Bench Press Free Weights Vs Smith Machine

The path of the bar is different for each bench press.

Bench press free weights vs smith machine.

Free weights are proven to have more benefits. However is the barbell flat bench press the king of benching and chest movements. From personal experience and what studies tell us there s no real competition between free weights and smith machines. The smith machine offers several advantages.

In addition a 2005 study in the journal of strength and conditioning research found that the average one rep maximum on a free weight bench was 16 percent higher than that on a smith machine. This includes machines like the leg press leg extension chest press lat pulldown and machine curls just to name a few. Equipped with guide rods you don t have to worry about balancing the barbell. Machines and free weights.

However in the smith machine the weight is often lighter. For those who are unfamiliar barbell bench presses involve olympic flat benches and free weights whereas the smith machine bench press used a bar that is attached to the machine. You can use free weights or a smith machine. In all cases less effort is required to stabilize the weight making the lift easier.

Many smith machines reduce the bar s weight by 10 15 or 20 pounds. The two pillars of weight training. A standard bench press barbell weighs 45 pounds. In some cases the smith machine itself has a counterweight that reduces the weight of the bar and often there is no way to know by how much.

The smith machine is a tricky one and could potentially fall into this category but for the purposes of this article i ll be considering that on the free weight side. The smith machine can be used for several types of exercises but is mainly used for doing squats and presses. Machines refer to fixed standalone pieces of equipment that use pins pulleys cables and weight stacks. Really the bench press has a lot of versatility to it.

The smith machine is designed to make the bar glide up and down and the apparatus on the sides of the machine that allows it to slide also can make the bar lighter. No weight lifted on any machine is the same as using free weights. Each side greatly praises the benefits of each and conveniently downplays the cons. However the intention with smith machines was never to overtake free weights.

They require more effort recruit stabilisers and help you build more muscle. Different weights can be used.