Deadlifts And Back Strengthening

[ed073]

Actually, Smith Machines are fine. Used excessively, you'll lose your coordination with regular barbells but Smith machines are fine for variety (or possibly injuries). Some say they're bad for the knees due to the fixed groove but I think there's plenty of scope for adjusting body-alignment so the knees can bend at various angles.

Wrong. For deadlifts, squats, bench press and even BB shrugs, the SM forces you into an unnatural ROM. In none of these exercises does the BB normally go straight up and down.

SM squats ARE definitely bad for the knees (and back) when used for squatting becuase the correct squat technique is to squat down and back simultaneously. Can't do this when forced into a straight up and down motion.

 

[Carrera]

Many coaches or athletes disagree over the issue of smith machines and I'm one of them. There's scope to vary the angle of a squat on a good smith machine and you can vary the depth of a squat e.t.c. I've had no knee problems resulting from the smith. Most people who have knee problems usually bounce on either squats or leg-presses and it's the bouncing that does the damage. But if smith machines stress your knees then, sure, don't do them. Some machines are better designed than others as well. In the end, it's down to what works best for you and causes less joint stress.
Hack machines are also possible but I never see them being manufactured these days - not good ones.

Wrong. For deadlifts, squats, bench press and even BB shrugs, the SM forces you into an unnatural ROM. In none of these exercises does the BB normally go straight up and down.

SM squats ARE definitely bad for the knees (and back) when used for squatting becuase the correct squat technique is to squat down and back simultaneously. Can't do this when forced into a straight up and down motion.