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Hi guys,
I know this is an on-going topic that has been on this forum many times. Sorry.
Everyone rags on the Smith because, supposedly, it locks you into a linear motion and, again supposedly, that is bad for your knees, bad for your lower back, etc.
I understand that the hamstrings aren't as utilized in the smith, and therefore the knee is less stable and/or more prone to injury. That makes sense.
BUT, my question about using the Smith Machine for squats - how are they any different than a leg press or hack squat machine??? I never hear people saying that the hack squat machine is a POS that hurts your knees. But, if anything, the hack squat machine would seem to be physiologically worse for your knees, since you move in a linear motion, and your lower back is locked into one single position, whereas in a Smith, you can at least maneuver your hips a little bit. At least, it seems like it would to my small brain.
Personally, I don't work out with a partner, and my crappy gym doesn't have a decent power rack, so I've been doing mostly Smith machine squats, and they seem okay to me.
I guess I'm looking for a REAL reason to either do them or stop doing them, not broscience reasons because some 17-year-old high-school-jock thinks that the Smith is a machine for pussies, so he makes-up reasons for not using it.
Any opinions? Thanks very much.
I know this is an on-going topic that has been on this forum many times. Sorry.
Everyone rags on the Smith because, supposedly, it locks you into a linear motion and, again supposedly, that is bad for your knees, bad for your lower back, etc.
I understand that the hamstrings aren't as utilized in the smith, and therefore the knee is less stable and/or more prone to injury. That makes sense.
BUT, my question about using the Smith Machine for squats - how are they any different than a leg press or hack squat machine??? I never hear people saying that the hack squat machine is a POS that hurts your knees. But, if anything, the hack squat machine would seem to be physiologically worse for your knees, since you move in a linear motion, and your lower back is locked into one single position, whereas in a Smith, you can at least maneuver your hips a little bit. At least, it seems like it would to my small brain.
Personally, I don't work out with a partner, and my crappy gym doesn't have a decent power rack, so I've been doing mostly Smith machine squats, and they seem okay to me.
I guess I'm looking for a REAL reason to either do them or stop doing them, not broscience reasons because some 17-year-old high-school-jock thinks that the Smith is a machine for pussies, so he makes-up reasons for not using it.
Any opinions? Thanks very much.
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