath it. Its actually pretty hard. My hips are definitely at parallel or lower. I use medium to wide stance. So its a zercher/concentric squat hybrid. This one is also a good indicator of where I am strength wise, cause I can’t do much weight compared to my regular squat. Definitely a squat building exercise.

4. Deadlift.

I push my feet out as wide as I can. They basically touch the sides of the Smith machine. Where the bar rests, its right below my knee (similar to the 5th pin in a power cage, I’m 6’1″), so it’s not too bad. I’ll do those every week, rotate between sumo and conventional stance. add mini bands to increase tension and its awesome.

What I also do, is place a block of wood under my feet and stand a little higher with conventional stance. That elevates me and brings the bar at mid shin point. For sumo, I stack 3 or 4 x 10kg rubber plates and stand on them. Pushing out against the sides of the machine, they won’t slide. I’ve pulled up to 620lbs many times with this setup and they didn’t move. 

Best option would be to get 2 wooden blocks and place them under your feet, as long as you’re certain the wood won’t slide… I’m lucky enough to have a heavy duty Smith machine so I can abuse it.

5. Calves

I use a high bar position standing on a block of wood. Contract on the top and hold it. Then descend slowly. I find it more direct and it gives me a huge pump. I’ll do sets of 15 reps.

Note for squats and pulls: you can use bands as well. It looks, well… exotic. But it works. No matter if you use free weights or a fixed bar, the bands will do their job and increase/decrease the tension as they stretch and relax. You may not  work as much in your balance, but weight wise, they'll allow you to throw a little conjugate method in there. And they’ll also allow you to train heavier more often since the resistance increases gradually. 

I also managed to start pulling from the floor again. Provided I get there early in the day so I’m not in the way of others. Yet I still rotate the below the knee pulls in the Smith machine. They overload the upper part of the deadlifts allowing you to go heavier than normal, provided that you do them correctly. And coincidentally they’re at the same height as the bar the Axle deadlift bar at the Strongman contest. They happen to fry my hips too.

Although I got a log recently, I still rotate seated military presses in the Smith machine once or twice per month. This way I get the best of both worlds, the log is a whole body movement, the seated press focuses on the pressing part.

If you train in a commercial gym where you can’t do the powerlifts, this will help you a lot. Even more if you’re training alone, like myself. It will keep you in very good shape. I didn’t pull from the floor for 10 months and managed a 460lbs pull in my first session. Best competition deadlift is 530lbs twice, both lifts done after heavy injuries. So it does work, especially when used smartly. As for my flat bench and overhead press, they’ve gone up since last year. 

Conclusions:

There so many great exercises you can do like front squats, split squats, bench press (great for elbow or shoulder injuries), shrugs, good mornings, Romanian deadlifts. There are many helpful articles when it comes to the Smith Machine. I listed the ones I use more frequently. Its a great tool and everyone should use it, injured or not, recreational lifter or pro/champion. Its the poor man’s power cage!

Terry Eleftheriou for Conjugate Iron 2020

https://linktr.ee/terryconjugateiron