Here is an excerpt to give you a taste...
Following on from the last point, one of the reasons this becomes dogmatic is because people like to think of exercise as some sort of choreography. For example, a bench press with a barbell generally involves a slight curve in the bar path to bring the bar to the mid/lower sternum, therefore it is assumed we need to replicate that
on the smith machine. However, one can still move in a straight line up and down while training the tissues responsible for opposing that movement. Just because it doesn’t replicate the choreography of the bench press does not mean it is a problem. What this means is that if you are going to knock the smith machine for not allowing the replication of that choreography, you have to recognise that the problem does not lie with the tool, but with the inappropriate intent of the user.
If you are lying flat on your back, pressing the bar up and down, the pectoralis major, anterior deltoids, and triceps are still going to be the primary muscles responsible for moving the bar, even if it does happen to be guided by the tracks of the smith machine. While it may require an adjustment in your grip or a change in how
much you “tuck your elbows” (shoulder ab/adduction) versus a standard barbell bench press, it does not take away from the fact that you are dealing with a load that is being pushed down by gravity. Whether or not the specific muscle recruitment changes might depend on those adjustments in grip/elbow position, your intent (are you pushing straight up, a little forward, a little back etc.), how hard you are squeezing the bar etc., and they are all interesting avenues that could be
explored.
Read on HERE.
Kind Regards,
Gary McGowan
Triage Method
