I'm now equipping my home gym again, after a couple of years at a gym, knocking elbows with girly men, and fat women. Just kidding, it's a powerlifting gym, and most of the women are hotties. (no really)

I'm not a big fan of smith machines, in general, though I do shrugs and some limited squat-type work on the one at the gym, but there's an ad on craigslist for an Ironmaster 950 for 300 bucks, with a full 300 pound olympic set, including olympic bar. I still plan on having a regular bench, and deadlifting, so I won't go full-on-girly, but I'm wondering if any of you guys have found any legitimate, and helpful uses for a smith machine, outside of hanging the laundry.

Like I said, I actually like doing shrugs on the one at the gym, so there's that, but what do you guys think?

For the price of a new weight set, I'll get a weight set, and a smith machine, with pec deck, and lat attachments, and rubber flooring. I'd just like to think I could use the smith machine part for something useful also......

At that price, buy a powerrack, not a smith machine.

I'm mainly buying it for the olympic set that comes with it. $300 is about the store price, just for that, lately. I'm sure I can use the lat pulldown feature, if not, I can just sell the smith machine thing, keep the weights. I'll certainly never bench on a smith (again). I'm looking for a cage anyway.. I just haven't seen one in my present price range.

So no use at all for the smith machine so far...

You can do pull ups...

I'm sure I can use the lat pulldown feature,

But why would you want to?


So no use at all for the smith machine so far...

You already mentioned hanging your laundry.

I have a Smith Machine that I'd love to give away if someone would just come over and pick the goddamn thing up.

But why would you want to?


Lat pulldowns are awesome man, especially for people that weigh over 200lbs.

TC: What is your price range for a rack?

If you are just talking about a free standing rack, I'm not sure I want one. I've been looking for a pretty cheap (pricewise) full cage. I almost had one for $200, but the seller got rid of it too quickly. The ad had only been on craigslist for half an hour when I inquired.

In a couple of months I may be able to spend another few hundred on equipment, but after this purchase ( mainly to get the cheap Olympic set ) I'm pretty well tapped out. Oh yeah this set comes with curl bars, and rubber flooring too, so I think I'm getting a pretty good value, even if I don't keep the machine itself.

Damn didn't even answer the question $300 was my current price range....

You can do pull ups...


Unfortunately, the lat cable system is right in the middle of the crossbeam of this thing... but I could do pullups from the weight bar. I'm probably short enough

Well, never mind. I just found "free bar holders" for the smith machine I'm buying that basically turn it into a rack. I'd still rather have a cage, but at least I won't have to buy a separate rack for benching, and squats. I can use saw horses for squat safety, I guess.

Here's the $300 cage I'm using

http://newyorkbarbells.com/92563.html

Sometimes there's a free shipping deal.

Here's the $300 cage I'm using

http://newyorkbarbells.com/92563.html

Sometimes there's a free shipping deal.


That's a sexy beast. I'll be in the market for one of those, probably by the end of summer.

Good news though, I did get a free roman chair/ hyper-extension with the lot.

I think the "Shirley" Machine has fucked more people up than any other piece of gym equipment.

Not to be a nay-sayer, or anything, but a lot of the very large and strong, a few nationally ranked, powerlifters at my gym regularly use a smith machine for assistance work. They certainly don't do their main work on it, but they do squats in them, apparently to work on their depth. There's other work they use them for, but they laugh at anyone trying to bench in them. Though they do some of their overhead pressing on the smith machine too. I don't like the feel myself.

( If you want to look them up, I could give names, but I'd like to ask them first... )

Actually, as solid a piece of machinery that this thing is, I'm probably going to get the attachment for it for free weights and use it as a rack, and for benching. If I was a welder, I'd add a couple more uprights to it and make a cage. Might still try.

Are you sure they're not using a monolift? I've never, ever heard of a powerlifter using a smith machine to work on depth, mainly because to hit depth, you have to greatly compromise form on a smith machine.

Not to be a nay-sayer, or anything, but a lot of the very large and strong, a few nationally ranked, powerlifters at my gym regularly use a smith machine for assistance work.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v356/alloway/shenanigans.jpg