1. Add Safety and Stability to Your Workout
The Smith machine is not a machine per say, but a metal rack that can hold heavy weights while stabilizing lifting. The Smith machine's unique design enables you to do several exercises that will help you get a full body workout. The major advantage to the Smith machine is the ability to do several barbell exercises safely because it is attached to two steel poles to prevent dropping the weight, overextension and subsequent injury. You simply cycle through a variety of lifting exercises that target all your major body parts while using the Smith machine to get a full body workout.
2. Stabilize Your Core
The most important thing while doing any type of free weight exercise is to stabilize your core muscles. This is the first step to getting a total body workout and is especially true with the Smith machine. Failure to stabilize your core can leave you vulnerable to back injury due to the nature of lifting free weights. The Smith machine reduces this risk, but does not eliminate it. The types of lifting you will be doing rely heavily on core strength, so make sure you are prepared with a lifting belt. To tighten your core for exercise take a deep breath, get in a proper posture position, tighten your abs and squeeze your glutes. This will activate your core. Continue this maneuver while you are lifting weights to give your back, abs and glutes a workout.
3. Circuit Train
The best way to get a full body workout with a Smith machine is to circuit train through a variety of exercises that target multiple body parts. The design of the machine makes it quick and easy to move from one exercise to the next. The following is a list of free weight exercises you can execute on the Smith machine (and the body parts worked): squats (lower body, core), dead lifts (lower body, core), lunges (lower body, core), calf raises (lower body, core), bench press (chest, triceps, core), upright rows (upper body, core), and shoulder shrugs (traps).
Perform each exercise for 3 sets of 10 reps with minimal rest. Then, quickly move to the next exercise. If you alternate upper body and lower body exercises you can minimize fatigue and enhance your workout intensity and duration. Try doing a 3-2-3 pace to maximize your total body workout with the Smith machine, where your concentric work takes 3 seconds, the isometric or holding phase takes 2 seconds, and your eccentric movement follows for 3 seconds. For example, when doing a calf raise with the bar on your shoulders, push upwards on your toes for 3 seconds, then hold the position for 3 seconds at the top of the exercise, and slowly return to the starting position over 3 seconds. Circuit training at this pace is a great way to get a total body workout with the Smith machine.
The Smith machine is not a machine per say, but a metal rack that can hold heavy weights while stabilizing lifting. The Smith machine's unique design enables you to do several exercises that will help you get a full body workout. The major advantage to the Smith machine is the ability to do several barbell exercises safely because it is attached to two steel poles to prevent dropping the weight, overextension and subsequent injury. You simply cycle through a variety of lifting exercises that target all your major body parts while using the Smith machine to get a full body workout.
2. Stabilize Your Core
The most important thing while doing any type of free weight exercise is to stabilize your core muscles. This is the first step to getting a total body workout and is especially true with the Smith machine. Failure to stabilize your core can leave you vulnerable to back injury due to the nature of lifting free weights. The Smith machine reduces this risk, but does not eliminate it. The types of lifting you will be doing rely heavily on core strength, so make sure you are prepared with a lifting belt. To tighten your core for exercise take a deep breath, get in a proper posture position, tighten your abs and squeeze your glutes. This will activate your core. Continue this maneuver while you are lifting weights to give your back, abs and glutes a workout.
3. Circuit Train
The best way to get a full body workout with a Smith machine is to circuit train through a variety of exercises that target multiple body parts. The design of the machine makes it quick and easy to move from one exercise to the next. The following is a list of free weight exercises you can execute on the Smith machine (and the body parts worked): squats (lower body, core), dead lifts (lower body, core), lunges (lower body, core), calf raises (lower body, core), bench press (chest, triceps, core), upright rows (upper body, core), and shoulder shrugs (traps).
Perform each exercise for 3 sets of 10 reps with minimal rest. Then, quickly move to the next exercise. If you alternate upper body and lower body exercises you can minimize fatigue and enhance your workout intensity and duration. Try doing a 3-2-3 pace to maximize your total body workout with the Smith machine, where your concentric work takes 3 seconds, the isometric or holding phase takes 2 seconds, and your eccentric movement follows for 3 seconds. For example, when doing a calf raise with the bar on your shoulders, push upwards on your toes for 3 seconds, then hold the position for 3 seconds at the top of the exercise, and slowly return to the starting position over 3 seconds. Circuit training at this pace is a great way to get a total body workout with the Smith machine.
