The Smith machine home gym has become the cornerstone of any workout room and a lot of multi home fitness machines incorporate this type of machine into their design. The main reason they are so popular is that of safety.
Smith machine home gym were invented back in the 1950's by American Jack La Lanne, who rigged up a sliding apparatus for weights in his gym. It was spotted by bodybuilder Rudy Smith who liked it so much he commissioned somebody to improve it. By the end of the 1950's Smith machines were being manufactured and sold worldwide.
The Smith machine home gym is a piece of equipment used for weight training consisting of a fixed barbell attached to a vertical carriage that glides up and down using linear bearings. The difference being that unlike any ordinary set of barbells, you don't have to re-rack the weights after a set of repetitions, instead it can be hooked at any given point along the carriage. This virtually eliminates the need for a spotter. Also because it is fixed to the carriage, there is no danger of the weights falling sideways, forwards or backwards. So this increases the safety factor.
On the downside, a Smith machine home gym is not ideal for someone who wants to do exercises such as curls or dead lifts, because these require an arc motion, and the Smith machine home gym only have a linear motion. So for this type of exercise it is best to use free-weights.
When choosing a Smith machine home gym it is advisable to look for
machines that offer stations such as low and high pulleys, as well as lat pull downs, also make sure that the machine is made with linear bearings as it will perform more freely without grinding. It will also last a lot longer than one made with bushings. The better machines offer a 7 degree reverse pitch carriage, built in plate storage holders and other attachments such as preacher curls and leg developers. These are probably the ones to go for.
If you are thinking about buying smith machine home gym but do not know where to start, then think about budget. They do range in price considerably. Anything from $550.00 up to over $6000.00 so my advice would be; get the best that you can afford with your budget. Make sure that you buy one that encompasses all your fitness needs and do your homework! Read the reviews and don't be swayed by sales people looking to make their monthly commissions.
Please follow the link for some really good Smith machines by Marcy:
Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Machine
Marcy Diamond Elite Smith System with Linear Bearings
If you are into fitness but do not have the time restraints or budget of working out down a gym, or simply prefer to exercise alone, a Smith machine home gym is a real asset, and should certainly be worth investigating.
