Using a Smith Machine is a way to eliminate the difficulties of lifting purely free weights. Some use a Smith Machine when they don't have a spotter for safety reasons, and others use it for isolation purposes. While it doesn't offer the same fitness value as the free weighted versions of the same exercises, working out on a Smith Machine certainly has a purpose.
Instructions
Use the Smith Machine
1. Set up the Smith Machine in the proper starting position for the exercise you are going to do. If you are doing Smith Machine squats, set the bar up at shoulder level, high enough that you are starting out standing up, but not so high that you can't lift it higher to get the bar into working position.If you are doing a bench press type of exercise, position the bench to the appropriate spot, then put the bar in the proper starting position. Go through the motions weightless to make sure that everything is aligned before you do your real repetitions.
2. Push or lift the bar upward, to begin a movement, so that the hooks attached to the bar become free of the machine. Rotate the bar enough to allow the hooks to remain free of the machine throughout the repetition.
3. Return the bar to the starting position after you're done your last repetition and lock the hook back onto the machine.If you are unable to finish your last rep, you can lock the hooks onto the machine at any point in the movement by rotating the bar in the opposite direction from when you started. It's this safety feature that is the most important part of the Smith Machine.
Tags: Smith Machine, starting position, free machine, Machine Smith, Machine Smith Machine, onto machine, proper starting