From personal experience and what studies tell us there s no real competition between free weights and smith machines.
Bench press free weights vs smith machine.
Machines and free weights.
However the intention with smith machines was never to overtake free weights.
Equipped with guide rods you don t have to worry about balancing the barbell.
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.
The smith machine offers several advantages.
No weight lifted on any machine is the same as using free weights.
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.
You can use free weights or a smith machine.
They require more effort recruit stabilisers and help you build more muscle.
The two pillars of weight training.
However in the smith machine the weight is often lighter.
Machines refer to fixed standalone pieces of equipment that use pins pulleys cables and weight stacks.
Many smith machines reduce the bar s weight by 10 15 or 20 pounds.
No weight lifted on any machine is the same as using free weights.
Benefits of smith machines.
Provides stabilized weight many smith machines include a self balancing barbell.
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.
Free weights are proven to have more benefits.
The path of the bar is different for each bench press.
However is the barbell flat bench press the king of benching and chest movements.
The smith machine can be used for several types of exercises but is mainly used for doing squats and presses.
A standard bench press barbell weighs 45 pounds.
Each side greatly praises the benefits of each and conveniently downplays the cons.
Different weights can be used.
This includes machines like the leg press leg extension chest press lat pulldown and machine curls just to name a few.
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.