Navigating a gym can be a daunting task for many, and that is precisely why Jill & LeAura created the My Gym Trainer series of books, to help everyone get a great workout and feel like a gym pro! In this new series, we are going to be offering up short tutorials for MGT users to learn about new machines or exercises at their gym.
In this tutorial, Jill shows you how to recognize and use the Smith Machine, which is a gym staple. It is different from the squat rack in that it has a bar that stays on its axis, instead of a free-standing bar. Bars can weight between 2 lbs up to 45 lbs depending on the brand so be sure to check the machine before adding additional weights.
The Smith Machine can be a great tool for increasing isolation of a muscle group, because there is less stabilization needed, when compared to a free squat or lunge. Some MGT movements that use the Smith Machine include:
- Squats In-place
- Lunges
- Deadlifts
- Up-right Rows
- Glute Kick-backs
- Hamstring Pull-backs
- Single-leg Lunges
- Plie Squats
