My Top 5 Smith Machine Movements

I’ve previously written about the smith machine and the undeserved hate it gets from non-professionals. The truth is, the smith machine is a fantastic tool to have in your arsenal. It’s really a matter of how you approach the machine that it can become one of your best assets in the gym. Below are my top five smith machine movements and how to use them.

1/ Incline Smith Press

When to do them
The incline smith press is probably my favorite smith movement for chest. I like to do these to either at the start of a workout or after a compound exercise to really drive the pump.

How to do them
The bar, being on a track, allows multiple angles to approach the movement with. Accentuated eccentric (slow negatives) are made especially convenient. While, I’m not huge on super long negatives, a solid 2-3 seconds are really made especially brutal with the assistance of the smith machine.

Another application is depth in range of motion. Due to the safety accommodations of the machine, getting your chest into a deep stretch position is made especially accessible.

My favorite approach combines the 2-3 second eccentric motion, into by a deep chest stretch, followed by 2/3rd presses to really pump blood into the muscle. The idea is to drive blood into the muscle group and I think of these short and powerful bursts as being particularly useful to that goal. Get 3-4 sets in the 12-15 rep range - it’s more about pressing with perfect form here vs. driving power.

2/ Smith Split Squat

When to do them
I like to these towards the end of my leg day. After your legs have gotten properly beaten up (in a good way), this movement works the muscles into a stretch which are a great way to round out your workouts.

How to do them
My favorite variation of these add a twist, literally. Resting the bar over the shoulder of the forward positioned foot. On the descent, twist into that forward foot, this will add an additional glute stretch and squeeze, turning the movement into one of my favorite glute-focused exercises. Get 3-4 sets in the 12-15 rep range, keeping the weight moderate - it’s more about getting the form down vs. power.

3/ Smith Row

When to do them

I like to do these either as a warm up movement, or somewhere in the middle of a back workout. As we’ve said several times, the control of the track takes the guesswork out of the movement and can really help drive the pump in both a warm-up scenario or as a pump-driven movement. These are not are not a replacement for barbell rows but they’re an excellent version, placed at the right points in the workout.

How to do them

Keep your torso at roughly a 45˚ angle using a pronated grip, slightly wider than shoulder width, driving the bar into the mid-abdominal region. Drive the motion with your elbows. Avoid muscling these up with your arms - it’s all about getting your elbow back for a big squeeze in your lats, rhomboids, and rear delts (with some traps as well). Get 3-4 sets in the 8-10 rep range.

4/ Smith Squat

When to do them

I like to do these towards the end of my leg workout because of the big stretch it delivers but you could put these somewhere in the middle after a big power-driven compound movement to continue to drive the pump.

How to do them

The proper way to do these is to get your feet out front and let the smith machine lower you into a big stretch. I like to do these with a wide stance for extra glute and inner thighs. Get 3-4 sets in the 10-12 rep range.

5/ Smith Sissy Squat

When to do them

I love these at the end of the workout when my legs are just about pushed to their limits.

How to do them

You don’t have to add very much weight to these at all. It’s all about getting your knees down to your toes, putting all of your tension in the quads. Get 3 sets in the 15-20 rep range for a BRUTAL burn.

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